My first military trip to the Alps was on the Joint Services Alpine Meet, staged from a campsite in Saas Grund in 2009. It was run slightly differently to previous iterations in as much that the Joint Services Mountain Training Centre had intervened to assist. Little did I know at the time that this marked […]
Northern Chamonix Climber 2018 Read More »
Exercise Northern Alpine 18 was a Mountaineering exercise based in Wertach, Bavaria, and designed to develop the mountaineering skills and experience of 9 officer cadets. The exercise took place in early August and spent 8 days training in the Allgau Alps. Activities included trekking, climbing and klettersteig (an Alpine discipline that is similar to climbing
Northern Alpine 18 Read More »
9 Cadets and 5 Cadet Force Adult Volunteers from the Air Training Corps (ATC) have just returned from a three week trip to South Africa and Namibia. The team came from 6 Wings, representing 3 Regions of the ATC. The main purpose of the trip was to complete the Fish River Canyon trek but also
RAF 100 Namibia 2018 Read More »
Thames Valley Air Cadets Golden Tarn II Expedition was a culmination of 12 months of planning and training for its 19 participants. The expedition to the Gorge Du Tarn, France carried 2 elements: a challenging and ambitious unsupported and unaccompanied 100km canoeing venture for a group of Air Cadets who were undertaking their Gold Duke
Golden Tarn II 2018 Read More »
Ex NORTHERN DOLOMITE was a trekking expedition conducted in the Dolomite mountains of Northern Italy. Amongst glorious Italian scenery, 20 regular and reserve soldiers (16 from 71 Engineer Regiment) covered over 6,000m of ascent (and the reciprocal knee buckling descent) over a 7-day expedition. The temperature and the gradient of some of the climbs proved
Northern Dolomite 2018 Read More »
Morzine Mountain Biking Expedition – Report 1 (Pte Qureshi) After a challenging annual camp in Lydd, 18 officer cadets and staff headed to Morzine for a week of mountain biking in the French alps. This provided a unique opportunity to further test the officer cadets both physically and mentally; needless to say both objectives
Northern Enduro III Read More »
The Kungsleden (King’s Trail) in Northern Sweden is 460km in length and is the best known trail in that country. Over its length it traverses high mountains, open fell, forest and also crosses a number of lakes. It was to the most northerly section, 250km within the Arctic Circle that 3RWELSH Ex DRAGON LAPONE headed
Dragon Lapone 2018 Read More »
“When I started this adventure, I did not think after a week’s training, it would be so natural to be in an environment so alien to me. I was left literally breathless in its beauty and gasping for more!!” WO2 Wayne Dunn On 23rd June, 11 reservists and one regular soldier boarded a flight
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In July 2018, a group of regular and reservist personnel from 77th Brigade travelled to the stunning Dolomites mountain range in Italy for a demanding adventurous training week – Exercise Tiger Heights 2018. The adventure training provided an ideal opportunity to test members of the brigade against the challenging terrain of northeastern Italy whilst, building
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Day 1 – Napoleonica, Italy (30 minute drive) Vast area situated above and below a disused road. The area chosen was at the far end of the crag, situated slightly above the road. The crag was quiet, well bolted and provided adequate introductory grades for the first day. Student feedback – “Steep terrain: difficult to
The Summer Mountain biking expedition is one of the highlights of our cadet calendar and it is a key foundation of cadet development. The Team picks its self with volunteers wanting to take on the ardouous challenge set by the Scottish 7Stanes Mountain Bike Trails. Having completed an Intermediate course in Delamere and then an
Scottish Trail Endeavour 2018 Read More »
Attending the International Mountain Leader [IML] introduction week with Head Quarters Air Cadets [HQAC] this year was a great experience. We were in France for a total of six days situated in the beautiful Alpes Maritimes, Mercantour National Park near Nice. The party comprised of five Cadet Force Adult Volunteers and two HQ instructors. Each
The expedition was based out of Faslane and the boat used was the Royal Navy Sailing Association boat Scorcher. This boat is available for charter and is an excellent facility. The daily activities are given below: 15th July 2018 – This was an arrival day with all those involved on the expedition making their way
Triton Navigator 2018 Read More »
Exercise COCKNEY YEOMAN BUCCANEER was an adventurous training (AT) exercise down the west coast of Great Britain using the Royal Armoured Corps’ yacht, Ajax, from the 16th to the 28th June 2018. It was designed to introduce novices to the joys of sailing (myself included) in a two stage journey, with different crews for each
