Information if you are planning on visiting Central England to complete your DofE expedition in the Peak District.
Central England Regional Office
Arthur House, 21 Mere Green Road
Sutton Coldfield
Birmingham
B75 5BL
T: 0121 308 9470
E: [email protected]
Peak District information pack
White Peak and Staffordshire Moorlands information pack
Peak District Wild Country boundaries – for eDofE mapping
“The Peak District and the DofE” presentation
“Peak District DofE Expedition Aim Ideas” presentation
The information packs for expeditions in the White Peak and Dark Peak areas have been produced in partnership with the Peak District National Park authority. We strongly advise you to use these guidelines when planning your expedition in the Peak District as they contain specific information from the National Park regarding access, car parking, and any other important local information and common issues.
Peak District area includes both normal country (suitable for Bronze and Silver expeditions) and wild country (suitable for Gold expeditions).
The eDofE mapping resource is available to all with access to eDofE – it enables you to create routes, save them, and then print or export them as .gpx files.
Most of the terrain under 400m in altitude on the Explorer OL 24 White Peak map is in DofE designated normal country. In addition to this area on the OL 24 map, all the area up to northing 86 on the Explorer OL 1 Dark Peak map is normal country. This includes Rushup Edge, the Mam Tor ridge, and Stanage Edge.
Wild country is defined as an area remote from habitation. DofE expeditions should be through, rather than over, wild country – it’s all about solitude not altitude. In the Peak District the wild country area is currently defined as the area approximately equal to the access land north of the Edale Valley, or north of the 86 northing.
Please note that the Peak District is one of the only expedition areas that includes both normal and wild country and therefore all routes are checked to ensure that they are taking place in the recommended area for the level of expedition. Routes that follow just outside the wild country boundary do not count so please encourage groups to avoid walking long distances around the boundary. Also the use of long distance footpaths and established national trails such as the Pennine Way should be avoided, particularly at Silver and Gold level. Using small parts of these paths or trails is acceptable to link up other elements of the expedition for needs of the aim.
Please note that this list is not exhaustive and there may be other campsites available which are not on this list. We are unable to recommend campsites and it is the decision of the LO whether the campsites are acceptable and whether they fit with your intended routes.
We try to keep the camp site lists updated however if you come across any differing information please let us know. Similarly if you find any campsites that are not on this list we would love to accept contact details and locations for future groups.
We have plotted the camp sites listed on a google map to help you to visualise the locations.
– Brown pins are closest camp sites to designated Wild County Area.
-Orange pins are camp sites still in Dark Peak area, but far from designated Wild Country area.
– Blue pins are camp sites in the White Peak area – Bronze and Silver expeditions only.
#PeakDistrictProud campaign
The Peak District National Park have launched their new campaign #PeakDistrictProud to encourage visitors to the park to be mindful of their impact and to educate them on how to behave and act while in the park. They will be sharing the positive ways in which people can help care for the national park; from taking home your litter and avoiding BBQs, to keeping your dog a lead during periods of wildlife activity and the use of drones. New signage showcasing #PeakDistrictProud artworks will be displayed around the national park displaying the core messages of ‘respect, protect and enjoy’ found in the Countryside Code. For more information or to see how you can get involved visit their webpage: www.PeakDistrictProud.co.uk
We kindly remind all our DofE family, whether they are participants or accompanying adults, and whether they are on expedition or not to be mindful when visiting the park.
Back of Ecton
As the Expedition season gets into full swing it is really important to remember to be mindful of those who live in the areas that you visit on your expeditions. Respecting local inhabitants and following the Countryside Code is vital to ensure that all involved have a positive experience. It’s extremely disappointing when we receive complaints from landowners due to DofE staff not being respectful of this.
Please be aware that the road to Back of Ecton (junction at SK 100 587) is a single track highway and is marked clearly as a ‘no through road’. There is no car park nor turning circle at the end of the lane, and the vehicular access is to dwellings only.
We have received complaints of leaders of groups driving down this track to visually monitor walking groups, using the driveway of houses at the end of the track to turn around, and even of leaders parking here. Please help us keep our countryside neighbours happy by following road signs and using designated carparks only, click here for a helpful map.
If you have groups travelling through this area please be conscious of the impact you may have to locals.
