Scouts Summer Camp nr Corfe Castle

The scouts have returned from their summer camp at the Burnbake Campsite near Corfe Castle in Dorset.

The journey down there went without incident, save the traffic jam near Ringwood, with us arriving just after 14:00.  At one point we thought that the Tesco deliveryman was going to be there before us!

After unloading the trailer, the scouts set about pitching camp and then set about cooking dinner.

Saturday was spent getting things straight while the leaders cooked the traditional roast beef & yorkshire puds.  In the afternoon we took a dip in the sea in Studland village to cool off.

Roast beef on the spit.
Roast beef on the spit.

Sunday saw us set out on a bike ride from the cycle hire shop at Norden Station, right up into Shell Bay in Studland at lunch time, before cycling to the ridge above Corfe Castle itself and enjoying a tremendous panorama over the escarpment on either side.

On Monday, after some navigational challenges in the minibus, we walked part of the South Dorset Coastal Path from the great globe in Durlston Head Country Park to the coastal observation station at Aldhelm’s Head.  It was another scorching day up to the point we got completely soaked by a heavy shower near the end of our walk.  We took shelter in the coastal observation station where the very nice NCI watchkeepers explained what they did and allowed the scouts to take a look at the shipping through their super binoculars.  Thank you very much!

We were back to the same shore line the next day after a morning’s archery session at Burnbake.  We abseiled down the cliff at Dancing Ledge, before climbing up again (several times).  All of the scouts did really well, with all of them going over the edge.  Thank you to Tom at Brenscombe Outdoor Centre for taking care of us.

The intrepid climbers
The intrepid climbers

Wednesday saw us in next to Wareham Quay.  In the morning we built ‘traditional rafts’ and paddled them upstream under the bridge.  In the afternoon Brenscombe Outdoors took us kayaking further upstream (Kelly and Aiden this time).  The damp environment meant I only took a few photos of the morning session.

We finished the day on Wednesday with the Camp Cooking Competition.  Both teams produced good meals – Foxes’ meal was significantly more timely but Bulldog’s meal was judged by our neighbouring Guide Leaders to be the tastiest.

We took the ferry from Poole to Brownsea Island on Thursday, to visit the spiritual home of Scouting.  Highlights of the trip included the tree climbing trail, paddling on the beach, the trading post and BP’s statue.  The programme for the first camp on the island made interesting reading – including the 1 hr 15 mins of silent rest after lunch…

 

We left Burnbake neat and tidy a little later than planned and got back to the scout hut in time for dinner.

Thank you everyone for making the summer camp such a success again this year and Sheila in particular for all her organisation.