Cockney Yeoman Buccaneer 2018 Read More »
Exercise Channel Pelican was the Summer Sailing Expedition for Ardingly College Combined Cadet Force (CCF) undertaken between the 5th and 11th of July 2018. The Expedition sailed across the Channel (hence the expedition name) from Southampton visited the Channel Islands and France and then returned to Poole. Exercise Channel Pelican was lead by Tim Sayers,
Channel Pelican 2018 Read More »
On 18th June nine excited CCF Navy Cadets set off from land locked Birmingham and travelled to Portsmouth to join the Challenger 3 yacht as crew on a Tall Ships Expedition. After a brief tour of the yacht, the Cadets were surprised at how compact everything was, we stowed our baggage below decks and were
Tall Ships Offshore Sailing Exped. 2018 Read More »
Air cadets at sea! Twelve RAF Air Cadets from Cumbria & Lancashire and Greater Manchester Wings of the Air Training Corps escaped to sea onboard the Ocean Youth Trust (North) ‘James Cook’ a 21-metre steel hulled ketch at the end of June 2018. During their voyage they were to take responsibility for all aspects of
Just over 24 months ago I was asked if I would be interested in attending an expedition in the Amazonian region of Northern Brazil. The idea had been proposed to a small group of senior officers from 225 Medical Regiment, an Army Reserves unit based in Scotland. The weekend of training included a ‘Dragons Den’
Northern Amazon Serpent 2018 Read More »
Twenty personnel from Sherborne School CCF visited the stunning Hardanger region of Norway for a week of adventure training, culture and education to embrace the Nordic concept of friluftsliv – open-air living. We stayed in the village of Osa at the end of the 170Km long Hardangerfjord. Our guides were inspirational and had built the
Viking Shiburnia 2018 Read More »
The Three Peaks Yacht Race is one of the oldest and most remarkable multi-sport endurance races in the world. Over 4-5 days of racing, crews of five sail over 400 nautical miles in some of Europe’s toughest coastal waters, plus land legs featuring the highest peaks of Wales, England and Scotland and amounting to nearly
Yeoman Amphibian 2018 Read More »
This expedition to the United States was a multi-unit project that used adventurous training, ceremonial, and multinational Cadet collaboration to drive social mobility. The lead unit was Training Ship Stirling of the Sea Cadet Corps. Based in one of the most deprived neighbourhoods of Birmingham eleven cadets took part. Five from Forward Division which is
Yankee Stirling Venturer 2018 Read More »
“As a complete novice to yacht sailing, I was unsure of what to expect when I applied to Ex Arctic Express. I imagined a relaxing couple of weeks, perfect to unwind after my exams. I was wrong.” Cadet Ed Duffy In June 2018, fifteen enthusiastic crew members from the University of London Officers’ Training Corps
Arctic Express Leg 2 Read More »
In June 2018, the Defence Cultural Specialist Unit (DCSU) conducted their summer adventure training expedition to Lanzarote, where they predominantly conducted the British Sub-Aqua Club (BSAC) Ocean Diver and Sports Diver training packages. A hybrid team of 16 regulars and reserves trained 8 novice divers to BSAC Sports Diver standard at Safari Divers in Puerto
Dragon Safari Sting 2018 Read More »
Reservist Sophie Montagne, shares her experiences of this ground-breaking expedition across Antarctica, proudly supported by the Ulysses Trust. As we touched down on the blue ice runway of Union Glacier base camp and the Ilyushin plane’s doors opened, we braced ourselves for that first blast of the Antarctic chill. But it wasn’t the cold, it
Earlier this year, ten students from East Midlands UAS participated in an adventurous training expedition within the Guyanese jungle. Primarily, the arduous, challenging nature of the activities and environment aimed to develop determination and qualities of self-reliance, confidence, leadership and team ethos in the UAS students, in order to prepare them for potential service careers
Forty three cadets aged between 13 and 17 years from South East London Army Cadet Force spend the half term break 26 May to 2 June 2018 in Snowdonia North Wales as part of an adventurous training package aimed at pushing young people out of their inner-city comfort zone to try new experiences. As part
Cockney Venturer Novice 9 2018 Read More »
On the 24th March 2018, 12 Officer Cadets and two members of staff from Bristol University Officers Training Corps left for Norway, on a two-week Nordic Skiing Adventurous Training Exercise: Ex CABOT TELEMARK. The Aim of the exercise was to work towards the Nordic Foundation 1 (NF1) and Nordic Foundation 2 (NF2) Joint Services Qualifications
HMS WILDFIRE typically runs 2 sailing expeditions (SAILEXs) per year in April and October to fit around the unit’s busy summer training programme. The first of these this year was a long weekend in the Solent from 26 – 29 April. A Halberg Rassey 342, SKUA, was used from Joint Services Adventurous Sail Training Centre
