Duke of Edinburgh's Open Award Gold Group

Welcome! We're one of the few Open Award Groups in Scotland. Every year we bring together up to 20 young people from all over Inverness & surrounding areas. The best bit? We offer a fully funded scholarship programme which can bring the cost down to zero!

How do I get Involved?

Our next cohort is due to start September 2026 and will run until July 2027.

Interested but don't want to commit yet? Enquire here

Ready to commit?  Book & pay here
 

What Will You Learn?

DofE Gold is so much more than an outdoor programme - this isn't just about the expedition. It's about how you grow & change as a person over the year you are with us. It's a challenging programme, don't be in any doubt about that. But we are there to support you through every step of the five sections - skill, physical, expedition, volunteering & residential.

You'll also get to know other likeminded teenagers who attend the sessions together with you. You’ll meet folk from other schools, or who are maybe already at college or in work. For the expeditions, our ethos is low cost and local. We go on foot using trains & buses as a way to get into the hills. The focus is on you as a young adult coming along and doing your best with our support.

What's the Age Range?

You need to be between 16-24 years old to join the programme.

How Much Does it Cost?

Deposit & Gold registration fee: £50
Programme fee: £460 (can be paid in two instalments)

Our fees cover:

- Two expeditions including all hillwalking & camping equipment.
- 'Boil in the bag' dinners for each night out camping.
- A total of 10 x training sessions to support participants with their eDofE sections (volunteering, skill, physical & residential).

Please also be aware that the following costs are not included in the expedition fee:

- Public transport to and from the expedition area for the qualifying expedition, if required.
- Breakfast, packed lunches and snacks during the expedition.

You can secure your place now by paying £50 only for the deposit and DofE registration fee. You can pay the two Expedition Fee instalments by the dates indicated on the booking instructions or if you prefer you can pay both instalments straight away.

For the first 18 months you're with us you will be directly mentored and supported through your Gold Award. After your first 18 months (the minimum time to complete the Award) we will continue to provide support until your 25th birthday.

If money is a barrier, we offer fully funded spaces for our programme. We just require a letter of support from an independent person (e.g. youth worker, Guidance teacher, GP). Please get in touch for further information.

Where and when do we Meet?

Our next open evening will take place on Thursday 3rd September 2026 6-7pm at Merkinch Welfare Hall, 30 Grant Street, Inverness, IV3 8BN.

A second open evening will take place on Thursday 17th September 2026 5-6pm at Merkinch Welfare Hall, 30 Grant Street, Inverness, IV3 8BN.

Bookings will close on Thursday 24th September 2026

We meet last Thursday of every month from September 2026 to June 2027 (excl. December) in Merkinch.
 

Expedition dates:

Practice expedition is Monday 12th October to Thursday 15th October 2026, with Qualifying expedition Friday 2nd July - Monday 7th July 2027. There is a presentation after the qualifying expedition that will be on Tuesday 6th July 2027. There is no flexibility on the expedition dates and attendance is mandatory! Please check the dates carefully before committing, we cannot offer any alternative expedition dates.

If you are part of our current cohort (2025-2026) you'll find a reminder of all your relevant dates below. 

Mon 29th September 6-9pm
Mon 27th October 6-8pm
Mon 24th November 6-8pm
Mon 26th January 6-8pm
Mon 23rd February 6-8pm
Mon 30th March 6-8pm
Mon 27th April 6-9pm
Mon 25th May 6-9pm
Mon 29th June 6-9pm

The qualifying expedition will happen Friday 3rd July - Monday 6th July 2026. There is a presentation after the qualifying expedition that will be on Tuesday 7th July 2026. There is no flexibility on the expedition dates and attendance is mandatory!

The Bike Shed

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