Seventeen DofE participants from throughout Norfolk & Suffolk Wing of the RAF Air Cadets and a team of eight staff joined forces to run a Wing DofE gold expedition to the Yorkshire Dales in April 2026. The expedition consisted of three teams (2 x teams of six and 1 x team of five), with two teams undertaking their qualifying (assessed) expedition, and a third team undertaking their practice expedition.
Thanks to the support of the Ulysses Trust, costs for this event were able to be kept down, which assisted all the participants in making the activity affordable and was very much appreciated by all involved.
On Tuesday 7 April 2026, all personnel were transported from Norfolk & Suffolk by minibus and van to their pre-expedition accommodation which was the Kettlewell Bunk House. This enabled a comfortable night’s sleep in hard accommodation, and all the pre-expedition checks and briefings were able to be carried out with relative ease.
The following day, Wednesday 8 April 2026, was the first day proper of the expedition and all groups left and walked out from the Bunkhouse and directly onto their routes, with their destination being the campsite at How Stean Gorge. This involved a good climb up and over the moors, with a bonus being great weather (warmest day of the year at that time!). All groups safely made it in after walking between 18-20km.
Day 2 of the expedition saw the groups follow various routes (at a much lower level than Day 1) from the campsite to the next campsite at Manor House Farm just south of Pately Bridge via Gouthwaite Reservoir, where they all spent their second night. From here they were supposed to head west and cross the River Nidd over some stepping stones but this had to be amended when checked out by staff as many of the stones were submerged and the river was too deep and fast flowing to do this safely!
Day 3 of the expedition saw the groups walk to Howgill Lodge campsite via Pockstone Moor. The end of this day had quite a steep descent back into the campsite which made it more challenging, but the groups all made it safely. By this time the weather had changed, and it was now quite chilly, particularly overnight.
The final day of the expedition saw the groups head to their finish in Grassington via Grimwith Reservoir. Being the last day seemed to help motivation and all groups finished in good time and ended up back at the staff base camp at Appletreewick, where they enjoyed hot showers and pastries from the on-site coffee shop! In the evening the teams and staff joined up for dinner out to celebrate a successful Gold DofE expedition.
This was our first expedition to this area of Yorkshire, and was enjoyed by all. Overall, a very successful expedition, with 10 participants completing their qualifying (assessed) expedition subject to their expedition presentation, and seven completing their Gold practice expedition.
Some quotes from the participants following completion of the expedition were as follows:
“DofE has encouraged me to explore the countryside and appreciate nature and has improved my navigational skills”
Cpl F 2470 Sudbury Sqn.
“DofE has taught me that being able to work as a team is a valuable skill to have.”
Cpl C – 1986 Wymondham Sqn
“DofE has encouraged me to work on myself, as well as helping others, and connect with nature. The grant enabled me to be able to attend the expedition without worries about the finances”
CI M 301 Bury St Edmunds Sqn
The Ulysses Trust also wish to thank the generosity of the Royal Air Force Charitable Trust for supporting this expedition. www.rafct.com
