After a full school day, 19 cadets gathered at the CCF hut and loaded their bags onto the transport. Boarders’ tea filled everyone up before we hit the road for the 90-minute journey along the A66 and across the Pennines. It is sometimes challenging to part teenagers with their beloved screens but as the Lake District unfolded below us in the afternoon light everyone took a moment to enjoy the views. We arrived at Ghyll Head Adventure Centre and started settling in to the bungalow, our home for the next 3 days and nights. Once (most) beds were made and suitcases unpacked, there was time to enjoy the amazing sunset in front of the accommodation followed by some exploring of the grounds and an attempt to make a dent in the seemingly endless supply of toast, chocolate spread and hot chocolate the school kitchens had provided.
We started day 2 the best way possible – with bacon sandwiches – then met our instructor Liam who briefed the group on their respective activities. One group would be sailing and the other group would also be on the water in various other crafts. Once everyone was (wet) suited and booted up we took a short steep walk down to the waterfront. Mrs Connor’s group chose their crafts which consisted of sit-on-top kayaks, stand-up paddle boards and single-seat kayaks. The group paddled all the way across Windermere and played lots of games on the West side.
The sailors rigged up their sailboats with help from instructor James and seasoned sailor cadet Watson. There was not much wind to speak of but there was just enough for the sailboats to get going and go on a little adventure zigzagging across the lake. On the way back some of the paddling group opted for a tow and some even decided to go for a swim. A couple of the sailing boats volunteered to do some capsize drills which saw them tip their boats over and then flip them back the right way up. Considering the water was 4°C and the air temperature was 8°C this was an impressive feat. They even opted to jump back into the lake from the jetty after all the boats were put away. We all squelched back to the bungalow for some lunch, hot drinks and hot showers.
“I really liked paddling the [stand up] paddle board across the lake, I’ve never done anything like that before.”
Cadet JW
In the afternoon we divided into three groups; one group on the climb tower, one group zip lining and one group on the low ropes course. All three activities required plenty of teamwork, and determination and required the cadets to push themselves out of their comfort zones. Every cadet did the zip line and for an additional challenge, some even took a ball with them which they tried to throw into a large bucket. It was fantastic to see the cadets pushing themselves to try new things and support each other.
In the evening the kitchens prepared some homemade pizzas and a delicious homemade Victoria sponge cake, all of which were demolished after a busy day. Lt Col Connor headed back to school and ADO Galvin joined us for the rest of the trip. Most of the cadets settled down to watch The Martian and the 6th formers made good use of the games room playing pool, table football and cards. The last act of the day was to sing happy birthday to cadet WT who turned 14.
“The zipline was the best! I almost got the ball in the bucket”.
Cadet WW
The morning of day three saw us back on the water, with the groups swapping activities from the previous day. There was a little more wind today so the sailing group got a little more speed up. The paddlers set off to explore the Eastern shore of Windermere and have a lovely time. Cadet J decided his stand-up paddle board should be a sit-down paddle board and had a lovely time scooting about. Cadet G shared a Canadian canoe with Mr Fairwood and very much enjoyed inventing sea shanties. Cadet S opted for an enclosed kayak and had a great little solo adventure before opting for a tow on the return leg.
“Sailing a sailboat with Joe (senior cadet) was my favourite part of today, I’ve never sailed before but he showed me how to do it and I was doing it by myself at the end.”
Cadet ST
In the afternoon, one group headed to Low Tilberthwaite and headed southwest to Goat’s Crag and did some abseiling in an old slate quarry. Every single cadet pushed themselves and even students who did not complete the full abseil still got harnessed up clipped in and leaned over the edge. There was lots of encouragement on show as the cadets worked together really well. The ghyll scramble group headed to Coniston, hopped into Church Beck and ascended from there. There were lots of opportunities for the cadets to challenge themselves; choosing different routes up the ghyll some more challenging than others and opportunities to do jumps from various heights into the water. The sixth formers led the way in the jumps and the majority of cadets did at least one jump. Cadet MO challenged herself to do every single jump the 6th formers did. Both groups headed back to the accommodation for hot showers dry clothes and even more toast. A giant Jenga tournament was organised by the 6th formers to the delight of many. After hearty portions of homemade chicken pie and slices of an enormous chocolate fudge cake, the group headed to Windermere town for an hour to explore and stock up on snacks.
“The ghyll scramble was my favourite activity all weekend. Jumping off all the jumps was really scary but I did all of them!”
Cadet ME
On the morning of our last day, everyone got packed up and loaded the van. After numerous sausage sandwiches, the groups headed off for more abseiling and ghyll scrambling (the groups swapping from the day before). The abseilers in the quarry all completed the abseil and had at least three goes. They worked together to transport all the equipment and support each other during the activity. The other group had a great adventure ascending Church Beck and chose to do a lot of the challenges that Liam set. There were other groups using the Ghyll at the time and it was lovely to see some student interactions with groups from inner-city Manchester; the Barney cadets encouraging them and chatting to them. After one final change of clothes, an attempt to finish the last of the chocolate spread and hot shower we loaded up the buses and headed back to School. Cadet MO was awarded the Hall Shield for adventure training for her excellent attitude all week and her give-it-a-go attitude.
I have it on good authority that all cadets slept extremely well, many of them for 10 plus hours, that night. The trip was a huge success and I am confident that the cadets gained a lot from it in terms of pushing themselves out of their comfort zone, working together, living together, being away from home for a residential trip and trying new things. The trip would not have been possible without RSM Wardman’s administration of the paperwork, the staff volunteering to attend the trip, and support from the Ulysses Trust, the North East RFCA and the MOD.
The expedition pushed all the cadets, senior and junior, out of their comfort zones. Each challenged themselves in at least one aspect of the trip; leadership, residential living, teamwork, preparation and planning and in the activities themselves. The impact on the cadets is immeasurable; it has given senior cadets to lead junior cadets, cadets to be away on a residential trip for the first time since COVID, it has enabled cadets to try new activities. The resilience, confidence and organisation of all cadets improved as a result of the trip.
