There will be a minimum of 10 and up to 15 people on this camp, most are completing their DofE Gold Residential section.

As you may know, one of the prime requirements of the residential section, is that there should be a ‘much larger group of people who are unknown to you’. As this event has many attendees, (minimum 10) you can come with others that you know. Please see the DofE guidance notes below. We will split into four small teams for daytime activities. Each team will have a mix of ages and friendship groups. 

We expect everyone to have fun, enjoy themselves but to also learn new skills and forge friendships. Don’t be worried about meeting new people, everyone will soon muck in together, importantly, you have all chosen to do the Duke of Edinburgh Award at the Gold level, as such you are probably joining like-minded people. Each small team will undertake a different role or activity each day. Over the course of 5-days your sub-group will complete all the skills sessions and activities on offer.

Daylight hours are short, bearing in mind we are in dense woodland we will have shelter, but light levels are reduced. At this time of the year all tasks take longer and need to be completed in daylight, by the time breakfast is cleared away we will have little more than 7 hours of useful daylight.

On a typical day:

One team will be in the private woodland for air rifle target shooting, bushcraft, fire lighting, shelter building and woodland skills. Air rifle shooting and bushcraft activities take place in privately owned woodland. If you do not want to shoot, then that is fine. We have a newly constructed 6m and 10m range for air-rifles. Instruction and safety are provided by a qualified NSRA Youth Proficiency instructor.

One team will be responsible for collecting, cutting, chopping and stacking a supply of firewood. We should have two fires burning almost continuously, this will use quite a large quantity for wood which will also need to be kept dry.

One team having decided the evening meal, will go into Tunbridge Wells to buy the food. Cash will be supplied for group shopping. The prime task for this team is to prepare the main meal for the evening and to keep a supply of hot water available, they will also keep the fires well stocked and alight. This includes getting the fire going in the morning to produce hot drinks and porridge for breakfast.

We try to do as much cooking on open fires as we can, we will have a gas stove as a back-up. This is pretty much determined by weather and menu choice. Getting to the shops will be by participant’s own initiative, either using personal car, walking (30 minutes to Sainsbury’s) bus from the nearby village (10 minutes). If footpaths are particularly wet or inclement weather, then transport to and from the shops will be provided.

There will be time to catch up with social media before the evening meal and socialising as a group in the evening. From 6pm to 10pm, we will have access to the main building at Adamswell Scout campsite. Phone charging, Wi-Fi, mobile and 4G signal are all available. We will also have access to central heating, showers, a flushing loo and a kitchen. If bad weather prevents a suitable cooking fire, then our evening meal can be cooked in the Scout hut kitchen. Card games, chat and a campfire are the norm for most evenings.

We will have a large mess tent on site in the woodland; this will be used primarily for food prep, cooking and used by the whole group as a day shelter. We will also rig up additional tarpaulins to protect the cooking fire from rain. Please bring a small bottle of hand sanitiser, refill will be available. There will also be a sanitiser spray to use to clean shared tools as well as a constant supply of hot water for hand washing and a bleach solution for cleaning surfaces.

During the afternoon on the first day, we will place the IR wildlife camera’s, hopefully they will capture some images of wildlife during the week you are on camp. If you want to, you can spend some time building a shelter to sleep in or bring a hammock and sleep in the open woodland. A basic, long drop toilet is on site in the woodland.

You do not need to bring a large amount of spending cash. You may want to buy a few treats on the day you do the shopping run to Tunbridge Wells. All activities, meals, transport during the camp etc are included in the price.

You will notice the booking form asks for your age. This is so we can update all participants in the weeks before the event with some details about the social and age mix on the camp. This is something which some young people worry about. We often have undergraduates or postgraduates worried that they will be surrounded by Y12 students! Don’t worry, there should be a fair mix of age ranges, from a variety of backgrounds, coming from towns and villages around the South of England.

