CCF Navy

Field Trip to the Forest of Dean, July 2022

Day one saw us kicked out of our minibuses…somewhere…in the Forest of Dean, while the Fourth Formers (under the supervision of some very capable NCOs) were left to find their own way to the camp. We spent the evening huddled by the fire, as Hannah Jones completed her fifteenth paracord bracelet. The next day we were divided into four groups, each to take part in trebuchet building, orienteering, mountain biking and baking.

Unfortunately only Toby Young was a match for the teachers’ impressive bike riding stamina, managing to reach the top of the hill without taking a break. We were once again let loose in the woods for orienteering, armed with maps, compasses, and our trusty radios, which emitted many incoherent, muffled noises followed by the word ‘over.’ Each group did a respectable job of assembling the catapult, but firing it was another story. We ended the day with a civilised game of capture the flag. During day three, the plan to canoe down the River Wye appeared to be a pleasant, peaceful, and not-in-any-way life-threatening pastime, involving scrambling into other canoes and a few innocent ball games. Although it was made pretty foolproof, Evie Calhaem, Shukuriyya Rabiu and I still somehow managed to fall stern over bow into the rapids, down some conveniently placed rocks. Later in the evening, we were joined by the RAF section and gave a series of short performances, including a poem of appreciation for the teachers; a very competitive ‘rock, paper, scissors’ battle brought to us by the Fourth Formers; a sketch by the NCOs imagining we were stranded on a powerboat; and a sea shanty sung by the teachers and their tuneful mini keyboard. We finished off the trip with a few more activities the following morning: camouflage, first aid, and a blindfold trail. As there were NCOs based somewhere in the woods for each one, it was perhaps finding us in the first place which was the main challenge for the Fourth Form, rather than the activities themselves. I think everyone was grateful to arrive back home, but all agreed that the trip was completely worthwhile.

Elsa Wilkie (HH)