The 16hr course content focuses on three core elements:

1. BLS (Revision/updates of REC L2 Outdoor First Aid)
2. Travel & Expedition (Incl. High Altitude/PAC)
3. Preventative Measures (Incl. BS8848:2014 and other appropriate ISO/BS Standards)

Day 1: Introductions - REC written test paper to ensure compliance with REC (L2) course content - D*RS ABC DE - LOC/AVPU - Chain of Survival - SAMPLE - Recovery Position (SAP) - Risk Management - BS8848:2014/21101:2014 - Advanced Monitoring - Travel Advice - Homework Assignment

Day 2: High Altitude First Aid (incl. PAC) - Other issues associated with Travel and Expeditions

​Throughout the course there was interesting and appropriate discussion amongst the four participants and myself.

1. Great discussions and sharing ideas between everyone on the course.
2. Alan's experience and helpful attitude made this course excellent for me and I would be keen to learn from Alan.
3. The electronic Annies were great for feedback on CPR.
​4. I thought everything was great!
5. Electronic Annies were superb in practice.
6. Great application of learning into practice supported great experience and confidence.
7. Great tempo and brilliant shared knowledge - excellent course.
​8. Used Alan previously for RGS OSSM - Highly recommended!
9. Alan - his teaching/learning style is superb.
10. Annie digital iPad feedback was an extra level of learning.
11. The content - has prepared me for my new career starting in Cambodia.
12. Practical delivery from a highly experienced Trainer.
13. Learning through discussion and practicals with other learners.
14. The electronic Annies/iPad was an excellent learning tool.

Bryn Walking usually offers three walking breaks (Monday to Friday) annually and these vary in both upland and lowland themes across Wales. The April Residential was Slate Trails of Snowdonia based from Dol Peris in Llanberis and was fully attended.

Participants met in Dale by about 1430 and we walked over to The Boathouse Cafe Dale  and sat outside with a drink enjoying the sunshine.

Helen had suggested car-sharing as a sustainable way of us all getting to Dale and to be able to share fuel costs amongst vehicle occupants. We therefore arrived with the minimum number of vehicles for the group.

We checked into the West Blockhouse for the group to settle into their rooms in this quite remarkable property. A more detailed description of the property can be seen below.

On the front lawn that evening, the normal Bryn Walking BBQ was held with Welsh Steak and fine wines supplied by Bryn Walking. This fine viewpoint gave us close-up views of marine traffic entering and leaving Milford Haven. Over the week we were there, several large crude oil tankers came in heavily laden from the Middle East whilst a variety of smaller tankers came in to load chemicals and refined petroleum products for UK and European destinations.

Today's Skomer Island landing visit was cancelled due to strong northerly winds preventing the Dale Princess boarding passengers at Martin's Haven. Helen and I made changes to the week's intinerary and booked a Skomer Island Cruise for Thursday.

​The walk today would be from the West Blockhouse around the Dale Peninsula and was a 12.36km circuit taking in the following points of interest:

St Ann's Head - Mill Bay (where Henry Tudor landed on August 7th 1485 with 2000 French mercenaries) - Frenchman's Bay - Welshman's Bay - Dale Castle - The Boathouse Cafe Dale (for refreshments) - Castlebeach Bay - Watwick Point - Watwick Bay

Most of the route was on the Wales Coastal Path and the variety of wild flowers in bloom was extremely colourful throughout the day. 

Gates on the Wales Coastal Path were named in acordance with nearby topgraphical locations and these included:

Thorny Pit - The Vomit - Vomit Point

The Marloes Mere to St Bride's Circular walk 15km was added due to the Skomer Island ferry cancellation. Helen had had to leave this morning due to a personal family committment so our group was down to myself and five (Jackie had decided to have the day at leisure in the West Blockhouse).

Starting from Marloes Mere NT Car Park we walked to the Marloes Beacon (76m) trig point on a gloriously sunny morning before descending to the Wales Coastal Path at Black Cliff which overlooked Musselwick Sands. 

Heading northwards to Tower Point and passing The Nab Head we then stopped above Huntsman's Leap to enjoy our picnic lunches in the sun.

Descending alongside St Brides Haven we stopped to look inside St Bridget's Church, a Grade II listed building. The church was founded by Brochwael, the son of Meurig of Gwent, in the 10th century. It adjoins the site of a deserted medieval village which was abandoned during the plague of 1665/1666.

The route inland back to Marloes was across fields and lanes to reach the pub which was sadly closed! From there we walked back along the lanes and a footpath to the Marloe Mere Car Park.