Between 14 Dec 17 and 20 Jan 18, Capt Jon Armstrong RGR and military amputee LCpl Jordan Beecher PARA rowed 2,550 nautical miles across the Atlantic Ocean as Row2Recovery. The pair endured storms, physical and mental hardship and capsizing to set a new World Record for the fastest pairs crossing of the Atlantic in a
Atlantic Trident 2017 Read More »
Day 0 – Sunday 18th Everyone arrived at RAF Wittering and made sure all equipment was checked along with medical forms and travel documents. Day 1 – Monday 19th Met at 0300, loaded the MT minibus and drove to Luton airport. Checked in around 0500, we had a minor issue with luggage as the
Lanzarote Landfall Read More »
Snow Camp Venturer was a personal development exercise run by Training Ship Stirling of the Sea Cadet Corps together with the snow sport charity Snow Camp. It was a continuation of Exercise Snow Dome Venturer that ran in 2017 and involved 24 cadets learning to ski or snowboard at the Tamworth Snow Dome. Alongside the
Snow Camp Venturer 2018 Read More »
Exercise Dragon Capel was given to the name of 203 Welsh Field Hospital adventurous training phase of the Annual Camp 2018 happening at the end of April 2018 based out of Capel Curig training camp in the heart of the mountains of Snowdonia. The package offered participants a 5-day variety of activities with the main
Saturday 16th March 2018 was the start of a big adventure for 14 cadets from Central District Sea Cadets. Setting from their units in Cowes, Ryde, Gosport, Portsmouth, Chichester, Bognor Littlehampton and Worthing the cadets arrive at Fort Blockhouse to join the Sea Cadet Training vessel Jack Petchey. For all the cadets embarking on the
Jack Petchey Off shore 2018 Read More »
I arrived at Ratcliffe on the Saturday 7th April excited about the prospect of traveling down to the South of France to take part in my very first Easter Adventure Training camp. After loading all the equipment and Lt Col Balmbra giving us all a safety briefing we set off. I didn’t expect that it
Dragon Ventura Ardeche 2018 Read More »
The second term was drawing to an end for the students of the Northumbrian University Officers’ Training Corps (NUOTC), yet excitement and anticipation was high for their week-long climbing trip to the crags and climbing areas around Alicante, Spain. This trip was designed to enable climbers of all abilities to have an opportunity at climbing,
Northern Rock 2018 Read More »
On a crisp Friday morning, when most were contemplating their weekend plans, Gunners from across the UK prepared to embark east to the Austrian Alps; plans more exciting than most soldiers from 105 Regt, 101 Regt and 4 Regt RA departed from Scotland, England and Northern Ireland on Ex FINN TARTAN SKI. On assembly at
Finn Tartan Ski 18 Read More »
During the Easter break 2017 nine ACF Cadets, supported by 4 Adults all from Bucks ACF completed a week long exploration of the Bavarian Alps. Based out of Garmisch Partenkirchen, Bavaria the expedition aimed to introduce cadets to trekking and enhance their leadership skills by exposing them to challenging routes. Additionally it aimed to enhance
Bavarian Explorer 2017 Read More »
The aim of the Exercise was to take Army Cadets to Bavaria for a progressive Adventure Training programme using the medium of alpine skiing. It was planned to the UKCC Snow Sports Snow Life Awards Course. This was supported with elements of snow/mountain survival lectures including weather and mountain hazards. All students were assessed in
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Our now annual Scottish exploit is in its 12th year and is successfully delivering all five phases of a cadet’s five year development plan. Our long serving local instructors now have an expectation of great training weather and this year lived up to the reputation with rain, wind, snow, sub zero campsites and a start
Northern Jacobite Venturer Read More »
Inspired by the renowned and record-breaking British Adventurer Mark Beaumont, approximately 200 members from across the RAF Regiment celebrated the Corps’ 75th Anniversary by ‘getting stuck in’ to a series of demanding expeditions that have visited 17 countries, 4 continents, 2 of the world’s greatest mountains and criss-crossed the Atlantic 4 times under the banner
Atlantic Rock 2017 (Part of Exercise Diamond Rock) Read More »
Inspired by the renowned and record-breaking British Adventurer Mark Beaumont, approximately 200 members from across the RAF Regiment celebrated the Corps’ 75th Anniversary by ‘getting stuck in’ to a series of demanding expeditions that have visited 17 countries, 4 continents, 2 of the world’s greatest mountains and criss-crossed the Atlantic 4 times under the banner
Acog Rock 2018 (Part of Exercise Diamond Rock) Read More »
