That brings back some memories, back in 1990's couple times, for few days trained with the RAF around there, basic rope work and cliff climbing, oudoor stuff, on the Barmouth slab, stayed in Fairborne and would walk over the rail/ foot bridge to Barmouth for something to do and get some snacks out of a Spar or Mace.
Hello David. Thank you for your fascinating response - knew that the fighter pilots train in the mountains, didn't realise that more fitness/ survival training took place! So this was something that took place often in Gwynedd?
@Edwardjjp It was part of trade training and incorporated into the course program so everyone going through, radio/radar/engineering training as non commissioned ground staff would go there. There were other centres, if they remain in Scotland too. The one in Fairborne is quite large its setup like any other outdoor pursuits centre and apart from the students having military ID with the age groups you'd likely think it was university or regular outdoor enthusiasts, some of us enjoyed it (myself) others didn't and viewed it as a chore. Outdoor activites like this were encouraged, and you could also volunteer to join extra and more advanced courses, as example in some of the offerings available was parachute training with the Army, I didn't volunteer for that but did engage with anything trekking / mountain related I could get my hands on, so went mountaineering in Scotland near Ullapool, overnight map orientating in the Yorkshire moors, etc. Fairbornes centre is actually marked on google maps, so you can see it from streetview, kind of looks like a cross between a school and youth hostel, just very clean. That also answers the question, because whilst I did my trade training at RAF Locking, near Weston Super Mare, and its long since closed, gone, the centre in Fairborne still remains, and looks to have expanded. Its not like these places shut down seasonally either, in Scotland as example, the course work in the Scottish mountains was in the middle of winter, we made use of a bothy one night unintentionally as it was unsafe to try and get back to the centre with a change of weather.
@@mitter81 Hello David, Thank you for the comprehensive response to the questions. It seems sensible that the MOD would keep locations vague and discreet - in all the years visiting Barmouth / Fairbourne, had never realised what the building was for! Did you ever see the jets on training, flying through the pass at Dinas Mawddy? My cousin was a pilot in the RAF (including a tour with the Red Arrows) and once commented on the presence of traffic lights due to roadworks! It sounds like you haven't returned to the area - as you will be aware, the Bridge is undergoing a once in a lifetime rebuild and is closed until early December.
That brings back some memories, back in 1990's couple times, for few days trained with the RAF around there, basic rope work and cliff climbing, oudoor stuff, on the Barmouth slab, stayed in Fairborne and would walk over the rail/ foot bridge to Barmouth for something to do and get some snacks out of a Spar or Mace.
Hello David.
Thank you for your fascinating response - knew that the fighter pilots train in the mountains, didn't realise that more fitness/ survival training took place!
So this was something that took place often in Gwynedd?
By the way - Spar shop still there! Now joined by a larger Coop
@Edwardjjp It was part of trade training and incorporated into the course program so everyone going through, radio/radar/engineering training as non commissioned ground staff would go there.
There were other centres, if they remain in Scotland too.
The one in Fairborne is quite large its setup like any other outdoor pursuits centre and apart from the students having military ID with the age groups you'd likely think it was university or regular outdoor enthusiasts, some of us enjoyed it (myself) others didn't and viewed it as a chore.
Outdoor activites like this were encouraged, and you could also volunteer to join extra and more advanced courses, as example in some of the offerings available was parachute training with the Army, I didn't volunteer for that but did engage with anything trekking / mountain related I could get my hands on, so went mountaineering in Scotland near Ullapool, overnight map orientating in the Yorkshire moors, etc.
Fairbornes centre is actually marked on google maps, so you can see it from streetview, kind of looks like a cross between a school and youth hostel, just very clean.
That also answers the question, because whilst I did my trade training at RAF Locking, near Weston Super Mare, and its long since closed, gone, the centre in Fairborne still remains, and looks to have expanded.
Its not like these places shut down seasonally either, in Scotland as example, the course work in the Scottish mountains was in the middle of winter, we made use of a bothy one night unintentionally as it was unsafe to try and get back to the centre with a change of weather.
@@mitter81 Hello David,
Thank you for the comprehensive response to the questions.
It seems sensible that the MOD would keep locations vague and discreet - in all the years visiting Barmouth / Fairbourne, had never realised what the building was for!
Did you ever see the jets on training, flying through the pass at Dinas Mawddy? My cousin was a pilot in the RAF (including a tour with the Red Arrows) and once commented on the presence of traffic lights due to roadworks!
It sounds like you haven't returned to the area - as you will be aware, the Bridge is undergoing a once in a lifetime rebuild and is closed until early December.
ruclips.net/video/8JR9Nezulu8/видео.htmlsi=i8G1TaM0o-Mbed5c