EXPEDITION
The expeditions are a huge part of your awards. We will spend the year teaching and training you up so that you can safely and confidently navigate the hills as a group.
You will be in groups of 4 - 7 and together will plan your routes, write your route cards and finally walk them.
There will first be a practice expedition and then a qualifying expedition.
Depending on which level award you are working towards, will determine how long you will need to be out walking and working on your expedition goal, and how many days your expedition will last.
Platinum/Bronze
Expedition Length:
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2 days / 1 night
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6 hours of expedition per day, around 15km in length
Diamond/Silver
Expedition Length:
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3 days / 2 nights
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7 hours of expedition per day, around 17km in length
King's/Gold
Expedition Length:
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4 days / 3 nights
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8 hours of expedition per day, around 20km in length
YOUR EXPEDITION GOAL
The first stage of planning your expedition (after sorting out your groups), is to come up with an expedition goal. It should relate to the interests and abilities of those in your group.
The DofE handbook says:
Expeditions must have a clearly defined team goal – this could be researching an area of interest, contributing to a community action project, or developing soft skills
Your goal will then help you decide your expedition route.
And you as a team will decide how much time you will give to exploring and investigating for your expedition project. It will need to be time tabled into your route card, and will form part of the expedition length (6 hours total at Platinum, 7 hours at Diamond and 8 hours at Kings). At least half of the expedition hours for your award level must be journeying, and the rest can be spent on the expedition goal.
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Plan a route near a castle and explore how old it is and who occupied it in the past.
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Plan a tour of famous battlefields, learning about their history.
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Search for forms of fungi and photograph, sketch or record them.
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Paint different types of trees and correctly identify them.
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List and film the different kinds of birds that you see.
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Report on the accessibility of open spaces to wheelchair users and others with restricted mobility.
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Create a series of communication signals to use within your team.
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Do a fun team game or challenge each day to promote team building.
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Design a team motif and make a badge or accessory for each team member to wear that reflects your journey.
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Keep a log of the weather throughout your expedition and how you adapted to it as a team.
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Monitor the levels of litter on your route and plan how you could campaign to reduce this.
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Monitor changing heart rates and body temperature on the expedition route
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Write a series of poems about your experiences and critique them
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Write a short ghost story or mystery tale based loosely on your expedition
GOAL INSPIRATION:
PREPARING FOR
EXPEDITION
During the Hexnet meetings and training weekend we will teach you how to read a map and compass and write your own route cards for your expeditions.
You will plan the route 'squiggles' on digital mapping software, and then fill in the route cards to match. You will also need to come up with a group goal to complete during your expedition.
Below you can find a copy of your expedition booklets, which have all of the information you need to plan them:
In order to be prepared for your expedition, you will plan your meals in advance and make sure that you have appropriate kit.
At Hexnet we do have some kit available to hire, and you can request it here:
DURING
EXPEDITION
You will be independently navigating with a map and compass between campsites as a group, following the route cards you created. You will not have access to any personal technology during this time, but you will be equipped with a tracker.
Leaders will check in on you during your walking to make sure that you are all happy and on track, and again at the campsite to ensure you are set up properly and have had a substantial evening meal.
One of the requirements is that you will carry all of the gear that you need for the duration of the expedition. This includes your clothes, food and tent.
Throughout the expedition you will also be tasked with completing an expedition goal. That goal can be anything that you as a group choose, as long as it can be completed whilst you are out on your expedition.