210MMR headed across the Irish sea on 7 June 2025 with a party of 20 SPs for an adventure training exercise in the Highlands of Scotland. The week concentrated on climbing Munro Mountains every day, which are peaks over 3,000 feet. The week was arduous and challenging, testing every single soldier in some way whether that was an individual’s mental or physical robustness, but it also aimed to improve each individual’s navigational skills, and develop teamwork which we did.
The first Phase of this Exercise saw us arrive at the Army’s Norwegian lodge at Rothiemurchus, a fantastic facility just on the doorstep of the Cairngorms. Two days of walking on average 20-23kms per day eased the team into the bigger challenges to come.
The second Phase saw us move across to the Western Highlands stopping off at the Culloden battlefield on route.
Utilising Army accommodation once again at ‘Dundonnell Lodge’, we settled into our second phase and a mountain range which was to challenge some of the team to their core. Right in the heart of what can only be described as the most beautiful and scary of landscapes, we felt a true sense of mindfulness, away from the hustle and bustle of our busy working lives. Just being there was therapy, let alone the challenge and beauty that every day brought as we bagged more and more Munros.
During one of our trekking days, we bagged both Conival and Ben More Assynt and on the descent ensured we visited the highest war grave in the UK. A personal honour for us all and where we laid a small poppy cross in remembrance.
Adventure Training is such a key aspect of military life, with the definition, to develop resilience and leadership skills. I cannot explain the positivity and buzz this Exercise created and its lasting effect. It was made even better by the grant given to us by the Ulysses Trust and as leaders we found ourselves being able to pay for additional little extras which you never foresee needing or thinking of factoring in. I want to sincerely thank the Ulysses Trust for their grant. It is a charity supporting those willing to challenge themselves and that we did. They certainly helped us tick all our boxes and we are now able to use this event to serve as a positive retention and team cohesion tool.
