The adventurous activity permit scheme is designed to show that all those leading adventurous activities for young people within Scouting have the skills, experience and personal suitability to do so. Everyone who leads an adventurous activity (for which hiking / hill-walking / mountaineering is one) within Scouting is required to hold an activity permit for that activity. Details of which activities are classed as adventurous can be found in POR.
Although managed locally, the Adventurous Activity Permit Scheme is a national scheme, so once gained, a permit will allow you to run that activity in any District or County. To apply for a permit, you send an application form to the County Mountaineering Advisor (CMA) along with a detailed log of your last three years experience. The CMA then sends you a home study paper which you return with a walking route. This information is then studied prior to a day / two day assessment (depending upon terrain applied for). If you are applying for a Supervisory permit, then we require further information.
A formal assessment is then carried out by a County Assessor. The Assessor has been certified for assessing purposes and their on-the-spot assessment of your technical competence e.g. navigational skills, team management and Scouting knowledge will help the CMA decide whether to award a permit or not. The CMA's decision will be notified to your DC with a copy to you. The DC then has the final decision based upon the CMA's report, a CRB check and your 'Personal Suitability'.
If awarded, your permit lasts for up to five years and can be restricted from just one area of hills to region/country wide. Normally, first applicant permits do not include the "Supervisor" or 'wild camping' status however if suitable experience is shown (either through re-application, external qualification and/or walking log) and/or personal knowledge of the applicant along with their walking log (e.g. attendance at County events) it might be awarded.
If you decide to further your walking skills by undertaking a nationally recognised course of training and/or assessment (e.g. WGL, ML), you may be able to secure some permit funding from Scout HQ.
When awarding your permit, not only will we geographically limit the area you are authorised to walk in but we will also limit the conditions you may walk in. These conditions are:
SUMMER - We classify Summer conditions to be the hours associated with British Summer Time (BST). As long as there isn't snow or ice on the ground, your summer restriction allows you to walk within your geographical limits during BST.
NORMAL WINTER - Conversely, Normal Winter is the time around BST, I.e. November to March (British Winter Time - BST) when snow or ice is neither forecast nor on the ground. If snow and ice are forecast or on the ground then you'll need a FULL WINTER permit, indicating you have been trained to use and have demonstrated crampons and ice axe skills--"snowcraft".
Our sub-division of Winter into Normal Winter and Full Winter cater for our southerly geographical region. These days, snow and ice conditions are so rare it seems unfair to insist on full snowcraft skills (including the ability to assess them) being taught, practiced, assessed and then qualified to walk in the South West during BWT.
Avons' sub-classification of the Scout Associations' "Winter conditions" into Normal Winter and Full Winter has been in force for many years now and allows us to allow more of you out on the hills during BWT when there is no threat of snow or ice.
Further information can be found on Scoutbase here.
The applicants guide to gaining a hill-walking permit can be found here
The application form and other information can be found on our downloads page
A detailed guide on the Supervisor status, written by us and ratified by HQ is here
