Survival and Leadership Course at Hag Dyke

By Cpl Rhys Leighton

In the first week of August, 21 cadets from Central and East Yorkshire Wing (including CWO Ben Bridge and Cpl Rhys Leighton from 1224 (Wharfedale) Sqn) as well as a few from 2160 Sleaford Sqn, Trent Wing enjoyed a hard and intense week at Hag Dyke in the North Yorkshire Dales. The course was joined by 12 members of staff who provided training on survival and leadership in a mountainous terrain.
Hag Dyke is not accessible by road and the path leading from Kettlewell to Hag Dyke is a steep 2.5K hill climb. The first task was carrying all our gear to Hag Dyke and this clearly set out to us all that this was going to be a physically challenging week. Throughout the week we learnt key survival skills, including the filtration and sterilisation of water, building observation points and how to make an emergency shelters. We were given good training on navigating skills. A day was dedicated to putting this into practice when we climbed Great Whernside and visited a World War Two crash site of a Vickers Wellington aircraft. We also climbed Buckden Pike and Tor Mere Top.
The course was physically and mentally demanding and demonstrated the importance of teamwork. I would recommend this course to cadets who want a challenge and have the opportunity to learn key skills. Just make sure you are physically and mentally fit before hand as this makes it so much easier.