The opportunity to engage in adventurous activities in a new environment provides participants with the chance to learn more about their wider environment, as well as develop their self-confidence, teamwork and health. The Adventurous Journey section aims to take young people out of their comfort zone but within a safe and secure setting achieved through suitable training and supervision.

To encourage a spirit of adventure and discovery whilst undertaking a journey in a group.

• All journeys need to have a clearly defined purpose.
• Participants need to have the appropriate skills to undertake their journey, so must undergo relevant training.
• Participants must undertake sufficient practice journeys to ensure that they have the ability to be self-reliant and safe in their chosen environment.
• During the qualifying journey, the team needs to be no fewer than four and no more than seven young people, operating independently of others.
• All the team members must be involved in the planning and preparation of the journey.
• Not all participants on the journey need to be completing their Award, but they should be peer group equals, making decisions together.
• All journeys must be supervised and assessed by experienced adults.
• The journey can take place on land or water. The team can travel by their own efforts (foot, cycle, paddle, oar and so on), by animal (horse, donkey, camel and so on) or by other non-motorised assistance (sail and so on).
• Accommodation must be in portable tents or other simple self-catering accommodation such as hostels, huts or similar shelter.
• The environment chosen must be unfamiliar to the participants. A natural and remote environment provides the appropriate conditions for the group to be self-reliant and independent.
• On completion, participants are required to present a report to their Assessor. This report can be written, photographic, verbal, a video diary, or by other imaginative means.
• In an exploration, at least one third of the minimum hours of planned effort should be spent on journeying.
• The distance covered will depend on the speed of the team, which should be established in the practice journeys and should then inform the planning of the qualifying journey. For a physically able group of young people travelling by foot, this would normally mean minimum total distances of 24, 48 and 80kilometres at Bronze, Silver, and Gold levels. Dense vegetation, very steep ground, or similarly challenging terrain would of course reduce what could be reasonably accomplished in the above minimum hours' effort.
  The important criterion is the time spent journeying during the day (6/7/8 hrs) rather than the distance which is dictated by terrain type.
• Purposeful effort means time spent towards accomplishing the purpose of the journey. Time associated with sleeping, cooking and eating is in addition to this time.

• Exploring the natural world: glaciation, erosion, geology, coastal studies, river valleys, plant studies, bird studies or animal studies, insect studies
• Exploring historic land use: prehistoric man, historical periods
• Investigating the survival or extinction of a language
• Exploring human impact: visitor pressure in national parks, pollution monitoring, surveys of numbers of walkers in remote areas
• Carrying out health surveys or health education in remote areas
• Completing a demanding journey by foot, cycle or canoe/ kayak
• Investigating group dynamics in challenging conditions
• Kayaking the entire navigable stretch of a river

Other Adventurous Journeys

Occasionally, a significant expedition or exploration involving extra innovation, creativity and challenge may take place. In such circumstances, the advice and agreement of a Group’s or Unit’s Operating Authority is required to proceed. The only additional stipulation is that all participants must be aged 18 or over. It is also the case that significant Adventurous Journeys, such as scaling a Himalayan peak, would require the advice and assistance, usually at cost, of an external provider such as a reliable expedition company.