Inspired by the renowned and record-breaking British Adventurer Mark Beaumont, approximately 200 members from across the RAF Regiment celebrated the Corps’ 75th Anniversary by ‘getting stuck in’ to a series of demanding expeditions that have visited 17 countries, 4 continents, 2 of the world’s greatest mountains and criss-crossed the Atlantic 4 times under the banner
Biking Rock 2017 (Part of Exercise Diamond Rock) Read More »
16 regular and reserve PJHQ personnel from across all three services deployed to Antalya for Ex COCKNEY LYCIAN, a level-3 Summer Mountaineering expedition which took place from 08 to 16 March 2018. The aim of the expedition was to walk a 75km section of the famous Lycian Way between Mavikent and Kemer. The ancient route,
Cockney Lycian 2018 Read More »
On Saturday 27th January 2018, five members of the Sussex Wing Adventure Training Team from the Royal Air Force Air Cadets set out on a Winter Mountain Foundation Course supported by the Ulysses Trust and run by experienced International and Winter Mountain Leader, Chris Conley. The aim of the expedition was to introduce winter mountain
Cairngorm Winter Training 2018 Read More »
Our journey to Bosnia and Herzegovina was an experience in itself. We arrived at Kinnegar late Friday evening and traveled through the night, driving to Dublin by coach, before flying via Munich and Vienna and then getting on a final flight to arrive in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Next we made the treacherous journey to reach
Cadet Snow Finn 18 Read More »
Each day is a summation of the thoughts of the individual climbers (6 x male CFAVs) Canmore Junkyards – Grade 2 Single Pitch It’s hard to believe that we are in Canada standing below an icefall and our introduction to ice climbing. I was intimidated about the levels of experience amongst the group but the
Dragon Venturer Canice 18 Read More »
The trip started with 10 strangers (8 x CFAVs (6 x male & 2 x female) and 2 x female Senior Cadets) meeting at Heathrow airport after traveling from all parts of the country. Despite a few problems with the trains we checked in as a group on time and set off for the departure
Dragon Venturer Canski 2018 Read More »
The expedition took place in the Western Highlands of Scotland between 4th and 10th February 2018 with the aim of providing opportunities for staff and cadets of the RAF Air cadets to develop their winter mountaineering experience. The expedition consisted of two groups – one who were focussed on undertaking several quality winter hill days
Western Winter 2018 Read More »
Canford School CCF has been embarking for a number of years on a cross-country skiing expedition to Norway on what is described by all who go, as the toughest and the best trip the School offers. This year saw another twenty cadets, a fifth of our year 10s aged 14 to 15, challenging themselves
Canford Norwegian Venturer Tiger 2018 Read More »
Ex Dragon Eldfjall 2017 began in the early hours on Thursday 31st of August, as twelve Officer Cadets (OCdts) and two supporting staff of East Midlands Universities Officer Training Corps (EMUOTC) were crammed into a van and whisked off to London Luton airport, ready for an early flight to Iceland. The goal of the expedition
Dragon Eldfjall EMU Read More »
Six Cadets, aged 15 to 17, and two Instructors attended a winter exercise centered around the Cairngorms National Park during February 2018 with the aim of introducing some to the challenges of travelling in the winter mountain environment for the first time and others to extend their existing experience to include graded winter climbing. The
Oswestrian Snowy Dragon Read More »
EXPEDITION 1: Dates: 15th – 31st July 2017 Through July and August 2017, 28 enthusiastic participants, mostly deriving from HQ 2nd Medical Brigade, embarked on an adventure to the southern hemisphere, between latitudes 33’ and 41’ in the high Andes of Chile to conquer snow covered volcanoes on skis. It was broken down into two
Northern Andes Serpent 2017 Read More »
On the evening of 13th October 2017 a cohort of 14 2RIRISH personnel arrived at Belfast International Airport to catch the flight to London. Where on arrival, we spent the night in a comfortable departure hall at London Gatwick Airport. During the course of the evening LCpl Cowan had, unknowingly, donated his passport to the
Julian Assange, quinoa, the equator and volcanoes seemed to top the ‘pub quiz’ answers connected to Ecuador. So when the question: ‘Do you want to go on an expedition to Ecuador?’ was asked the obvious answer to me was ‘Yes’. As a trained geography teacher who’d never quite managed to cross into the southern hemisphere
Dragon Ecuadorian Odyssey Read More »
It was the end of a demanding training year for Northumbrian Universities Officers’ Training Corps (NUOTC). Officer Cadets, Staff and Instructors had worked incredibly hard for 12 months to ensure that every one of the 23 staff and students from NUOTC were ready for the culmination of their Mountaineering Programme, the formidable; Exercise Northern Bear.
