Brathay Exploration Group is a registered Charitable Trust established in 1947, whose main purpose is to offer to young people the opportunity to be an active member of an expedition, in order to assist their all-round personal development. Through training and experience young people are also offered the scope to develop their own expedition ideas.

The Group has a long tradition of adventurous exploration in remote parts of the United Kingdom and across the world. Since its foundation, we have mounted over 750 expeditions, involving over 10,000 participants and leaders, to destinations as diverse as the Hebrides, Iceland, Norway, Alaska, Corsica, Tanzania, the Amazon Basin, and China - to name but a few.  In 1997 we were delighted when the Royal Geographical Society awarded the Group a special Medal marking our 50th year of service to exploration and youth adventurous activities.

The Group has three main objectives:

-     To help young people take part in adventurous travel and to undertake programmes of 
      fieldwork.

-     To improve environmental and cultural awareness.

-     To develop individuals skills, personalities and decision making.

The organisation relies on the voluntary work of some 50 - 80 voluntary leaders, and has a total membership of around 300. To organise successful expeditions we require more voluntary leaders (who travel free or at very low cost) with if possible one or a combination of the following skills:

-      Natural science (Geology, Hydrology, Zoology etc.)

-      Outdoor pursuit skills (mountain leadership, etc.)

-      Medical or Expedition Medicine

-      Foreign language (particularly Spanish and specialist 3rd world languages)

-      Specific personal knowledge or experience in a potential host country.

We do hope you find this information interesting, and if you would like to find out more, contact any member of our Trustee Board detailed on the 'About Us' page for a telephone conversation, or join as a member and receive our magazine and details of members' events. For future years we would welcome your interest in joining an already proposed expedition, or for an idea of a future expedition to be proposed. 
 

We plan our future programmes around 18 months in advance. Should you be interested in joining a leader team for one of the expeditions please email the office who will forward your enquiry to our Expeditions Committee convenor and/or the main leader of the particular expedition you are interested in.    

We have a number of opportunities to meet leaders and members at one of our members’ weekends, in January, May and September, or at out Leaders’ weekend, first weekend of March, or our Annual Reunion in October, which take place at our base on the Brathay estate in the Lake District. These weekends would be a good opportunity to meet leaders and get involved in a future leader team. Should you join the organisation you would receive an automatic invitation, if not please advise if you would like an invitation, you would be made very welcome. 

Joining Brathay Exploration Group can be a most worthwhile area of voluntary activity, which can offer you worldwide travel, contact with young people and the feeling that you are contributing to a really worthwhile national educational charity, plus a Members Lodge facility in the heart of the Lake District.