1ST (NI) BATTALION ARMY CADETS TAKE ON THE 4 PEAKS CHALLENGE

Cadets from 1st (NI) Battalion Army Cadets successfully tackled the amazing 4 Peaks Challenge to raise money for Northern Ireland Children’s Hospice.

The Four Peaks Challenge includes climbing Slieve Donard, in Northern Ireland, in addition to the three peaks of Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike, and Snowdon in Great Britain. It involves around 43km of mountain walking, and 4256m of ascent.

The first mountain tackled was Slieve Donard. The weather was excellent, with not a rain cloud in sight. The views from the top were amazing and the cadets all had a great day.

That evening, the group took the late sailing boat to Scotland where they made their way north to climb Ben Nevis first thing the next morning.

Before tackling the mountain, they took the opportunity for a tasty McDonald’s breakfast. One full of McMuffins and coffee they prepared for the mighty, steep and rocky, Ben Nevis. It was tough but they all made it to the top! The weather was great, with sunglasses, sun cream and shorts the order of the day.

So, with 2 down and 2 to go, a well-earnt rest day followed, while travelling down to the next campsite in the Lake District.

This following day, the group conquered Scafell Pike, climbing and even scrambling on hands and feet to work their way up to the top. Again they were blessed with dry weather, which made all the difference when walking on rocks and boulders. The views were well worth the effort and everyone was still in great spirit.

The final day and the final challenge – Snowdon in Wales – with yet again amazing weather.

At the top of the mountain, to make the final one a little bit more special, the group had a few tunes on the bagpipes played by Pipe Major Karen McAleese. Karen also played them into the car park on the final mountain decent.

Once the hard work was finished, the team enjoyed some relaxation at the “tall trees” high ropes course and “Bounce Below” (huge trampoline nets set underground in a disused cavern).  There was also time for a little retail therapy before the journey home.

The cadets all had a fantastic experience on the challenge and also raised significant funds for  the Northern Ireland Children’s Hospice.

Congratulations to all those who took part – a wonderful achievement.