The Duke Of Edinburgh's Award
About
We are an approved provider of Residentials required to complete the Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award. To complete your residential we offer a choice of Surfing and Rowing camps. You'll have fun on the beach and on the water with the other guests and with our English speaking staff looking after you. From the moment you land in Portugal we'll there to help you make the most of the camp and provide all the accommodation, meals, transport, equipment, coaching you need to help you have a successful and fun camp.
Dates for summer (surf) 2026 camps are :
Camp 1 4th to 8 th July - sorry, no longer available!
Camp 2 8th to 12th July - sorry, no longer available!
Camp 3 12th to 16th July
Break
Camp 4 19tht o 23rd July
Camp 5 23rd to 27th July
Camp 6 27th to 31st July
Break
Camp 7 3rd to 7th Aug
Camp 8 7th to 11 Aug Aug
Camp 9 11th to 15th Aug
Camp 10 15th to 19th Aug
Who is this Surfing camp for?
Open to DofE Gold candidates of any ability level and age and friends of DoE candidates – no experience of surfing necessary
Come alone or with friends and we will teach you surfing and how to undertand sea conditions to emhance your ability and enjoyment of surfing. We provide all equipment , meals, accommodation and our in-house staff always on hand to help
The camps runs for 5 days , each with 3 days surfing and we have dates running from July through August and you can also select two or three consecutive camps if you want to stay for 9 or 13 days (6 and 9 days surfing respectively. We offer a 10% discount on total price if you book a 9 or 13 days camp (contact us for details).
Check our google form for more details
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Transfers We provide free transfers by bus between Lisbon airport and Figueira on arrival and departure days. You will be accompanied both ways by our staff and provided with a sandwich lunch at the airport. Many airlines including EasyJet, British Airways, TAP and Ryanair fly into Lisbon airport. If you prefer to fly via Porto please note you would make your own arrangements for transfer to and from Figueira by yourself but we can arrange a chaperone if necessary by prior arrangement. Please contact us in advance to make arrangements (before booking flights) if you need our assistance or for advice on trains/buses etc. Flights Arrivals: Our team are on hand from around midday to meet guests as they enter the Arrivals hall in Lisbon Terminal 1. Your flight should land in time to allow you meet us and leave the airport with the main group at 3pm. Allow up to an hour to disembark, pass though passport control and collect bags, but it can be much quicker. If you have to come on a later flight please contact us to make arrangements to meet you and you will need your DofE leader approval. If your flight is delayed on arrival or there are delays due to queues at passport control etc , then we will delay the group departure or one of our staff can wait for you to accompany you to Figueira. If you arrive early please wait in the Starbucks in terminal 1 arrivals, and feel free to contact us by phone or whatsapp (00 44 7973 179 556) and we can connect you with the others in the group if you have not already found them. Departures: We get guests who are leaving Portugal to Lisbon airport between 12 and 1pm. You should try to remain with us until 3pm if you can to meet the 5 day DofE requirements however if you need to be on an earlier flight that can be approved by your DofE leader please let us know in advance. Please note last day of camp is when return flights should be booked (not the day after !) However if you are struggling to find a suitable flight on departure day and wish to stay an extra night with us please get in touch. Letter of Authority: Under 18’s need a signed letter from parent or guardian and approved by a notary or lawyer authorising their travel in and out of Portugal – please check your national regulations or contact us if you need help or advice. Travel Insurance We recommend having travel insurance for normal travel risks including delays, missed or cancelled flights, return to home location, private medical treatment, accident etc. As a guide PJ Hayman Insurance offer inexpensive single trip “Travel Plus” Insurance that covers under 18’s travelling alone and doing surfing. TrailFinders also have suitable policies. However any travel insurance product that covers surfing and the normal travel risks should suffice. Medical Cover ; If possible bring a GHIC card that allows cheaper access to state hospital services. Sate emergency services are available locally 24/7 even without the GHIC card but they do not accept private insurance. There are private clinics and hospitals that will charge for their services which you should reclaim from your travel insurance. Please contact us if you have any questions on insurance for the trip. Google form Please click on “Info, pricing and your details” to complete a google form as below to provide us your details – this is mandatory to book a place on the camp. You can also complete the form without booking to express your interest. Book a slot Please go to our SHOP page and secure your slot by booking and making at least the initial payment. Guests on 9 or 13 day camps can book consecutive camps as required, but need to be with us by 1pm on arrival day and can leave at any time on departure day . Please note if you wish to book camps that straddle a ‘Break’ period please contact us first Any questions on the process please do get in touch |
A Typical Residential Week includes:
Testimonials
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Thanks Duncan and everyone for such a brilliant Residential experience Jasmine had loads of fun and learnt to surf! It was so well organised and Duncan answered all my queries very promptly. The surfing was great fun and the accommodation and living arrangements were perfect for the event. It was a wonderful way to fulfill the Gold DofE Residential requirement. Thanks so much to Duncan and the team.
Thank you so much Duncan, Dan had a great time! Your communication was superb - prior & during the trip…. from advice regards to travels documents to advice on what clothes to bring. We’d throughly recommend this trip to other DofE participants. Beautiful beaches, friendly staff & great food. Good times & memories made. Five stars ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
An amazing way to complete my DofE gold award. Really well organised camp with 6 surf lessons on a beautiful beach with friendly instructors. All the food was homemade and delicious. The evening activities were fun and varied, they included football/volleyball on the beach, going out for ice cream and steam room. Got to know an amazing group of people! A truly memorable week! Thank you to Duncan and everyone involved for the best residential ever!!!
Week long surf camp for D of E Gold worked out perfectly - loads of activity time, really organised and lovely location and group.
