By Sadie Whitelocks, Avid-adventurer – 26 countries in 12 months, two polar regions, one mountain, hand luggage only.
Tuesday 23 Oct 2018 12:00 pm
Bear Grylls is known for his extreme survival exploits, from drinking his own urine to sleeping inside the hollowed stomach of a dead camel.
So, when my editor asked me to check out the former SAS troopers adventure academy, I took up the challenge with a spot of mild trepidation.
Bear now has a number of survival courses scattered across the UK, and I plumped for one running in Brecon Beacons, with it being an area I was familiar having grown up in South Wales.
On perusing Bears website, there was little information as to what to expect – just that the ordeal was set to last 24 hours and it would be intense with a pair of robust walking boots required.
The blurb noted that I would learn life-saving skills, like how to light a fire and the art of professionally wielding a knife. Gutting an animal and a spot of dynamic river crossing would also be involved.
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On the accommodation front, the website informed me that I would be spending the night in the Welsh wilderness with no tent, and limited supplies.
Luckily, there are no camels in Wales, but the thought of spending the night inside a gutted sheep suddenly seemed likely.
Always up for an adventure, I invited my friend Jane to accompany me on Bears survival course.
Kitted out with a small bag of warm clothes – unfortunately we forgot our hip flasks – we drove from London to Wales on a Friday night after work.
The next day, we arrived at our course starting point for 11:30am sharp, following our military-esque set of instructions, which were emailed beforehand.
Jane and I were definitely in the minority as women. There was only one other lady in our group – a full-time mum – accompanied by her husband.
Going around our group – 14 people in total – there was a random mix of attendees; an accountant, a retired RAF catering manager, an architect, a banker, a psychologist, a father and son.
To a few peoples dismay, Bear wasnt present himself, but we were in the hands of three very capable ex-military survival experts.
I once didnt eat for 21 days, one of our instructors chimed, highlighting the necessity for water over food in our course briefing.
After a swift round of introductions, we filed into a van and drove to our starting point.
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From there, the day was go, go, go. From shimmying on ropes over ravines to bounding over rocky terrain, the group was put through their paces with claps and cheers sounding in support.
We didnt stop for lunch, which triggered a murmur of grumbles, but we were taught how to eat nettle leaves, hawthorn berries and wild sorrel.
Never did pieces of nettle look so appetising, and everyone swiftly stuffed their pockets with bits of vegetation.
I also had a tea cake from the village hall – where we started – burning a hole in my pocket, and the buttery treat was difficult to resist.
Come nightfall, we headed to our camp, which we worked in teams to build into a shelter using branches, twine and a tarpaulin.
Luckily, we didnt have to gut a sheep to sleep inside, although dinner required us to channel our inner butchers and prepare some rabbit and fish to eat.
Feeling pretty famished at this point, the bony animals were much welcomed, and we boiled some vegetables to accompany the hotchpotch meal.
I slept pretty well in our twiggy lair and luckily it didnt rain.
Come morning, we got up and were treated to a 7,000-calorie boil in the bag all-day breakfast, which we were told is commonly dished out in the military.
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The foil packet featured a surprisingly tasty medley of baked beans, snippets of ham and bits of sausage with a powdered egg omelette lurking at the bottom.
In true Bear Grylls-style we were given a handful of wriggling mealworms as a morning dessert. Ive eaten mealworms plenty of times – but when dead – and the prospect of grinding my teeth over the living grubs made me feel a little ill.
I sneakily dropped my mealworms in the soil.
The morning was full of adrenaline-pumping activities, which included me overcoming one of my biggest fears, jumping from a height into water.
Thanks to support from the group, I plunged from a 20ft ledge into the chilly river down below.
At midday, we made our way back to where we started, looking a little more bedraggled but all with smiles on our faces.
The Bear Grylls Survival Course certainly makes for a fun 24 hours.
For those who havent had much experience in the outdoors, it promises to get you out of your comfort zone and teach you an array of bushcraft tricks.
From eating nettles to skinning rabbits and sleeping under the stars, it certainly makes a change from the typical Saturday night in front of the TV.
24 hours in Brecon Beacons
The Bear Grylls 24-hour survival course in Brecon Beacons costs £349 per person. It runs from midday to midday with selected kit, food and sleeping gear included.
Car hire from London can be arranged through Sixt, with Gatwick being a convenient pick up point via a train from the city centre.
The Castle Hotel Neath is recommended as convenient pre-course accommodation, with bed and breakfast rates starting from £65. The venue also offers a three-course Sunday lunch for £14.50 before starting the drive home.
For more information around other attractions in the Brecon Beacons area, see Visit Wales.
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