Page 148 - AGC_Journal 2018(FINAL)_Neat

AGC JOURNAL 2018

Adventure Exercise

Training in Wales Tiger Cross

By Lance Corporal Ben James By Private Michelle Davies

This was a joint eff ort with members from 19th Regiment Royal Soon after joining 47 Regiment Royal Artillery, I got the opportunity to take
Artillery (Scottish Gunners) and 5th Battalion Rifl es to conduct part in Exercise Tiger Cross in Cornwall for a week. The week was split into
various forms of Adventure Training throughout the week. The three events; hill walking, mountain biking and coasteering.
activities included Hill Walking, Canoeing and Mountain Biking.

Newquay techniques for the bigger jumps ahead. We progressed
Vauxhall Camp onto the second jump with ease. Those feeling brave were
We made the journey down to sunny Royal Air Force St challenged to complete the fi nal jump with lots of positive
Our journey began with a two hour drive from Tidworth to Mawgan. With all the excitement for the coming week we encouragement from other members.
Vauxhall Camp in the town of Monmouth. On our arrival, we ventured out to Newquay to familiarize ourselves with the
had a quick introduction into the camp. The rest of the day was area and wonderful beaches. Endnote
devoted to the introduction of the Detachment from 5th Battalion
The Rifl es and preparation for tomorrow’s venture to Pen-Y-Fan. Hill Walking The trip overall was outstanding and I thoroughly enjoyed
the challenge and time spent on adventure training.
Pen-Y-Fan The trip began with a costal cliff walk, down a steep cliff
face, which was challenging. We then took a stroll down
Day two was the arduous climb up Pen-Y-Fan which was a the beach admiring the seafront and checking out every
great start to the week where we got the chance to enjoy the cave we came across extending our time on the beach.
surrounding areas from the top of the highest peak in South We then moved off the beach by climbing the steep
Wales. Though challenging given the hot weather, it was Bedruthan steps, walking to Mawgan Porth.
thoroughly enjoyed by all. At the summit, we had our chance to
take a few pictures near the National Trust Plaque. We fi nished Mountain Biking
off our day with a meal at one of the local pubs.
The next day we headed off mountain biking at the
Down River National Trust Lanhydrock. We were given a brief lesson
by our instructors on diff erent positions and stances
The third day was devoted to canoeing down the river Wye for to be taken when negotiating obstacles. This tested
twelve miles. We started at Glasbury and stopped for a break at our coordination and ability to stay on the bike when
the Historic town of Hay-On-Wye for lunch. Then we continued riding through the bumpy terrain. The day started with
through until our goal at the Boat Inn near Whitney-On-Wye for a simple warm up and confi dence test, involving a skills
the completion of the second day. The whole day was great but course which had a few hilly bumps, sharp turns and
thoroughly exhausting due to the glorious weather but it was small bridges. We swiftly moved on to the trials in a
refreshing to stop for a swim on the route down. We fi nished off wooded environment. Those feeling adventurous had the
the day with a barbecue within the camp. opportunity to choose the red route. Those like myself
who didn’t want to fall off their bike chose the blue route.
Into the Woods The route itself was challenging as it tested my physical
endurance and strength. Overall the group thoroughly
On the fourth day one group went Mountain Biking in the Forest enjoyed the day and challenges that they faced.
of Dean whilst the other walked the Off a’s Dyke trail from
Monmouth to Tintern Abbey. The uphill cycling off ered great Coasteering
views and a cheeky workout, but the downhill off ered speed
whilst trying to remain on the bikes for the entire duration. There The fi nal event was everyone’s favourite, as it pushed
was a falling over or two but nothing too serious and someone people to their limits and out of their comfort zones.
to laugh at especially as it was our qualifi ed Mountain Bike We arrived eager to get going, but fi rst had to squeeze
Instructor. The groups meet back up at Tintern Abbey to take in ourselves into tight already soaking wet wetsuits. After the
the sites at the fi rst Cistercian in Wales. struggle of the wetsuit and safety gear we were ready to
face the cliff s or so we thought until we were faced with
Fond Farewell a steep hill walk to the jump zone. This was a great warm
up.
Our fi nal day was fi lled with completing the packing away all the
kit we had brought with us and handing the accommodation Into The Water
over before saying a fi nal goodbye to everyone. The whole
time away was worth it as we combined a challenging and After a quick safety brief by the instructors demonstrating
packed adventure training program with team cohesion and diff erent jumping techniques we were ready to go.
strengthening relations with another detachment. It was great to The fi rst jump was a small edge jump that you had the
get out of the offi ce and enjoy what we have available to us. This option to perform a belly fl op to be scored out of ten.
will be a time to remember and an example of what we can do. This was to gather confi dence and to look at individual

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