Our now annual Scottish exploit is in it’s 15th year but due to COVID has had to reset its ambitions to year 1 of a four year development programme that takes place over two phases Y10 & 11, and L6 and U6. Our long serving commercial instructors now have an expectation of great support and equipment that allows us to train whatever the weather. Our first two preparatory days saw blue skies, snow covered peaks and frosty mornings, followed by some true experiential learning weather with persistent heavy rain and occasional low visibility throughout the expedition phase.
Exercise Northern Jacobite Venturer is an ambitious expedition week designed to give cadets from Giggleswick School the opportunity to produce a tangible outcome to the adventure training elements of their cadet experience by exceeding the expedition requirements of their Silver and Gold DofE Awards. From this experience it is hoped that at least some will go on to satisfy their spirit of adventure in more distant and culturally diverse locations. Expeditioning in March and April in wild areas of Scotland certainly exceeds the requirements of the DofE Awards and cadet syllabus and is made possible by the use of highly qualified and experienced instructors who can only be afforded through the generosity of The Ulysses Trust.
Cadets follow either a Silver (SMP) or, when the four year course achieves its third year, Gold (WMP) training platform. The expedition areas extend across the Scottish peninsulas from Glen Branter in the west to Ardentinny, Lochgoilhead and Arrochar to the east. The course intent is to establish a cadet’s confidence in their expedition skill in the hope that they will return the following year with ambitions to follow a more challenging experience.
This year:
Due to two years of COVID we have been fortunate to deliver the course out of Giggleswick School’s grounds and immediate surrounding area. However, it was recognised in the planning phase of this expedition that our normal classroom preparation time, candidate fitness and resilience to extended training outdoors had been severely impacted by COVID. As a result, lower level routes and a leaning towards forestry tracks was selected, but wild and permissive camping remained a theme. We aspired to reduce our wild camping impact by planning routes that passed public toilets, or made use of permissive camping where toilet facilities are available. This is our second year of post (?) COVID recovery and we hope to return to our more ambitious programme next year when the participating sixth form cadets will have already gained the experience of the Silver package.
Getting children outside, away from an enforced reliance on electronic devices and able to extend their life experience to remote areas where one can realign perceptions of comfort, more closely consider the impact of their lifestyle and learn to work in teams they have not selected is a huge benefit of expeditioning.
- 17 cadets successfully completed an SMP platform in preparation for their Silver Assessment
- 5 cadets successfully completed an SMP platform in preparation for their Gold Assessment
- 5 adults successfully gained update and best practice training.
It has been recognised across the teaching profession that COVID has generated a cohort of children who aspire to leadership roles but are making unusually poor judgements and expect little accountability for these decisions. Working in small expedition groups and the intimacy of impact that comes with this type of immersive experience, has clearly been lacking and instructors and support staff needed to guide and instruct with decision making in addition to more normal campcraft, navigation and journeying. This is a form of education that cannot be provided in schools. There was a huge difference in the soft skills shown within each team between the equipment issue phase, and the cleaning and packing away sessions at the end.
Lt Col Darren Richmond
