Outward Bound trips help cadets reach new heights

I would like to say thank you for the help and support ACCT UK generously gave to assist me in making this trip a reality. As well as self-funding, and a sponsored 2.5km swim to raise money, I received donations from family & friends, and generous funding support from the local Army Cadet Association and the Army Cadet Charitable Trust UK.

In the first week of the expedition, we set off on canoes along Loch Shiel camping on the side of the loch for two nights.

We dropped off the canoes and went gorge walking before trekking past multiple locations used in the filming of the Harry Potter films! This took us to Glenfinnan near to which we camped.

We accomplished our first peak summit on a mountain and were also treated to a loch side BBQ in the rain which was a new experience!

The beginning of the day took us back onto the canoes and a new loch, that evening we stayed near a bothy which we used to get warm at the end of the day.

We carried on along the loch. Because of the high winds that day we rafted our boats together and used a tarp as a sail allowing us to pick up speed and distance with ease.

Signalled the end of week 1 and was filled with the achievement of our second mountain summit followed by pizza in the rain by the side of Loch Eil!

Week 2 began with us being power boated to the other side of Loch Eil where we climbed another peak in interesting and wet conditions.

Started with rain which made getting going challenging especially as more of our kit started to get wet. However, a walk into Fort William and the Morrisons café soon returned our spirits to a high level. We then carried on to a riverside campsite.

We went rock climbing at the base of Ben Nevis including a 50m climb up! We then returned to the previous campsite.

We climbed 600m up Ben Nevis and set up camp at half-way Lochan, part way up the mountain.

We summited Ben Nevis! It was an incredible experience knowing that for a brief moment you are the highest person in the UK. Day 12 also saw us plan our group solo expedition (without an instructor).

We presented our expedition plan and were given the go-ahead to proceed without an instructor. We walked off moving from Lochan to Lochan as a group.

The day began with us at the end of a big loch and ended with us camping at the other end of the same loch, a big day!

We walked into Kinlochleven before moving on along the river and the West Highland way.

A big day where we climbed the ‘devils’ staircase’ and summited 3 peaks!

Our last day of expedition which resulted in a bus pick up and a big sing song with high morale. A super packed and enjoyable trip!