Day 1
11 cadets accompanied by their 2 instructors WO1 Jim Martin and Mr Neal Gywnne set off on the planned route from Tyndrum to Glen Lyon on mountain bikes. Initially the route followed the West Highland way and then switched to landrover tracks as the group went from Glen Callater over the pass to Loch Lyon.The terrain itself was not too challenging given the cadets’ cycling ability but what was more of a challenge was the continuing deluge. Streams that would normally be shin deep were now transformed to thigh deep obstacles. A continual stream of Mars Bars and other high energy foods kept the group progressing along with Mr Gynne’s questionable sense of humour. After 25km the going got easier as the route moved onto a tarmac road and a gradual descent to the finish point at Bridge of Balgie. The highlight of the day for all was undoubtedly the cafe at Bridge of Balgie that produced monstrous potions of cake and mugs of hot chocolate. Morale was high once again!
Day 2
With only one qualified mountain instructor available (Mr Gywnne), only half the group was able to undertake activities. They traversed the Ben Lawers ridge, above Loch Tay, and climbed 4 munros. According to My Gywnne, who has led expeditions to Greenland, the group did exceedingly well to cope with the exceptionally windy conditions and unseasonably low windchill. All returned safely to the minibus at the end of the day.
Day 3
Rather than undertake a simple canoe crossing of Loch Tay as had been originally planned, the cadets under the tutelage of instructors from Aberfeldy based Beyond Adventure, conducted a day long journey on the loch. After some initial instruction had been given the journey began. Conditions were almost perfect with minimal wind and almost flat water. What could possibly go wrong? Well within 10 minutes, 2 of the senior cadets had conspired to fall out of their canoe and found out to their cost that the only truly waterproof item they possessed was their skin! Having extricated themselves from the water the journey continued until a much welcomed lunch stop and hot food. Fortunately for our water babies there were no further mishaps prior to the journey’s end.
Day 4
My Gywnne took the second half of the group for a mountain day on the Tarmachan ridge, above Loch Tay. The cadets coped admirably with the physical challenge and summited this iconic munro and traversed some of the ridge. Unfortunately low cloud meant that they did not benefit from some of the spectacular views that should have been available. The group returned to Crieff tired but elated.
Reflections and lessons learned
Morrison’s Academy CCF demonstrated their ability to adapt to unforeseen manning problems and still managed to provide their group of cadets with a series of memorable and challenging experiences. Some of their comments about their experiences are:
“The hardest thing was the mountain biking, there were some large hills but we were able to conquer them as a group.”
“I learnt about the importance of resilience; the ability to keep on going and help others do the same.”
The ability to provide such experiences for our cadets can only happen with the ongoing financial support from organisations such as The Ulysses Trust.
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