With a small amount of fear and trepidation, 6 Cadets (from 4th to Sixth Form) set off from Kingham towards "wet Wales", to complete the Brecon Peaks Challenge. With recent weather very much in their minds - a month of rainfall in a 24 hour period in the very place they were heading for - what would they have to contend with this weekend? Would they all get along? Would they manage to get up the first hill, let alone walk for 3 days? Would they have torrential rain? Would they have blisters after the first day? How would they cope without a toilet for 3 days?
With big, heavy backpacks on their shoulders, the six cadets set out from a remote car park in Mynydd Du Forest and straight up the first hill and into the Black Mountains, a part of the Brecon Beacons National Park. They were guaranteed not to come across a town, hamlet or a road for 3 whole days, it was going to be a remote hike, in a challenging mountainous region and they would need to be entirely self-sufficient.
It was tough going for the first hour as the group navigated through a vast bracken hillside, but once they were on the ridge, the glorious views were quite something. The cadets took it in turns to lead the group to the subsequent check points, picking up invaluable map reading skills, learning group management and even some knowledge about the local area and vegetation.
They were definitely chasing the fading light and after almost 5 hours of continuous walking, they arrived at their first wild campsite - a 20m x 3m flat stretch of grass right alongside a river. In the rapidly fading light, tents were pitched, sleeping kit laid out, food popped in the jet boils, warm clothes pulled on and plans made for the next day as beams of the head torches picked up the contented faces following a great first day. Despite the stars being out in force, the cadets opted to crawl into their down sleeping bags and get some shut-eye before the next big day on the hills. The gentle sound of a burbling stream meant that all were asleep within minutes.
It was a cracking start to day 2, an absolute dream for the leader. As the agreed 9am departure crept closer, the last bits of kit were being strapped onto bags, sensible choices with respect to kit were on display and hardly any chivvying was needed from the staff. A litter sweep of the area yielded no litter, which is testament to the personal discipline of the Cadets. They set off on a 17km hike taking them through all sorts of terrain: the lovely valleys; long ridges; steep descents; mountain peaks and some off the path navigating - yes it was a group decision although some denied they had agreed after having fought through tough, arduous terrain which included thick bracken.
Eventually the last stretch of "off-roading" /off the beaten path walking brought a very relieved and exhausted group to the second remote wild camp just after 5pm. What a great day, with not a single gripe or moan from the Cadets who walked at a cracking pace and stayed together, encouraging and motivating each other throughout the day. It was heart-warming to see the NCOs working as a team to help get the two tents of the younger Cadets up first before tackling their own. It was a simply stunning campsite and there was enough time once camp had been set up, bellies satisfied and feet relieved for the Cadets to play a couple of rounds of mafia. Another cloudless and wind free night left the leaders slightly bemused as to where the rain was.
Another morning of clear skies helped some tired Cadets to gear up for their final day with another efficient start. The lighter packs didn't do much to relieve the tired legs, but the group pushed on anyway. Another 5 hour day which saw the Cadets taking in 2 peaks over 800m, before the last mad dash (quite literally) to the minibus. All in all it was a fabulous weekend in the hills!