Day 1

10:00

• Arrival at Base camp, Adamswell Scout Campsite/Morris Woods
• Welcome talk
• Go over Risks associated with planned activities, how to risk assess and minimise the risk of accidents
• Set up tents
• Dinner group – visit Tunbridge Wells and shopping trip

Lunch: Bread, sandwich fillings, crisps, biscuits. Hot and cold drinks

Skills workshop:

• Safe use of woodland tools, axes, saws
• Safe use of wood carving tools
• Lighting and refuelling Tilly Lamps
• Place IR Wildlife cameras

Free time, tea and cake

17:00: Whole Group Dinner together

• Warm fires and socialising in the woods

21:30

• Briefing for next day

Days 2, 3 & 4

08:00

• Whole Group Breakfast

09:00

• Dinner group – visit Tunbridge Wells and shopping trip
• Activities include Woodland skills and Bushcraft
• Check and reposition Wildlife Cameras
• Bushcraft Skills
• Air Rifle Shooting
• Forestry – Wood collecting, cutting, chopping, stacking, drying
• Dead hedging

(Lunch as above)

• Forestry and skills

Free time, tea and cake

17:00: Whole Group Dinner together

• Head to Adamswell Scout hut for the evening, Showers, Free Time & Social

21:30

• Briefing for next day, head back to campsite

Day 5

08:00

• Breakfast

09:00

• Start breaking camp and packing
• Pack away and return borrowed tents (if dry)
• Collect and view IR camera SD cards
• Activities not yet completed – if previously delayed by poor weather

(Lunch as above)

15:00

• Depart – Earlier departure by prior arrangement if long journeys are to be completed

Warm Personal clothing for 5 days:

• Strong soled walking boots.
• Socks and underwear for 5 days.
• Trousers and long sleeve shirt.
• Two x Fleece/jumper
• Warm Jacket
• Waterproof jacket with hood
• Waterproof over-trousers
• Night wear
• Warm Gloves
• Work Gloves (Rigger type) – these may get wet so keep warm gloves dry.
• Wooley Hat
• Scarf

Personal Kit:

• Rucksack/Holdall & day bag – you do not need to carry your kit except at set up/take down
• 4 Season sleeping bag or two 3 season sleeping bags. 
• Extra blanket or duvet.
• Sleeping mat - two will give better insulation from the ground.
• Work gloves for when working with tools.
• Personal first aid items (small kit)/personal medication
• Watch/mobile phone/battery pack/charging cables.
• Small quantity of cash
• Notebook and pen or pencil
• Head torch
• 1 litre water bottle
• Knife, fork, spoon; plate, mug, and bowl
• Toiletry bag (toothpaste, toothbrush, shower gel, flannel, towel)
• Tea towel
• Small pocketknife/pen knife – not to be taken off site.
• Digital camera
• Boardgame, cards, dice, dominoes, scrabble, twister etc. Please bring just one game to use in the evening.
• Folding type camp chair
• A good book to read. It might rain for 5 days

Please contact us if you require any clarification or would like some kit advice.

• Have fun! This will be a relaxing week; however, everyone will play an important part in keeping the camp running smoothly
• Be nice to others as they will be to you
• This is a no smoking campsite, please do not bring tobacco or vaping items
• The river Grom runs through the Scout campsite, whilst this attracts a lot of wildlife and is quite pretty, please be aware that in places the riverbank is steep, the water is of variable depth and comes, in the main, from the nearby town of Tunbridge Wells – best keep out of it!
• There should not be a need to consume alcohol. Please do not bring any with you. A lot of participants attending are below the legal age for purchasing alcohol
• There are no near neighbours to the private woodland, however, unnecessary noise and music is …not necessary!
• The Scout site does have a near neighbour, quiet hours are between 10.30pm and 7am. You can sit around the campfire until late and chat but be respectful of others who may be asleep, you must be ready for breakfast at 8am
• Please do not bring Bluetooth or smart speakers, we will have a speaker available, anyone who wishes to, can connect to thi

• We expect decent standards of behaviour throughout the week; in the event anyone feels they cannot adhere to acceptable standards then they will be asked to make their way home. This has never happened!
• Safety of visitors and instructors is of paramount importance. You must be aware of your surroundings, particularly when carrying out camp duties such as sawing or chopping wood, refuelling, and lighting tilly lamps, cooking on the open fires

• When taking part in activities such as shooting, you must follow all instructions given by the instructor leading the activity

Covid-19- / Winter Bugs / Flu

• You must wear a face covering as directed in line with any guidance and you must report any symptoms of illness immediately so we can start isolation and make necessary arrangements for you to be collected.
• Please keep an eye on any development of winter bugs/viruses/flu. Adhere to any social gathering requirements. Bring a face mask if needed to wear in shops or public buildings.
• Please use the hand sanitiser available in the long drop toilet and mess tent.

