reservists

“You can train for a storm in a textbook, but nothing prepares you for the reality of being inside a tent that feels like it’s about to be torn apart, thousands of miles from anywhere… You are completely reliant on the person next to you. That experience alone was worth the entire trip.” – LCpl […]

The ability to recognise the signs and symptoms of decompression illness or ‘the bends’ as it is commonly referred to, is something that all divers are taught.  Being able to respond quickly and effectively could mean the difference between the life and death of the diver concerned.  For the expedition members of Exercise Neptune Serpent

Exercise Sweat Finn took place in the mountain regions north of Malaga between 14th-21st September 2019. Taking part in the exercise where 17 reserve troops from 71 Engineer Regiment comprising of personal from 102 (Paisley), 124 (Cumbernauld), 591 (NI) Squadrons and RHQ. The aim of the exercise was to conduct level 3 adventure training (AT)

Exercise Finn Harz Endeavour was an Adventure Training package to the Harz mountains in Germany from 24th August to 1st September 2019. This adventurous training exercise was planned in order to enhance each soldier’s courage and physical attributes whilst participating in mountain biking and hill walking in a challenging environment. This resulted in the encouragement

  Exercise Planner: “Antoine, are the guides concerned about the two deaths on the Matterhorn on 24 Jul?” Antoine: “I was there ………!   I watched the rock and them fall past me, still roped together.  They were already dead as they fell out of sight!” Background As the dust settled on the successes of the

HMS WILDFIRE arranges two sailing weekends per year, using the Joint Services Adventure Training yachts based in Gosport, UK. The aim of these weekends are to introduce novices to sailing; build teamwork, comradery  and understanding amongst all ranks and rates; develop those with some sailing skills to enable them to progress on with further RYA

On the 28th June 2019, 13 members of The Queen’s Own Yeomanry (QOY) and 2 external instructors deployed to Bugibba, Malta for a 10-day Sub-Aqua Diving expedition. The QOY personnel had a variety of experience and abilities, ranging from complete beginners to highly qualified divers. On arrival in Malta, an RSOI and acclimatisation package was

It has been a while since the AMA conducted an overseas Winter Climbing expedition, but Feb 2019 saw the AMA return to Rjukan, Norway.  21 members of the AMA from 18 units located across the UK deployed from three airports over three days and managed to make it to Rjukan without incident.  Norway was in

Corsica’s 190km GR20 has the reputation of being the toughest of all the Grand Routes and it is a reputation well deserved. The route slices through the heart of this mountainous and rugged island from Calenzana in the NW to Conca in the SE. This then was the destination for 10 members of 3RWELSH during

  During the impeccable winter months of January, the Training Major for 75 Engineer Regiment Regt shuffled a warning order for Ex (Exercise) Solent Sapper across my desk. For those that are unaware, Ex Solent Sapper is the Corp of Royal Engineers annual Sailing flotilla held on the Solent and around the Isle of Wight.

On Saturday the 29th of July, tri-service mountaineers from across the UK started their journey to Saas-Grund, Switzerland, where they spent two weeks completing alpine mountain training. The reason for this training was to prepare regular and reserve members of all three armed forces for the British Services Mountaineering Expedition 2020 (BSME20), an expedition to

Exercise CORSICA CHALLENGE was an Adventurous Training (AT) expedition conducted in Corsica, France from 20 – 30 June 2019. Twenty participants, mostly NHS employees, and two support staff attended the exercise. The aim was to provide a challenging, testing and enjoyable experience outside of the normal military environment. All participants not yet qualified would attain

Beginning with an early start on Saturday 22nd June, 12 Students and 4 staff members from the University of Birmingham Air Squadron ventured off to begin their 6-day offshore sailing expedition, taking place in the Adriatic Sea along the coast of Croatia. The students began with a range of abilities; however, most were mainly novices

Introduction: Ex NORTHERN ATLAS was a high altitude trekking expedition in Morocco’s Toubkal National Park. The expedition was conducted under a Defence Engagement Agreement between Morocco and the UK, with both nations assembling a team of fourteen to trek together in the Atlas Mountains. The main objective of the expedition was to ascend North Africa’s

Ex Northern Dalesman Paoli was a rock-climbing expedition taking place in Corsica, France in April 2019. The expedition took place over 11 days and was attended by 13 personnel. The first obstacle was to physically get to Corsica, and so 9 Officer Cadets and 1 member of staff set off at the leisurely time of

Following an incredible mountain biking expedition in 2018, run by 204 (NI) Fd Hosp to the Sierra Nevada mountains in Spain, the opportunity arose once more in 2019. 2 RIFLES were planning their own expedition and had some places available for 204 personnel. Knowing what we knew from our previous experience, on what a challenging

What is CTC Frimley Park? CTC Frimley Park is the national cadet training centre based in Frimley, Surrey. We offer a variety of developmental and qualification courses to Cadet Force Adult Volunteers (CFAV’s) primarily from the Army Cadet Force (ACF) and Combined Cadet Force (CCF) but places are also allocated to the other MOD sponsored

On 18th November 6 members of 75 Engineer Regiment Regt travelled to Lanzarote for Ex Canary Express 2018. The Joint Services Sail Training Centre had forward based a 47ft yacht in the Canary Islands. The aim of this was to enhance sailing and leadership skills through offshore sailing. After meeting the yacht at Puerto Calero

203 (Welsh) Field Hospital is an Army Reserve unit based in Cardiff with detachments locations spread across north and south Wales. The unit planned and ran Exercise Dragon Corse 2 which was a level 3 Adventure Training (AT) expedition to Corsica which ran from the 13th July 2018 to the 4th August 2018. With the

Grand Canyon Phase. We never fully believed our team Mountain Leader, Maj Les Webb, when he told us about the early warning signs of an impending lightning strike. He briefed us that an early indication was head hair starting to go up in the air as it got increasingly charged up with electricity. However, we

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’

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

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

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

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

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