Adventure Training Camp, February 2020

Storm Dennis was just warming himself up as 43 members of the Corps bused out to Gloucestershire for Ex ‘Wye Wanderer’. Based at Cinderford in the heart of the Forest of Dean, the programme began with a therapeutic dip in a torrenting river. Despite the execrable weather, cadets donned warming wetsuits and waded, scrambled and floundered their way upstream, climbing a waterfall and making their way in pitch-black through a subterranean tunnel. Conditions could scarcely have been more difficult, and it is a credit to the hardiness of the cadets that all made the thrilling but blood-freezing course undaunted. After a night of laser tag, Sunday’s training began as planned with some abseiling on an imposing limestone face: some came charging down in a flurry of arms and legs; some tested the durability of the ancient cliff and of their helmets with rather unorthodox moves; some overcame nasty bouts of queasy colon, conquering their fears in admirable fashion. But the demonic Dennis was by now making all useful training impossible, and so the contingent repaired for an evening’s go-karting and bowling – the former a riotous demolition derby, the latter won, of course, by the officers’ mess. Our final day, already brightened by a bizarrely early night, dawned with a strange yellow sphere overhead. In fear of this celestial oddity, we went underground, crawling deep into the ancient caves of South Wales, avoiding flocks of bats and wading chest-deep through a rarely-seen world. And so the exercise came to an end, one which had seen cadets from five year-groups meet the great challenges of weather, face up to some demanding training, and prevail with a positivity and esprit de corps which did all involved very proud indeed.  (Remember to follow the Corps on Twitter @CaterhamCCF and Instagram @CaterhamSchoolCCF.)

Capt Mathew Owen