Bronze Road Marching!

24-26/02/23 – Cadets go on a 40 km walk to obtain a bronze badge.

Over the weekend, some of our cadets went to a bronze road march, to obtain the bronze road marching badge. We had lodgings provided for us, as well as food, and caught a coach to get to our destination. We started by loading our luggage into the coach, where we then took a 3 hour trip to Weymouth, to our camp. From there we got assigned our rooms and had a briefing before going to sleep.

The next day, we woke up and went to breakfast, buzzing with excitement. We had already pre-packed our bags and were prepared for the day coming. We set off from camp, and walked through Weymouth, past Chesil Beach. The weather was cold and windy, which lowered morale significantly. Along the way there were multiple rest stops, to have a break. At one point, we came across a rather steep hill, where we had to work together and keep morale high to ensure everyone could accomplish it. We ended the day by walking back to camp, and having dinner, before preparing for the next day. Luckily, we all finished the 20km route without significant injuries.

The next day, and the final day, we woke up early to have breakfast and carry on marching. We resumed but had moved onto a different route, similar but closer to the town. The weather had gotten worse. The wind was now stronger than the day before, and the cold was affecting our mood. However, as time went on the weather improved, and at one break stop, in a lovely park, the sun was shining down on us. The mix of the sun and the view of the coastline and sea, helped all of us carry on as a team. The closer we came to the end, the more energy we seemed to accumulate. By the time we reached the end, we were all smiling and felt a huge sense of accomplishment, and once we received our badges, we all felt a sense of pride. We left the camp on the coach, and we were all drained from energy, but yet smiling. 

Although it was a tough experience, all of us know it was worth it: to see the scenery and fight the mental battles of doing prolonged physical activity. Overall, we all walked a grand total of 40 km in two days!