Northern Bear (NUOTC) 2017 Read More »
On the 16th August 2017 nineteen cadets from Oakham School CCF set out on their journey to Norway to undertake their Gold DofE Expedition. After arrival at Oslo Airport they were collected by the advance party and then set course for the Telemark region of southern Norway, some three hours away. After arrival at the
Telemark Cadet 2017 Read More »
Exercise TROJAN GLACIER was a two-week-long alpine mountaineering exercise to Switzerland, conducted by Officer Cadets from Trojan Squadron of the Defence Technical Undergraduate Scheme. It aimed to introduce personnel already competent and qualified in basic level mountaineering and climbing skills to the high Alpine peak, pushing them to learn further technical skills and develop a
As Europe returned to work after the summer holidays, officers from National Reserve Headquarters Royal Artillery (NRHQ RA) headed south on Exercise BAVARIAN EAGLE. We were bound for Haus Magnus in Wertach, which incidentally, is a comfortable, well run Adventurous Training Group (ATG) lodge ideally placed for mountain hiking in the Allgäu region. Eleven of
Bavarian Eagle 2017 Read More »
Day one saw an early start to our expedition as we met the coach just outside the centre of Rotherham for our journey down to the Isle of Wight. We had the one stop on the way down to Portsmouth, as cadets just love burgers, and arrived at the port with a couple of hours
AT Summer Camp, Isle of Wight 2017 Read More »
As part of its role Exeter UOTC is tasked with organising high quality and demanding Adventurous Training (AT) for the Cadets. This should deliver foundation qualifications but also give the Cadets exposure to just how demanding AT can be and how it can be used to develop personal qualities and teamwork. The Dolomite mountains of
Staffordshire and West Midlands (NS) Army Cadet Force deployed a 24 strong expedition to Alberta, Canada to conduct Mountain Biking, White Water Kayaking, Mountaineering and Caving. “Opportunity of a lifetime” Cdt Brandon Connon, Old Hill Detachment “The best thing I have every done” L/Cpl Sol Flaherty, Leek Detachment “stunning scenery” Sgt Phoneix Everill, Uttoxeter Detachment
Rocky Mountain Dragon Venturer Read More »
A kayaking trip in Scotland? To many this would conjure up thoughts of being cold and wet however to the group of 10 Officer Cadets, many only just back from a kayaking expedition in France this was a chance to further develop and hone their skills on what promised to be a more technically challenging
Dragon Caledonian EMU Read More »
The Rolex Fastnet Race 2017 was the largest offshore yacht race in history, featuring some 400 yachts and 3000 crew members from 29 countries, competing over a 1120km course from Cowes to Plymouth via the Fastnet Rock off the Southern Irish coast. Thanks largely to the Ulysses Trust’s generous sponsorship of three members of the
Wesslighthouse 2017 Read More »
As 06.00am approached, the 30 cadets and 9 adults of Glasgow & Lanarkshire Battalion had been up and about for ages excited about what lay ahead. Some had skied before whilst others were complete novices. No matter what, there was not a thing that could have dampened their excitement for the ski trip to Serre
Northern Ventura Snow Peak 2018 Read More »
Operation Drakensberg Elephant was a 22-day expedition to the Drakensberg Mountains and surrounding area in the country of South Africa. The expedition encompassed 27 air cadets and 6 staff from across Warwickshire & Birmingham Wing with the primary objective of providing an overseas expedition focused on 3 weeks of Adventure Training, cultural education and engagement
Operation Drakensberg Elephant 2017 Read More »
31 (Tower Hamlets) is one of the most diverse RAF Air Cadet squadrons in the country. For many of the cadets, the organisation offers a rare opportunity to leave London, and to experience life outside of a city. A highlight of the year is always going away for the week on annual camp. Nationally however,
Towering Heights 2017 Read More »
Exercise Thor’s Azure saw seven Officer Cadets from DTUS Thunderer Squadron undertake the Tour de Mont Blanc, a 171km mountaineering round trip in the Alps, starting in France and spanning across Italy and Switzerland before finishing back in France. The exercise began with an early start with the team setting out from Southampton in order
Cumbria ACF is a leading youth training organisation based in the North-West of the England, delivering a programme of challenging military, adventurous and leadership training to young men and women aged from 12 to 17. In May 2017, we took 35 cadets (over 10% of our strength), eight adult volunteers and five Mountain Leaders to
From September 2017 until January 2018 cadets and adult volunteers from TS Stirling Sea Cadets in Birmingham took part in the charity Snow Camp’s ‘First Tracks’ and ‘Graduate’ programmes. These are the first two of a three phase progressive snow sport programme run by the charity for disadvantaged young people. First Tracks is a two
Snow Dome Venturer 2017 Read More »
The Ice Maiden Expedition has become the first all-female team to cross the Antarctica continent from coast-to-coast using muscle power alone. The Ulysses Trust is proud to have been a major sponsor for such a challenging and ambitious expedition. After spending 62 days on the ice, the six soldiers crossed the finish line at the Hercules Inlet
