Whilst our company address is in Essex we have staff, and indeed have run expeditions, all over the UK. Currently some of the locations we use are Chiltern Hills, Ashdown Forest, South Downs, North Downs, Essex, Dorset, Suffolk, Brecon Beacons, Exmoor, Cambrian Mountains, Cheviot Hills, Surrey Hills and the Forest of Dean.  Please contact us if you have a specific location in mind. 

This depends on the length of programme you want and the location of your expeditions, but a rough idea is below;

• Bronze - 5 day programme - £260pp + VAT

• Silver - 6 day programme - £330pp + VAT

• Gold - 9 day programme - £632pp + VAT

The minimum number of students we can work with;

• Bronze = 18 – participants / 3 teams

• Silver = 18 participants / 3 teams

• Gold = 18 participants / 3 teams

It is still worth getting in touch if you have a number below but close to this minimum.

To keep our costs low we provide the following equipment to groups, emergency phone, maps, compasses, first aid kit, watch, sharpie, hi vis jacket, emergency card and at gold level, trackers and group shelters. If you have any difficulties finding or funding equipment it is worth letting us know as we do have a few spare items and on your expedition your leaders will have spares in case anything gets forgotten, lost or broken.

This will depend on how many students and teams you have, which level of the Award it is and whether it is a training, practice or qualifying expedition. Each expedition will have an expedition leader and at least one other member of staff. If there are more than 3 groups/teams, then there will be more staff. On training expeditions there will be more staff to help teach the skills of map reading and navigation, on qualifying expeditions there will be less but there will also be a member of our staff acting as the expedition assessor who will write the reports for edofe. 

Yes absolutely – we aim to make our expeditions as inclusive as possible. Please contact us as early as possible to discuss any needs that may require adaptions to our expeditions. We are happy to meet with parents / carers to discuss this too. 

To keep our costs to you low we do not provide transport to or from expeditions or whilst on expeditions. We can however arrange expeditions in locations suitable for parents to drop off and pick up your young people close to your schools location or locations accessible for a coach.

We will help your young people to get into teams in advance of their expedition programme starting. Ideally, they then remain in the same teams for the duration of their programme, so throughout training, practice and qualifying expeditions. A large part of the expeditions section is about working as a team and learning to cooperate and share responsibilities. Team Building is part of the training, and it is a shame to develop those skills in one group and then to have to start again in another different group on the next expedition. We do appreciate though, sometimes there are valid reasons for young people to need to change groups and if this is the case then please let us know.

The expedition section is challenging. Young people are required to carry all their equipment and walk for considerable distances, often up and down hills along their route. They will also need to camp overnight, pitching and sleeping in a tent and cooking their own food. This requires a level of fitness and a fair bit of determination to carry on even when things get tough. If a young person has an injury or is unwell and it will impact on their ability to do the above it is probably best that they do not attend. We are happy to discuss individual circumstances if you contact us in advance.

You can find the start and end points for the expedition on the participants expedition letters. This gives an address, postcode and google map link. If you need more information, e.g. grid references for these locations or postcodes for campsites then please contact us. 

We will provide the school staff who are on the expedition a copy of all the groups routes drawn onto an OS map at the start of the expedition. 

Our risk assessments are written in the days before the expedition takes place to ensure they are as up to date and relevant as possible. It is therefore difficult to provide these in advance. However, we do have a comprehensive risk management summary which can be used for trip approval with your organisation and/or for external approval. This can be found on your teacher page on our website. 

We ask each school / organisation that we work with to bring a minimum of 2 staff on each expedition. The second member of staff could be a volunteer or helper that has been through the school’s /organisation’s risk assessment process for being around young people. You will also need to bring enough staff to meet any requirements your school / organisation sets for you. For more information on this please see the School Staff responsibilities document on your teacher page on our website. 

We ask each school / organisation that we work with to have a school vehicle (preferably a minibus) on each expedition to transport students in an emergency. We also ask that one of the two members of staff can drive the vehicle and holds the correct insurance to do so. For more information on this please see the School Staff responsibilities document on your teacher page on our website.

School staff are responsible for the overnight supervision of the young people. To do this they will need to camp near the group and the group should know that they go to them if they have any problems during the night. Gold expeditions may be an exception to this as participants camp independently.

Campsites vary depending on expeditions and their location, but Bronze and Silver campsites will have toilets, and a drinking water tap as a minimum. Some may have showers and a washing up area. At Gold level there is an element of wild camping and young people are trained in how to purify water and where to collect it from and in hygiene and sanitary procedures.

The weather forecast is closely monitored in the lead up to and whilst on expedition by the expedition leader, duty officer and Outspark operations team. In cases of poor weather, wind, rain, damp conditions, cold, most expeditions can continue as planned, with support from our staff team. Groups will be trained in how to deal with different weather conditions. In cases of bad weather such as high winds, heavy persistent rainfall or thunderstorms, the expedition leader in consultation with the duty officer and school staff will take appropriate action to ensure the expedition can continue safely. This might include; changing the routes groups are walking, finishing or starting earlier or later, or finding a suitable point to gather the groups in a sheltered location. In exceptional circumstances we may need to cancel expeditions in advance due to extreme weather conditions. If this is likely to be the case, we will contact you well in advance of making this decision.