Longhill School CCF Summer Training Camp 2026

During the last week of June Longhill CCF cadets enjoyed a week of challenge and excitement while attending an AT (Adventure Training) Camp up at Halton Training Camp in Lancashire which is the headquarters of the Joint Service Mountain Training Wing.

The camp was run and organised by Brighton College CCF who kindly invited us to join them. We thank them for their hospitality and the opportunity for our cadets to experience the wonderful if not, at times, slightly terrifying activities!

After a long coach journey up to Lancashire we settled into the camp on Sunday evening. The evening activity was an intersection competition of Bucketball. It’s a cross between Netball and ultimate frisbee. This resulted in an overall win from Longhill CCF, beating all the Brighton College Naval, Army and RAF sections.

On our first day we were greeted with some warm but overcast weather for some canyoning in the refreshing waters of the Ingleton Gorge waterfalls in North Yorkshire. This was without doubt the favourite activity for us all. It did however require some courage as it involved being able to jump from a number of high points into the pools and slide down the natural flumes created by the flowing river. The only downside was that the conditions were perfect for hordes of midges to appear and feast on any exposed skin!

In the evening our cadets were given some coaching on the “Gun Run” by the Brighton College Naval section.  This is a piece of equipment that the college have based on the old Royal Tournament version. The Royal Tournament Field Gun Competition commemorated the heroic actions of the Naval Brigade during the 1899–1900 Second Boer War. Sailors famously hauled heavy 12-pounder guns over rugged terrain to relieve the besieged British garrison at Ladysmith. This involved a team of our cadets putting together the parts of the gun moving it around a course, changing the wheels and firing it.  This was all in preparation for a section competition later in the week.

Day two, and probably the most daunting for all, was caving.  The area is famous for its cave systems. We managed to explore different caves that presented different challenges whether it was the length of the system or how tight they were and how much water was flowing through them. This was certainly a unique experience and one that would not be forgotten by any of us.  Great Douk Cave was without a doubt the longest, tightest and most impressive of all of them.  Later we were very lucky to be able to watch the England /Ghana game in a makeshift theatre thanks to the IT staff from the college bringing the technology to do so.

Day Three. Due to the extreme heat the plans were changed from climbing to Ghyll Scrambling. This is done in gorges that have been cut in the landscape by water when the local caves overflow. This time of year, they are waterless and can be climbed and abseiled in the shade. This was welcome respite from the sun.

Once back in camp we had the intersection Gun Run. Given it was our first ever proper go at it and against college teams that had experience in it, we were very proud of our second place. Our cadets also very kindly volunteered to join some other college teams that were short on numbers too.

Our journey home was pleasant enough until we got to Beaconsfield services where the thermometer was saying it was 35℃. This was the point in which the aircon on the bus decided it could no longer cope.  That final leg was somewhat sweaty.

Our cadets were fantastic throughout and I was extremely proud of them for giving everything a go no matter how worried they were. The resilience and the personal courage they displayed was impressive. Their conduct was exemplary for the entire trip. 

Our senior cadets were praised as a fantastic example to the college cadets in their conduct, punctuality, organisation and management of the accommodation by maintaining their bunk spaces and Billet (Dormitory) in immaculate condition. The College staff and cadets were extremely welcoming and I once again thank them for their hospitality.

Major Ali Pringle.

Contingent Commander.

Longhill School CCF.

Read from Longhill School CFF here: https://longhill.org.uk/tag/ccf/

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