Page 41 - The Wish Stream Year of 2021 (Crest)

Exercise GREAT GLEN CADET
Ex GREAT GLEN CADET was a 60-mile kayaking expedition across fabled Scot- tish waters. The expedition saw six OCdts
from 4 Platoon, Inkerman Company, kayak the Great Glen Way from ‘Coast to Coast’ along- side the talismanic kayaking instructor, AT extraordinaire and Falklands War Veteran: Tim. It began with a swift 11-hour drive, transport- ing our kayaks, our kit and ourselves to the line of departure at Fort William. Deep into Decem- ber, it was fair to say there was apprehension amongst the excitement of braving the storms of Gairlochy, Loch Lochy and Loch Ness, and the adjoining canals and rivers, that all linked up to our finish point in Inverness.
Safe to say that our boldness, alongside the Exped leader’s robust planning, paid off. With kayaks full of Scottish coffees and cheese sandwiches, each day we tackled the condi- tions ahead. After a rolling canal start onto Loch Lochy, the scale of our surroundings immedi- ately became apparent. The loch was vast, travelling for longer than the eye (at sea level) could see. The surrounding forests, moun- tains and snow-covered ridgelines created a most dramatic backdrop that was to become a theme of the journey. Over the course of the 5 days kayaking, we experienced what felt like all four seasons. The kayaking was broken up by loch-side pit stops, squad rafts (when the currents were in favour) and beers which were all self-proclaimed to be the ‘best Guinness in Scotland’ in the evenings. We were fortunate enough to be visited by Colonel in command
OCdt Austin
of the AT Group, who joined us just in time to see OCdt Austin capsize into a tree during a dramatic river route.
Despite leaving Scotland with sore bums and scapula, a vitamin D deficiency and another 11-hour journey ahead, we were delighted to have been given the opportunity and look for- ward to bringing AT to our future units.
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