Gold participants always have the opportunity to wild camp on their Gold Practice expedition. It is a great skill to have and is always an option for for any Gold expedition team in Wild country areas to choose for one of more nights of their assessed expedition.
Even if teams don't choose to wild camp on their assessed expedition, they have already had a useful experience just in case the mist descends and the group get tired, and can't reach their planned campsite. They can pitch their tent in a sensible area and have already learnt the skills to do that. The area we use for the Gold Practice expedition is in the Yorkshire Pennines, famous for its remote moorland hills and littered with reservoirs which supply water to a huge area.
The picture shows a group at the wild campsite overlooking one of the reservoirs. It has a flat and sheltered area, with a gentle stream running past, for cooking and washing.
Participants are encouraged to bivi out under the stars protected by our freestanding tarps. They wake in the morning to a beautiful view of rolling hills.
Participants often approach this experience with trepidation, however it forms one of their lasting memories of their Gold expedition programme.