Wow, what a trip! I am sitting in the airport at San Francisco, waiting for the flight home, reflecting on the last two weeks. It is hard to know where to start. I could run through the ‘stats’ (everyone climbing between 50 & 60 pitches or 2500 to 3000m of rock over the course of
Dragon Venturer Cadet Rock Yosemite 2017 Read More »
In August 2017 twelve Officer Cadets (OCdts), two instructors and a member of support staff from Oxford University Officer Training Corps (OUOTC) flew to Alberta, Canada for a twelve day open canoeing adventurous training package. The main aim of the expedition was to challenge OCdts, most of which have never open canoed before, by tackling
Blue Poseidon 2017 Read More »
In the corner of a quiet Essex pub, ‘three nods’ around the table meant we’d just agreed to run Essex Wing’s first ever overseas paddling expedition. A fantastic journey down the Ardèche River had begun … In the months that followed, routes were chosen, letters of intent sent and a staff team built. The nominations
The summer of 2017 saw Royal Air Force Air Cadets from the Bristol and Gloucestershire Wing take on the Canadian Rockies. The self-supported cadet expedition which was the result of two years of planning, fund raising and training was, led by Adult Sgt Edward Smart. It saw 19 cadets & staff from 9 different squadrons fly
Mountain Storm 2017 Read More »
The Upper Valais region in Switzerland, with routes up to 3,000 meters altitude and surrounding the magnificent Groesser Aletsch Glacier, was selected for a summer mountaineering expedition, exercise ALPINE BULL, which took place between 24th and 30th July 2017. Twelve personnel with a mixture of background, qualifications, and experience from 11 Infantry Brigade and headquarters
Tiger Alpine Bull 2017 Read More »
The aim of the expedition was to introduce Officer Cadets to Alpine mountaineering, including teaching them crevasse rescue techniques and skills for moving on a glacier using ice axe and crampons, and to give them experience of summiting an Alpine peak. There were 11 military participants and one civilian International Federation of Mountain Guides Association
Introduction On the 16th June 17, myself and a team of mountaineers left Northern Ireland heading to Chamonix, France for what would be one of the most memorial experiences of my life. Flying into Lyon it was late evening when we arrived in Chamonix. Despite the long journey, seeing the mansion that our exercise planner
Shamrock Glacier 2017 Read More »
On the 16th of July, after a difficult few weeks of exams and revision, we were all looking forward to an exciting trip, walking a section of the Carros de foc (or Chariots of Fire) which is part of the Aigüestortes mountain range, white water rafting and canyoning, abseiling down the many water falls. As
HCS Carros de Foc 17 Read More »
The St Albans sea cadets had planned a sailing trip for 28 cadets and six staff to sail three 72 foot Challenger yachts across to the Channel Islands. This was to take place over six days. Commencing Tuesday 25th July after travelling to Portsmouth by coach, we arrived to meet the three boats at 1200,
Channel Islands Challenge 2017 Read More »
A day or so after having returned from our two week Annual Camp in Denmark a rather unexpected and exciting opportunity presented itself to me, sailing! Being a fairly sporty person I am always up for trying something new but this was something I had not even considered before. I quickly learnt that the Royal
Mediterranean Ubique 2017 Read More »
Between 17th-24th November 2017, eighteen volunteer reservists from 212 Field Hospital undertook a rock climbing expedition to the Costa Blanca region of Spain. The aim of this expedition was to challenge the participants mentally and physically, using rock climbing as a medium to do this. The group consisted of greatly varied ranks, ages, and –
Echo Adventure 2017 Read More »
Thanks to the likes of Jacques Cousteau and our own Sir David Attenborough, for the uninitiated, talk of scuba diving may conjure up pictures of kaleidoscope coloured reefs, the inimitable ‘Finding Nemo’ clownfish and a plethora of sharks and weird and wonderful fish. However, reality and fantasy are rarely synchronised as the members of Exercise
Neptune Serpent 2017 Read More »
Cadets from Lord Wandsworth College CCF traveled to a small village called Autrans near Grenoble, France, to engage in a week of exciting Adventurous Training activities. The idea behind the expedition was to take part in challenging activities in a setting that is bigger and better than anything the UK has to offer. We were
Summary Exercise Dusty Dalmatian saw 12 students from Cambridge University Air Squadron, one member of staff and one external instructor travel to the Istria region of Croatia to conduct 6 days of single pitch outdoor climbing, followed by one day of indoor lead climbing at Big Rock, Milton Keynes. The group was accommodation in a
Dusty Dalmatian 2017 Read More »
There’s a very good reason for the Foreign Legion having bases on the island of Corsica, it’s rugged, hot, mountainous and a challenge to all who want to operate there! The island is traversed from Calenzana in the northwest to Conca in the southeast by the GR20, the toughest of all France’s Grand Route long-distance
