Adventurous Training

Am I eligible?

All Naval personnel, both Royal Navy and Royal Marines, including Reservists, have access to Adventurous Training (AT) opportunities.

What’s it for?

AT is core military training which carries ‘on duty’ status and adds unique value to both the Service and the personnel within it. A phrase often used when describing AT is ‘subjecting people to risk in a controlled environment’. The idea of taking someone out of their comfort zone, doing challenging physical outdoor activities they would not normally do, has proved incredibly popular for both staff and managers alike. It develops resilience, teamwork, leadership and other personal qualities. It can also be extremely enjoyable and a real antidote for those Naval personnel who are undertaking long and arduous operational tours (often described as decompression).

What do I get?

You are entitled to complete 5 days of AT each year.

 There are specific core Joint Service AT (JSAT) activities which are listed in JSP 419: AT in the UK Armed Forces. They include: Offshore Sailing, Sub Aqua Diving, Mountaineering, Mountain Biking, Canoeing & Kayaking, Caving, Skiing, Parachuting, Gliding and Paragliding. The RN also recognises other similar adventurous activities as having the same effect as AT, which are detailed in BRd51; these include: Stand Up Paddleboarding, Coasteering, Gorge Walking and Road Cycle Touring.

In addition, the RN Challenging Activity (CA) Scheme is a progressive ‘stepping stone’ on the JSAT Scheme. They are generally lower level but have been identified as being more readily accessible for Naval units, and include: Lowland Walking, Low Level Trail Cycling, Local Road Cycling and Auto-Belay Indoor Climbing.

To support Naval personnel in participation of AT, specialist AT instructors are based in each main naval base, who are all part of the Deployable Regional Unit who supply bespoke Personal Development (PDev) packages, including AT, to operational units around the world. There is also the Naval Outdoor Centre Germany (NOCG), in the beautiful Bavarian village of Bad Hindelang, which delivers seasonal activities all year-round.

 How do I get involved?

You can speak to your PT staff or explore the NavyFit page on Defence Gateway. The single Service policy document for AT within the RN is BRd51.