Michael Head - Eskdale, The Lake District, 1964

Between October and November 1964, I attended course 146 at Eskdale. At the time, I was just over 18 years old and a cadet in Kent Police. Since then, I have treasured a photograph of Mallory Patrol, taken at the end of the course. I have not kept in contact with anyone since then, but during the course, we were truly committed maintaining the ethos of the Outward Bound Trust. We built up an understanding of other peoples' points of view, their personal circumstances and the realization that our combined efforts could overcome any individual prejudice and an acute awareness of the inter-dependence of all of us. For me, it was a truly life enhancing experience at a formative age and this has stayed with me. On 4th October, 2017, I returned to the Eskdale centre, totally un-announced, but was cordially welcomed by the resident warden and shown around the facility. I was provided with a copy of the original patrol leader's report and copy my original photograph, with individual names added. So, I was able to have my wife take a photograph of me holding my original photograph in the same position overlooking the lake. It does seem to me that the modern courses are less lengthy and somewhat less Spartan....but then, so is life today!!! However, the previous life-enhancing qualities are still challenging, but with effort, achievable.