I'd arranged a Burger Night for the group and I thought this went down well and gave us an opportunity to finish off the wine from the Monday BBQ.

With our 1330 Skomer Island cruise due later, I planned a short walk in the morning around the headland immediately west of Martin's Haven and the ferry landing point.

There is a large NT Car Park there and the shop/ticket office for Skomer and other cruises. We picked up the tickets which Helen had booked on everyone's behalf and set off for the walk on another really sunny morning.

The headland was almost island shaped with just a narrow link onto the Marloes Peninsula. The group were given the opportunity to look through a telescope towards some distant puffins on Skomer Island. Above Mouses's Haven, Janet spotted a huge male grey seal which was a bonus and several choughs were in the area we walked through onto Wooltack Point.

We returned to the cars via the Lookout Station and found a picnic table to sit at for our lunch.

We were in the boarding queue in plenty of time and, after boarding the Dale Queen, chose seats on the port side for the best views to Skomer Island after we sailed. It was an enjoyable cruise and we saw hundred of Puffins in the sea between us and the Skomer Island shoreline. Over 40,000 Puffins make this National Nature Reserve one of Britain's most important seabird colonies. The Puffins establish their breeding areas from April onward and are on Skomer from May to July, leaving by the end of July.

Back on shore, we drove back to the Marloes Mere Car Park for a walk to Marloes Sands. On reaching the Wales Coastal Path to overlook the beach we found that the tide was in with no sign of a sandy beach. It was decided we'd walk back to the Runways Kiln Coastal Kitchen for refreshments before returning to the West Blockhouse.

A final dinner was planned at The Griffin and our table was ready as we arrived for 1930. We all chose from the seafood menu with my choices being:

Fish Soup - John Dory - Fruit Crumble with Custard

​I believe that we all enjoyed our choices of seafood, I know that I certainly did. 

We were all packed and the West Blockhouse left in a tidy condition and so we were all on the road home by 0830. Thanks to Eileen and Natalie for taking the rubbish up to the bins the previous evening. Thanks to Janet for helping with transportation.

This was a very challenging day because of the weather and it might be the case that this day's route is modified before the actual event is in October. Bryn Walking always recce routes before these residential events and today justified the need for appropriate recce walks over proposed routes.

With fine weather after an initial weather forecast for snow flurries (in June!!), we drove over to Trawsyfnydd to catch the 0930 bus to LLan Ffestiniog and parked in a layby close to the northernmost bus stop in the village.

We were at the bus stop in plenty of time and were quite relaxed until a passing motorist told us the bus didn't stop at the bus stop anymore. On his advice we rushed over to the centre of the village and just managed to board the bus in time before it drove down a different road onto the A470. The driver told us that the bus hadn't stopped at the bus stop where we were waiting for ten years!

We changed buses at the Oakley Arms bus interchange and were lucky that a  bus pulled in soon after we arrived which was running late which was in our favour as we avoided a long wait there.

Arriving at Llan Festiniog we looked at a community run hotel which looked quite nice before descending into and traversing eastwards in the Ceunant Cynfal NNR, passing the waterfall to arrive at Bont Newydd.

Continuing southwards we climbed up to Sarn Helen to arrive at the Castell Tomen-y-mur Roman Amphitheatre complex where we enjoyed lunch with great views over towards the Rhinog Fawr NNR.

​We descended back to our vehicle and drove back to Newtown together and myself continuing on to Cardiff.

This was the fifth course I've run for the 1st Signal Regiment. Previously I've delivered two REC (L5) Travel & Expedition First Aid (16hrs) Courses and two REC High Altitude First Aid workshops (4hrs).

These courses are organised by Mountain Leader SSgt Kumar Thapa who is the SQMS of 246 Gurka Signal Squadron.

Trekking First Aid is an 8 hr specialised course intended for those travelling to long haul adventure destinations such as the Himalayas. The course is delivered by an International Mountain Leader with extensive travel experience as a Trek/Expedition leader including 20 Himalayan adventures and visits to 75 coutries.
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Trekking First Aid is designed to complement the REC Outdoor First Aid (16 hr), or similar, course for those travelling to higher altitudes either as individuals or as part of a group.
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Session 1: Basic Life Support (BLS)
Session 2: Trekking First Aid
Session 3: Country and Route Briefing

Candidates will gain knowledge and experience of the first steps in Trekking First Aid which may be required in more remote mountain areas which can include higher altitudes.
Qualification:  Trekking First Aid certificate is valid for 3 years.