Expedition Dragon Nessie’s Triad, organised by OCdts Madeleine Messenger and Ellen Bayne, consisted of a two-week Adventurous training exercise for 20 Officer Cadets at East Midlands University Officer Training Corps – a 5 day Mountain Bike Foundation (MBF) course and a 5-day Kayak Foundation course (K2F). The expedition had the main challenge of pushing Officer Cadets out of their comfort zone, to explore their limits in a controlled risk environment to improve personal development in line with the UOTC leadership development programme.
Kayaking
For kayaking – Days 1 and 2 consisted of becoming confident in the basics on Loch Morlic, a crystal clear loch nestled in between woodland, man-made beaches and mountains – learning forward paddling, capsizing, sweep strokes and T-rescues.
We packed our kayaks and equipment in the vans and travelled to the River Spey for day 3, kayaking from Ballindalloch to Tandhu, to test our training in moving water and how to break in and out of eddies – areas of still water at the edges of the river where we were paddling at an angle into the current to re-join the flow. Further challenges were found through carrying out T-rescues on moving water, whereby you capsize but stay overturned until you are rescued by your teammate’s kayak to hold onto. This technique tested the Officer Cadets’ teamwork skills – they were required to put their trust in a peer to rescue them while submerged for a number of seconds. It further taught the Officer Cadets the importance of relying on the training to calm down and assess the situation when the initial shock of the submersion takes over.
Day 4 was from Aberfeldy to Grantully, along the River Tay – the longest river in Scotland! We continued to progress our skills, whilst being introduced to fast-flowing rapids before ending the day on a Slalom race track. On day 5, we tackled Grade 3 rapids down the River Feshie’s Gorge. We faced the challenge of remaining calm under pressure, remembering evacuation drills if we were submerged and the importance of trusting our own training and the boat when sharp turns were needed.
Mountain biking
Mountain biking held a new type of challenge, focusing on combining the determination of those uphill climbs with the skills to efficiently handle steep downhill trails with a multitude of skills.
Day 1 started with lessons on bike maintenance including ‘M checks’ and getting to grips with seating and leg positions on turnings, uphill and downhill slopes. For day 2 we loaded the bikes into the vans to explore the mountain bike trails of Glenlivet, hosting a multitude of challenges: steep drop-off slopes, thin narrow wooden trails and rollers to combine skills learnt whilst at speed.
Day 3 and 4 we were left to our own devices, planning our own 30km and 45km adventure, choosing the sights we wanted to explore around Scotland. Challenging our stamina to steep climbs and navigation around tricky trails, but with, of course, the essential ice cream stops!
For day 5 we headed back to Glenlivet, blue trails starting with a long and arduous hike yet surrounded my greenery to be treated by a fast descent, weaving round bends, over high rollers, cementing our knowledge in foot and bike seat placement combined with the importance of keeping space between others.
“I overcame many challenges and fears on the AT: for kayaking I’ve always had a fear of being submerged under the water, especially through T-rescues where you are waiting for someone to rescue you – not being in control frightened me. However, our instructor Jamie Founds took me to step by step through the process – touching one ear to the water, then slowly submerging whilst holding on to the rescue boat. By the end of the day, I was able to complete it and by the end of the week, I conducted multiple in a row! For mountain biking, the fear of falling off, especially on steep slopes worried me. However, being taught that you can go down these slopes at less than walking pace and not fall really boosted my confidence, I was able to practice while gaining speed on hills and rollers to feel comfortable with my ability. Overall I improved my confidence through trusting in my and my friend’s abilities to rescue me in rivers, building stronger friendships – using this to try every challenge thrown at me.”
Officer Cadet Spary
“I’d never tried mountain biking before and this adventurous training gave me a great opportunity to try it out and get paid, whilst doing it I found that it was something I really enjoyed and want to take further, I love how whilst it was a hard uphill battle, the downhill twists and turns were definitely worth it! I would never have taken the time to try it and discover a passion if not for this AT, now I have the motivation to continue finding that adrenaline rush!”
Officer Cadet Stapeley
The Ulysses Trust grant we were generously awarded wholeheartedly ensured this expedition could take place. The grant went primarily towards bike hire – bikes were not available from the Army Loan Pool Stores so this was essential to the trip’s success. The money was also used towards spare bike parts, maintenance of the bikes and guide books which allowed us to plan our own routes for the expedition.
Secondly, the grant helped to keep overall costs down for the Officer Cadets – making trips more accessible for everyone helps to promote inclusivity of training to the entire unit. Where more opportunities are open to all, more officer Cadets can experience the successes of AT, making new friends, becoming more confident and experiencing new activities you couldn’t elsewhere!
Officer Cadet Elizabeth Gibbons
