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Multi, 'Venturer Red Tiger', Spain, Los Picos National Park, Sep 2010, ID 1021

Bristol, Devon, Glamorgan and Somerset ACFs

For the 13th successive year, Major David Waterworth, Devon ACF’s Cadet Executive Officer, organised and ran an Adventure Training expedition to the Los Picos Mountains of Northern Spain. Once again the Ulysses Trust awarded a very generous grant which kept the cost to the individual Cadets and Adult Instructors down to a very affordable level (£180 per head). As in past years an invitation was extended to other County Cadet Forces who were prepared to provide suitably qualified instructors. This year the invitation was taken up by Somerset together with Dyfed and Glamorgan ACFs and thus a party of fifty one intrepid expeditioners assembled at Exeter on Sunday 26th September prior to catching the ferry to Santander. Twenty one cadets were going to conduct their Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme Gold Expedition and the remainder who were not assisting with the D of E were to do Adventure Training (A/T)in the shape of hill walking, horse riding and canoeing.

The party travelled in four county minibuses with trailers, a 4 x 4 and one private car all of which arrived safely at the base camp at Potes by mid afternoon on the Monday. Once all the tents had been put up Captain Tracy Reece of Glamorgan set about briefing and preparing the Gold Teams and their assessors for their expedition. At the same time the A/T group sampled the delights of a very cold swimming pool as Captain Martin Griffiths of 20 Cadet Training Team put them all through the Military Swimming Test in preparation for the canoeing later in the week. Over the next four days the Gold teams completed their expeditions while the A/T group conducted three high level day walks, had a half-days horse riding and canoed fifteen miles down the River Deva.

One of the undoubted highlights of the trip was the walk through the Cares Gorge which is a spectacular local feature through which a path winds with sheer drops of as much as 1000ft without any safety barriers! The gorge was on all the Gold Team routes so everyone experienced this fantastic walk. The A/T group met two of the Gold Teams coming up the other way and saw first hand just what a challenge it was to do a D of E expedition in the Los Picos. All the cadets successfully completed their Gold expeditions and were rewarded by a canoeing trip down the River Deva which gave their aching legs, and in some cases blistered feet, a welcome rest.

The weather throughout was hot dry and sunny which was a bonus so all returned to Portsmouth on Tuesday 5th October tired, bronzed and very proud of their achievements.

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