The scouts held a crazy camping night at the end of September.
After considering options from hanging a tent from a tree, camping on a rope bridge as well as several involving water, the troop decided to build a ‘camping penthouse’ using their pioneering skills.
The platform was surprisingly stable, but a little bit uncomfortable for daily use.
The sleepover was a first-time sleeping under the stars for five of the scouts, and fortunately the weather was as good as we could have hoped for.
The scouts took a trip to Lower Grange Farm to try out their climbing wall. We were really impressed with the wall and the welcoming expert staff.  They are open to youth groups and members of the public.  Find out more at www.lowergrangefarm.co.uk
Updated 21/02/2015: More photos added
We are back from our Christmas Camp at Wilberforce. If you ‘like’ us on Facebook you will have already seen these over the weekend, but for those that haven’t, here they are!
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.
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.
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. Â Highlights of the trip included the tree climbing trail, paddling on the beach, the trading post and BP’s statue. Â The programme for the first camp on the island made interesting reading – including the 1 hr 15 mins of silent rest after lunch…
http://youtu.be/6ho5XzLuEAQ
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.
Last week they planned their menus, this week they cooked and consumed!
The four menus were:
Pumas
Eagles
Wolves
Cobras
We will be announcing the winners at next week’s meeting.
A big thank-you to our Sevenoaks Active Support judging team!
The scouts went bivvi building on Friday!
A group of nine Scouts cycled all the way from Groombridge to Worth and back on Saturday.
It was with some trepidation we set out in the minibus and horse box in steady rain with a grim weather forecast ahead of us for our cycle trip. Â However, the weather gods must have been looking out for us because as soon as we pulled into the car park in Groombridge it stopped and we had beautiful sunshine all day.
The trip was very straightforward; We followed the Forest Way from Groombridge to East Grinstead and then the Worth Way all the way over the M23 to the village or Worth.  The only tricky bit was negotiating the traffic and pedestrians in East Grinstead town centre.
After a break at St Nicholas’ church in Worth, we pedalled back for an ice cream, returning to the scout hut for dinner (thanks Jo). We rounded the evening off with a campfire / marshmallows and popcorn (never made popcorn over a camp fire before!) and then slept under the stars. Â It was the last thing we had expected given the damp start to the day.
Somehow we managed to miss Stefan, Andy and Paul from all the photos – sorry!
View 2014-06-07 Groombridge to Worth Route in a larger map
Total Ascent: 281 m
Total Descent: 281 m
Start Elevation: 46 m
End Elevation: 46 m Elevation
Min Elevation: 41 m Gradient
Max Elevation: 135 m
Distance: 51.8 km 32.2 miles, although the cycle computer said 34 miles!
Our newest scouts completed a night hike around Otford and Shoreham last week. The scouts took a while to get their bearings and work through their route cards, but once they were off there was no stopping them. They even remembered to use the compass skills they practiced the week before!
We had perfect weather, with a clear sky and a full moon. It was warm as we started although it was definitely jumper weather by the end. We stopped half way round for a hot chocolate and both teams finished within five minutes of each other.
Well done everyone.
View 2014-05-16 Night Hike Otford and Shoreham in a larger map
Vital Stats:
We have just got back from a really successful camping skills weekend.
The programme was on Saturday
The menus our teams cooked in the competition were
Stags: Homemade tomato soup / Chicken curry with rice and flat breads / Grilled bananas with chocolate filling
Foxes: Kebabs made with chicken, red peppers, onion and mushrooms / spaghetti with tomato sauce with meatballs and cheese / pancakes topped with fresh fruit
On Sunday, after an early start as the clocks had sprung forward
The scouts did very well and all enjoyed, what was for many of them, their first camp as scouts.  Maggie and Natasha did an excellent job as  patrol leaders too.
After the somewhat disappointing end to Great Balls of Fire 2: The balls bite back, where we failed to ignite our fireballs. We had another go on Friday, this time with more success!
