90 (Speke) Squadron ATC

39 Woolton Road
Garston
Liverpool
L19 5ND
       Tel: 01514270940
  Email: 90@aircadets.org
                  Web: www.90speke.org.uk

Five cadets and two members of staff from 90 Squadron recently joined forces with 30 other cadets from squadrons around Merseyside Wing to take part in an Adventure Training weekend in Snowdonia.  It took place on a military training camp in Capel Curig, North Wales and consisted of Kayaking, Canoeing, Rock Climbing and Abseiling.

The team arrived on Friday evening to find clear blue skies and almost tropical temperatures (a rare thing in Wales!), and with the weather forecast predicting lovely weather all weekend everyone was looking forward to getting wet!

After a restless sleep the activities began early Saturday morning at Plas Y Brenin Activity Centre (which is the UK’s National Mountaineering Centre), where the cadets were split into three groups to do their different activities, and for the lucky ones the first activity was Raft Building: The groups started well with some good organisation and precise planning and the bank of the Lake was a hive of activity, but as the rafts began to take shape people started to realise that they would probably be doing more swimming than rafting!  This turned out to be true but everyone was buzzing with excitement as they sloshed their way back up to the Centre.

The next activity was the Low Ropes course.  This is an obstacle course that’s suspended in mid air just above the ground and snakes through the forest with many different problems along the way.  The groups found this quite challenging but to the instructors amazement seemed to finish it in record time!

Plas Y Brenin Low Ropes Course, courtesy of PyB

With spirits high the group moved onto the next activity: Skiing. “What? Skiing in Wales?” I hear you cry.  Well yes, Plas y Brenin has it’s own outdoor Dry Ski Slope so after the boot and ski fitting the group took to the slope.  With some ‘questionable’ techniques being shown (one legged skiing??) and some just tumbling down the slope the session finished with everyone having had a brilliant day.

Plas Y Brenin Ski Slope, courtesy of PyB

Back at the camp that evening we took control of the climbing tower and set up an abseil down one of the steeper faces of the wall.  The 40ft abseil was scary but enjoyable and the session went on until 9pm, making use of the long summer days.

The next day most people headed down to the lake with the kayaks and canoes for a long, wet day of fun and games.  A handful of people stayed on camp to do rock climbing on the climbing wall whilst the rest got kitted up down by the river.  After splitting into groups the kayakers got onto the water and were taught the basics of staying upright in the kayak, whilst the canoe group learnt the basic methods of jumping out of the canoes and getting very wet!

Flat Water Kayaking, courtesy of British Canoe Union

Thanks to the weather we all looked like bright red tomatoes as we got back onto the coach to head home but we were all too tired to care.  Everyone had such a good time that plans for the next activity weekend are already under way, but it will be hard to beat that weekend!

David Evans
Civilian Instructor

PYB Website: www.pyb.co.uk