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Frequently Asked Questions

Many of the questions we receive should be answered here, if you still have further questions, please do contact us, we are always happy to discuss your queries, answer any questions, however trivial they may seem and put your mind at rest.

“Safety is our primary concern, we ensure that participants going out will be properly equipped, are suitably well trained and will be able to look after themselves sensibly and responsibly. There are some risks, as there would be with any outdoor activity, but, we do whatever we can to minimise these, always bearing weather and ground conditions in mind.”

 

“During the initial day and a half at site, we are always on hand. Whilst out on expedition, participants are required under DofE expedition guidelines to be self sufficient, if we did everything it would defeat the experience and sense of achievement participants gain. We are always nearby though and regularly meet up with groups to check on their progress and well being.”

 

“As part of the initial training, we train participants in what to expect, how to handle any emergencies and what to do if something happens. We are always within a short distance and step in to assist and ensure that everybody is safe. All the staff are highly experienced in the outdoors, many of the staff are Mountain Rescue members and everybody is trained in first aid.

 

“We train the participants in how to read a map, and how to quickly tell that something isn’t quite right. We develop strategies with them for how to check where they are. We know the areas and the routes extremely well and know where the tricky bits are, we will ensure that participants know what to expect at these points. If they do get lost, they are generally found very quickly and put on track!”

 

“We base our expeditions from Devils Bridge in Mid Wales. The nearest town is Aberystwyth. Please see the ‘how to find us’ page for directions and information on public transport.”

 

“We welcome parents & family and are happy to suggest suitable places to stay nearby. If you want something different, there is a wooden wigwam available on site which sleeps 2 - 5 people. Alternatively, the towns of Rhayader, Aberystwyth and Machynlleth have a wide range of accommodation and there are endless amounts of stunning scenery and places of interest within an hour or so of the site.”

 

“All the dates we list are available for practice or assessed expeditions. When you book in, we will allocate you into a group depending on whether you are doing practice or assessment.”

 

“We strongly recommend that there is a good gap between your practice and assessed expeditions. This is to allow you to recover from the practice, take on board any lessons learned and organise yourself in readiness to complete your assessment in confidence. Various DofE Operating Authorities have their own guidelines about how long there should be between the expeditions, we would suggest around 3 weeks minimum.”

 

“It is a requirement of the DofE Expedition Section that a practice is completed at all levels of the Award.”

 

“No, but, please make sure that your practice expedition has been completed to the correct guidelines, has been signed off and that you either send proof of this beforehand, or bring it with you. Due to our commitment to quality standards, we will not sign any assessment reports where we cannot see proof of the practice expedition having been completed.”

 

“We will put you in contact with everybody else on your course a few weeks before you arrive, we will also let you know if anybody will be on the same train or bus as you, where they are coming from so you can travel together. We provide a list of email addresses so you can get in touch with each other and can get in contact on Facebook. We also spend much of the arrival day giving you time to mix with the other’s to ensure you’re not being left out.

In all honesty, many very close friendships are made on these courses, lots of practice participants arrange to come back together to do their assessments and we also aim to put you in a group of similar people.”

 

“Yes!!”

 

“Participants need to supply their own food for the whole course. There is a small shop on site which sells drinks and snacks and if you are short of food, we can help. When you book in, we will send you a pack full of food suggestions.”

 

“No. We will ensure there is clean drinking water at every camp site and arrange suitable points on route to top up water supplies. We will also give you advice and guidance on how to source clean, safe water should you run low.”

 

“Participants should bring an extra bag with clean clothes for travelling, toiletries, towels, spare clothing etc. We look after these at base camp whilst participants are out on expedition, returning these at the end. We are very keen that participants only carry what they need. We wouldn’t carry any more than necessary while we’re out ourselves and wouldn’t expect participants to do this either. If we feel that someone’s rucksack is heavier than it should be, we work with them to sort this out.”

 

“There are very nice hot showers at base camp, as well as toilets, a washing machine and tumble dryer. Whilst out on expedition, you are less likely to have showers at your campsites, some wild camps won’t have toilet facilities.

 

 

 

We hope this answers some of your questions or concerns, but, please do contact us if there is anything else you would like to know.