Introduction Fourteen officer cadets, four Reserve Forces staff and one Non-Regular Permanent Staff member departed Scotland on the drive to the Bourgogne region of France on a Rock Climbing expedition. This region was chosen due to the climate, variety of rock types and the needs related to delivering the RSF course. This was due to
Overview From the 9th of July to the 16th of July 2017, 20 Officer Cadets from Bristol University Officer Training Corps took part in a week of Sub-Aqua diving in the area of Buggiba, Malta. Their aim was to either gain initial qualifications or further progress in BSAC qualifications, while simultaneously taking advantage of Malta’s
Our ambassador, Tania Noakes, has completed her epic ski trek expedition to raise funds for the Ulysses Trust’s 25th Anniversary Appeal. Tania set-off on the classic Norge På Langs, or ‘Norway from end to end’ on 14th January 2018. A journey of over 2,500km from the southern tip of Norway, Lindesnes to the most northerly point, Nordkapp. She completed
25th Anniversary Appeal Expedition Read More »
In June 2017, a crew consisting of soldiers from The Scottish and North Irish Yeomanry took part in an expedition to sail the Royal Armoured Corps Yacht Club boat, Yacht Ajax, from Gosport to Barmouth in Wales. Named ‘Exercise Sea Wolf’, reflecting the unit’s cap-badge of a grey wolf, the aim of the expedition was
On the 19th November 2017 two reservists from the University of London Officer Training Corps began a three-week Adventure Training exercise on-board Yacht ‘Discoverer’, one of the Army’s two Challenger 72’ Ocean going sail training yachts. The aim of Ex Pacific Longbow was to challenge participants in a demanding environment and to develop their individual,
Pacific Longbow 2017 Read More »
The Ten Tors Challenge is a challenge for teams of young people between the ages of 13 and 19 to walk 35, 45 or 55-mile courses across Dartmoor in just 34 hours. The event takes place from Okehampton on the first weekend of May every year. This year was the 57th running of the event.
Ten Tors Challenge 2017 – Dorset & Wiltshire ATC Read More »
Day 0 We met at 1530 on the 26th March at our Town Headquarters. At 1600 the transport arrived bringing with it the Boss as well the remainder of our diving equipment. We stopped quickly at a service station for a toilet and food break. On arrival at RAF Brize Norton we found out that
Atlantic Marlin 2017 Read More »
“This trip is a life changing event and I am not the only one who has said that.” Cadet Aaron Burke. Whilst everyone in Middlesex and North West London ACF were being picked up by coaches to go to Annual Camp at Sennybridge in South Wales a group of 18 cadets plus 6 adults had
In August 2017 40 cadets and 12 staff from London Area Sea Cadet adventurous training Team descended onto the town of Newquay in Cornwall for Summer Rock 2017. 5 Days of adventurous training slightly different and more extreme than what the cadets of London area are normally used to. Thanks to the Ulysses Trust we
Expedition information Middlesex Wing took part in August of this year on an expedition to Serbia. The aim of the expedition was to canoe in areas not normally used for this activity taking cadets into unfamiliar environment while controlling the exposure to risk. I would like to say the expedition was a success and was
Serbia Canoeing Expedition 2017 Read More »
Four seasons in one week maintained the ambitions of Ex Northern Jacobite Venturer. Temperatures of 20o C for the first few days gave way to wet and wintry by last day of the expedition. Our now annual Scottish exploit is in it’s 11th year and is successfully delivering all five phases of a cadet’s five year
Northern Jacobite Venturer 2017 Read More »
Exercise Northern Inca Unicorn 17 was conducted from the 26 Oct to 12 Nov 17. It was led by Staff Sergeant (Senior Permanent Staff Instructor) Guy Bufton, its aim was to promote the Joint Service Adventure Training scheme at all levels within 32 Signal Regiment, in particular junior ranks and to provide a fertile learning
Northern Inca Unicorn 2017 Read More »
I was just browsing through my emails when Ex Dragon Eagle Sphinx stood out to me. One week adventurous training, diving, in the red sea. I’m sorry, who would turn that down? No previous experience was needed as training had been organised prior to this exercise, so complete beginners including myself could be part of
Dragon Eagle Sphinx 2017 Read More »
Ex AMA 60 was a Pan Army, Army Mountaineering Association (AMA), High Risk and Remote, mountaineering & trekking expedition to the remote Dolpa region of Western Nepal. It was open to all AMA members, and the team consisted of both Regulars and Reserves. It was conceived to celebrate 60 years of the formation of the
The trip really started for me at the Heathrow Hotel with the issue of the Jungle Monkey tops, a last repacking of kit before the flight and a team beer at the bar. On arrival despite the travel exhaustion we all congregated at the hotel rooftop pool to rest and acclimatise to the heat. A
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As most of the school community were enjoying a first lie-in of the October holiday, twelve Morrison’s Academy cadets and two officers were already heading to the Cairngorms. The plan was straightforward. Two days of mountain biking in Rothiemurchus were to be followed by three days of mountain walking in the Cairngorms. We would be
