Page 11 - Cadet Review Autumn 2021

NORTH REGION OPEN GOLD
14th – 21st August 2021
Cadets from Central and East Yorkshire Wing joined the North Region Open Gold Practice expedition that took please in the Lake District.
Cadets from across North Region were invited to participate in the practice Gold Expedition which was based at the newly renovated National Adventure Training Centre in Windermere.
The Cadets spent the first weekend polishing up their navigational skills and planning their practice expedition.
On the Monday morning the teams departed for their expedition from the centre. Their expedition took them across Lake Windermere through the Furness Fells, Duddon Valley, Wrynose Pass and then down into Langdale and back to Windermere. Over the expedition the group travelled around 80km / 50 miles. Flight Sergeant Ben Massey from 2337 Northallerton Sqn said ‘This practice DofE allowed me to see some beautiful scenery, when the weather allowed it. We met some great walkers who were extremely friendly and I had a great time.’
The group camped at three very different campsites along the route, they were very lucky with the weather only having to contend with a couple of mornings of drizzle, but overall it kept dry for them. Cadet Flight Sergeant Pheobe Buckley from 1324 Hawker Blackburn Sqn said ‘Although the weather wasn’t brillant, my practice Gold DofE took me through some incredible scenery and it really was a great experience’
During the practice expedition the cadets from Central and East Yorkshire Wing also chose an aim to look at during their journeying, ‘Dogs they met on Expedition’. They spoke to dog walkers that they met on the route and asked them some set questions, such as name of the dog and the county that they were from. This helped the group keep up their morale enroute, along with their singing!
The teams finished their expedition on the
Thursday at the centre, and were even smiling at
the end. When asked what they had learnt from the expedition Flight Sergeant Jacob Lockyer said ‘I have taken two things away from this expedition. Less faff and waterproof boots are advised’
On the Friday the teams had the opportunity to go indoor climbing in Ambleside as a ‘Wind Down’ activity to complete the week.
From this Practice expedition a number of the Cadets are going on to participate in their Gold Qualifying expedition later in August and September.
CADET REVIEW AUTUMN 2021 11