Open DofE
Gold Canoeing
Open Gold Canoeing Expeditions
Our Open Expeditions by Canoe are a unique way of doing your DofE Expedition on some of the UK’s picturesque rivers, lakes and canals. Participants do not need to have any previous canoeing experience as our comprehensive Training Programme will take you from the raw beginner to a competent paddler. However, all participants must be able to competently swim at least 50 metres for safety reasons.
Participants who attend one of the schools that we support with regular DofE Expeditions programmes should contact their DofE Manager at the school before completing their Expedition Registration Form.
2025 Open Gold Canoeing
Booking for our 2025 Open Gold Canoeing Expeditions is now OPEN!!! Details are as follows:
Dates
Sat 12th - Tues 15th April 2025: Training & Practice Expedition
Wed 27th - Sun 31st August 2025: Qualifying Expedition
Price
Full Package: £594.00 per participant including VAT.
What's included
Paddle Skills Training Day, followed by 3-day Practice Expedition.
Qualifying Expedition Arrival day and Base Camp, followed by 4 day Qualifying Expedition.
Supervision and assessment.
Assessor Reports uploaded onto eDofE.
Pastoral supervision.
Camp site fees.
Tents, stoves, fuel, OS maps, compass, group first aid kit and route maps.
Paddle Kit – canoes, paddles, buoyancy aids, helmets, and throwlines. Also included is a 65 litre waterproof paddlesport dry bag per participant for you to pack your kit and clothing into on arrival.
Public Liability Insurance of £10million, AALA Licence and DofE AAP Licence.
Exclusions
Participants will need to organise their own travel to & from the expedition locations, and provide their own personal expedition clothing, equipment, and food.
Dates & Locations
Training & Practice Expedition
Dates: Saturday 12th - Tuesday 15th April 2025
Location: Nottingham (River Soar & River Trent)
Qualifying Expedition
Dates: Wednesday 27th - Friday 31st August 2025
Location: Hay-on-Wye to Monmouth (River Wye)
Booking
To book a place on this Expedition Programme, simply click on the button below and complete our Open Gold Canoeing Registration & Medical Consent Form. Please note that parents must complete this form for any participant under the age of 18.
Once you have completed the Registration Form, details of how to pay will be sent to you by our Operations team. Please confirm which of the Qualifying Expeditions you wish to join and then, once your deposit is paid, your place will be guaranteed. There is a maximum of 16 places each of our Expeditions so don't delay.
DofE Expedition Information
All our DofE training is based on the DofE's Expedition Training Framework. Canoeing Training is based on the Core Paddle Skills Training and is underpinned by the British Canoeing Awarding Body regulations.
All our expeditions are subject to the DofE's Expedition Requirements.
Please click on the buttons below to access this information.