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On the 19th October 2017, 10 reservists and 1 regular soldier boarded a flight to Malta in order to begin Exercise Tiger Rifles Azure; the annual 6 RIFLES scuba diving expedition. The aims of the exercise were to qualify divers ranging from Ocean Diver to Dive Leader, develop the skills and experience of divers, and
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September 2017 saw 12 individuals from 159 Regiment RLC embark on a weeks Scuba diving in sunny Lanzarote in the Canary Islands. Ideally located just off the North African coast, it offered the chance to explore further afield while still being in Europe. Diving commenced from the dive centre located in the picturesque cove of
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In December 2015, Major J W Swanson and Corporal T McWhirter from the Northern Ireland Garrison Support Unit (NIGSU) began the extensive planning process for their first overseas Adventure Training expedition to Nepal. The culmination of this planning was Expedition Finn Himalaya, which took place from 15th September 2017 to 7th October 2017. Adventure training
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Soldiers from 6 Rifles recently embarked on a mountaineering expedition to Georgia with the goal of increasing the Battalion’s mountaineering capability. While spending five days in the Southern Caucasus the team covered the Summer mountain foundation syllabus, engaged with the local population and hiked over 80km with 2,800m of elevation. The hike began in Mestia
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Bristol ACF conducted Exercise Bristolian Zeus during the back end of October 2017, with the main aim of cycling some of the varied technical and challenging off road routes of Cyprus. From the stunning views along the Cyprus coastlines showing off the deep blue and emerald sea of the Mediterranean, to the craggy and muddy
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Personnel were from across the RNRM service, including: CTCRM, 30 Cdo RM, HM Surface Ships, HM Submarines and the Fleet Air Arm. From 2 – 17 July 16 Commando Training Centre Royal Marines led Adventurous Training (AT) in three phases on the mainland and cayes of Belize. The aim of phase 1 and 3 was
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As the cadets first set their eyes on the 72’ Ocean Youth Trust Scotland Ketch, Alba Venturer, which was to be their home and workplace for the next 7 days, there were mixed comments and expressions of apprehension. None of the selected Air Cadets had ever taken part in an activity like this and it
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For cadets from Budmouth College the adventure started a little early as the American Airlines Boeing pushed back at Miami after the catering was struck by lightning. As the aircraft taxied to the runway the most violent of thunderstorms erupted over the airfield. There the plane sat for three hours whilst thunder, lightning and accompanying
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On 16th July 11 cadets and three Cadet Force Adult Volunteers from TS Stirling Sea Cadets in Birmingham set off for the adventure of a life time in the USA. They were off to join 300 American cadets from 19 high schools in New England that are part of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Army League
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In August 2017, 5 members of staff and 14 cadets from Chester le Street Sea Cadets spent 10 days in Nova Scotia, Canada hosted by Llewellyn SCC. The assistance from the Ulysses Trust enabled the cadets and staff to participate in a training programme that included both land and water based activities at HMCS Arcadia,
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Ex COCKNEY BARBARIAN was a Summer Mountaineering Expedition organised by PJHQ J2 Division to the Supramonte Region of Sardinia. Coming from PJHQ, the group was very diverse, incorporating regulars and reserves from across the tri-service community. As a rare opportunity to conduct Adventurous Training in a busy operational Headquarters, the expedition was heavily oversubscribed, and
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On 19 April 2017 a team of 21 regular and reserve soldiers left London for Nepal to take part in Exercise Diamond Peak; a month long high altitude trekking and climbing expedition to the Himalayas. The expedition was planned as part of the Army Air Corps (AAC) Diamond Jubilee Celebrations to mark sixty years since
Headquarters Northwest Cadet Training Team has not completed any AT for a number of years as a team. Some of the team have served in Germany and never had the opportunity to visit Bavaria. The initial uptake was great, however due to the courses programmes and other changes we set off with 8 in total.
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Leg 1 summited Denali; not one but 6 of the team made it to the summit (photo 1), an awesome feat in anyone’s book as the mountain is a weather and snow condition challenge at the best of times. Supported by the RAF Charitable Trust, Flt Lt Andy England and his Leg 1 team, part
RAF REGIMENT Ex DIAMOND ROCK – 2 LEGS COMPLETE & A LONG WAY DOWN & AROUND TO GO! Read More »