Please see the latest issue of the official DofE guidance for the residential section of the Gold Award

The aims and principles of the residential section remain unchanged. However, so that this section becomes more accessible the have been a few changes:

1. Participants must be away from home for a minimum of five days and four nights. These should be consecutive but can be split into two blocks within 12 months. High Safari residentials can accommodate this, you can choose to attend any two camps each time attending for 3-days and 2-nights
   
2. Participants should be in an unfamiliar residential setting
   
3. Participants must stay in shared accommodation with their group for the entire residential. This should not include staying with friends or relatives. For some young people, staying overnight is a barrier they are unable to overcome. In this circumstance, DofE Operations Officers can support you to explore all potential flexibilities before looking at the option of the participant returning home to sleep
   
4. Shared activities should take place during the day and the evening and must be purposeful, group-based, and unpaid. These may include training courses, environment and conservation projects, volunteering or be activity-based
   
5. The majority of participants should be unknown to each other. Although not a target, you can know up to 50% of participants
   
6. Groups should have at least five people, including the participant. We have a minimum attendance of 10 with an initial maximum of 14 on each camp
   
7. The majority of staff should be unknown to participants
   
8. Participants should research suitable activities, discuss their interests with their DofE Leader, and follow any pre-activity instructions
   
9. The Licensed Organisation must approve the planned residential and the named Assessor in advance. Participants must gain your DofE Leader’s approval through eDofE. The Named Assessor will be Chris Morris
   
10. Flexibilities are available to ensure that participants with specific individual needs can access a residential. Participants can request downtime away from activities. Carers are allowed. Participants with specific individual needs can attend with their Leaders
    

Any flexibilities should be in keeping with the Guiding Principles of the aim, principles and outcomes of the Residential section. The flexibilities should also reflect a participant’s individual needs and should be discussed and agreed before approval.

For some young people, staying overnight is a barrier they are unable to overcome. In this circumstance, DofE Operations Officers can support you to explore all potential flexibilities before looking at the option of the participant returning home to sleep.

Last Section to Complete the Award

You can claim a discount of 10% if this is the final section to complete the Gold Award. That is, volunteering, physical, skills and expedition sections completed.

If you are eligible for the 10% discount, the amount to pay is reduced to £198.00.

Please send a laptop/computer screen shot of your eDofE home screen showing that the three activity sections and the expedition have been completed.

Ensure your ID number is visible in the screen grab, and that the sections show completed not submitted. The cut off to claim the discount is two weeks before the camp to allow for administration purposes.

Bursaries

High Safari will be making one place available, on each camp, at no cost to the participant or their family. The recipient will enjoy the same range of activities as everyone else on the camp.

Please speak to your DofE Manager if you are interested in the bursary placement. The DofE Manager should have the details, or they can email/phone me for further information. This offer is limited to one place, on each of the nine camps, in July and August 2026.

The applicant should be actively pursuing their award completion and must have completed 2 or the 3 activity sections with the remaining section ‘In progress’.

The booking form should be completed and sent by email from the DofE Managers email address, this should be a work (School or organisation) email and not personal. The DofE Manager should confirm that a bursary place is warranted.

Bursary applications are treated in strict confidence and will not be discussed with anyone during the camp.

Group Booking

Attending with a few friends is great and creates memorable shared experiences. We can offer a 10% discount if you are attending with at least 3 friends, (not necessarily from the same unit) –A 10% discount means you each pay £198.00. You can share transport to keep costs down. All must book to attend the same camp.