In early November 9 Cadets and 11 Staff of TVW made their way to the National Air Cadet Adventure Training Centre (NACATC) at Windermere for a week of Adventure Training in and around the Lake District.
Activities ranged from mountain walking, Canadian Canoeing, indoor and outdoor rock climbing and mountain biking taking full advantage of the facilities and opportunities available from the centre.
The week started with a walk in Kentmere valley to the reservoir in some changeable weather testing map reading and navigation in unfamiliar and very different scenery to what is seen back home.
Monday saw some of Staff return to Kentmere for a walk along the top of the valley edge while the Cadets ventured out on the Windermere lake in Canadian Canoes. The single day expedition took the Cadets paddling across to the other side of the Lake. Many of the Cadets grateful for weather, the best we saw all week, given their exposed positions out on the water!
Tuesday was a day out outdoor climbing at Tilberthwaite Quarry, with a selection of challenging climbs to attempt and an abseiling route to test the Cadets nerve.
Wednesday the group split once more with another walk for the Cadets in very challenging conditions leaving from Ambleside along a route to to Low Pike, on to High Pike and Red Screes before returning to Ambleside, while a selection of Staff visited Kendal Climbing Centre to hone their climbing skills.
Thursday was a day of split activity with Cadets put into two teams enjoying mountain biking and orienteering around Grizedale Forest.
The final day’s activity was a return to Kendal Climbing Centre where all Cadets had the opportunity to work on their climbing skills, refining their technique in the bouldering rooms before taking advantage of the fantastic climbing facilities’ available.
It was a busy week for all, even at the end of each day’s activity there was still work to be done. The Cadets helped in the kitchen preparing for dinner, cleaning up afterwards and preparing pack lunches for the next day.
It was one of the most varied AT weeks for TVW with all of the available opportunities on offer taken advantage of. Camp Commandant, Flt Lt Cragg said “it was by far the best week at Windermere I have ever had, the Cadets were all keen to do as much as possible and it was great to see them get in involved in all the different aspects of AT that the ATC and the NACATC centre offers”.
AT camps like Windermere (and Llanbedr in Wales) give the opportunity for Cadets to experience AT in an unfamiliar world in some of the most beautiful scenery the UK has to offer. Look out for the Llanbedr (24th – 30th May) and Windermere (25th Oct – 1st November) opportunities in 2014 which fall during the school holidays for your chance to explore the world of Adventure Training.
