Eighteen young people.

Eighteen lives already full — education, work, planning, and the beautiful chaos of simply growing up.

And yet, they’ve chosen to take on something bigger.

Something that stretches their legs, their minds, and their sense of who they can become.

These Explorers Scouts are preparing for two very different expeditions, each one a chapter in their story.

First comes South Dartmoor — three nights of wild camping beneath wide skies, moving through a landscape that whispers its history.

A tranquil wonder.

A place where they’ll study the marks humans leave on the moor, and the marks the moor leaves on them.

Then comes the assessed expedition — a journey as old as Britain itself.

They will walk the length of Hadrian’s Wall, tracing Roman footsteps, exploring how ancient lives shaped the environment, and how the environment shaped them in return.

It’s history you don’t just learn — you feel it under your boots.

Each young person has been set a fundraising target, earned through challenges, graft, and grit.

Because this isn’t just about miles.

It’s about ownership.

Responsibility.

Becoming the kind of adult who steps forward rather than waiting to be asked.

And then there’s The Big One — the challenge that binds them all together:

Walk 500 miles by the end of July 2026.

Not for glory.

Not for show.

But to prove to themselves and to the world that young people can move mountains when given a map, a purpose, and a chance.

All supervised by the districts expedition team.