Summer Camp 2014 - Day 3

Lishman at Sycamore Gap

A baby blue morning sky gave the Scouts and Seniors a warm welcome out of their tents. A quick breakfast of bacon sandwiches were cooked followed by the Scouts packing a bag of sandwiches for lunch and then setting off to their hike along Hadrian’s Wall. They started at a car park in Housesteads and then started trekking West along the Roman wall. 

Lunch was at the famous ‘Sycamore Gap’ which Kevin Costner famously walked down 23 years ago in ‘Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves’. Here, Lishman, one of the four group bears, got to strut his stuff as he was photographed at the scene.

To counteract the high heat of the day a selection of ice-lollies were purchased from an ice-cream truck which was spotted near Steel Rigg. The refreshing flavours consequently turned Scouts mouths - and some faces - various colours to match the lollies. After hours and hours of walking, finally, a white spec appeared in the horizon at Cawfield Quarry. To the Scout’s relief it was the van.

Although Maddie, PL of the Squids, called the 7½ mile hike “tiring” and Sam, PL of the Badgers, recalled the hike being “more hilly” when he did the walk the first time around three years ago at Easter Camp, they both said the day was thoroughly enjoyed.

Meanwhile, back at camp the Seniors had been working their way down a to-do list composed by the leaders. The most important job was to plan their 15 mile hike which would take them the duration of two days (from Tuesday to Wednesday). After carefully studying a map, there were many discussions about whether they should walk along Hadrian’s Wall, through Northumberland National Park or parallel with the North Tyne. Following much thought, they finally all agreed on the route they would take back to the swimming baths in Hexham where they would meet the Scouts ‘tomorrow, tomorrow’ (A.K.A Wednesday).

The Seniors also kindly did some wood collecting for the Scouts, collected logs for the camp fire, dug another hole for the ladies toilet, assertively carried out inspection and then captured some shots of camp to use in the documentary. Whilst the Seniors were hard at work, Alec ventured out of camp to fill up the water-carriers because the campers had managed to go through 65 gallons of water in a mere two days!

On Alec’s return, the Seniors thought it would be a nice gesture to make some ‘camp doughnuts’ for when the Scouts came back from their hike in the sweltering weather. With James mixing ingredients, Liam rolling out the dough, Harry frying the doughnuts, and Maverick engulfing them in sugar so they looked like sweet rings of goodness, the Seniors successfully managed to make dozens of perfectly cooked Doughnuts which left the Scouts and leaders craving for more.

For tea, the Seniors prepared burgers and sausages on the BBQ which everyone on camp enjoyed before a few improvised games by the Scouts and then an early bed time so the Scouts could recover from their hike and the Seniors could rest up before their gruelling hike the following morning.

Summer Camp 2014 - Day 2

After flag break, a wash in the narrow, shallow stream (the Burn) at the bottom of the woods, and a traditional yet delicious breakfast of bacon and egg, inspection commenced. The first inspection is vitally important as it sets the bar for the rest of the week. Leaders recommend that most items are washed on the first day because inspection is so thorough, patrols can get marked down on the smallest piece of dirt in the wrong place. Some call this pedantic however it is deemed necessary to keep the standards high. This expectation and pressure keeps the PLs and their patrols on their toes.

This was then followed by an unorthodox Scout’s Own Service based around teamwork – a theme which would continue throughout the rest of the week. 'You can get it if you really want' and 'Here comes the sun' were beautifully warbled before a team building exercise. Everyone got a small square picture card which was a segment of another picture - but zoomed in slightly. And, without showing anyone else one’s picture, everyone needed to get into an order so the person with the most zoomed out picture was at one end of a line and the person with the most zoomed in picture was at the other. This simple task which sounds complex was executed within minutes to the astonishment of Mark and other leaders.

Whilst jacket potatoes cooked at the side of the fire for lunch, everyone partook in a game of football which filled the rest of the morning. During the lively, tiring and violent game, there was a dirty tackle which Joey Barton would be proud off. One of the new Scouts was kicked in the wrist which had only recently recovered from a previous injury. After an analysis from the first-aid trained leaders at camp, the Scout was taken to A&E where the nurse told the leaders truly awful news: the Scout didn’t have to wash-up for the rest of the week – despite there being nothing serious wrong with the wrist. Just for precaution, a wrist-support was applied anyway.
When the Scout heroically returned to camp three hours later a number of gadgets had been constructed in the three kitchens which, in the words of Alec: "Make camp a more pleasant experience."


Poppy and Jenel building a billy rack

The Seniors made a cutlery holder, corner unit (including a washing up bowl holder and drying rack), water carrier carriers and even a gate. Scouts aimed to achieve mastering simpler gadgets such as tables, kettle holders, washing lines for tea towels, frying pan racks and billy racks.
The afternoon weather was decent apart from a brief shower mid-afternoon.

Ex-leader John Hopwood and ex-committee leader Russ Wilkinson showed up for a chat and a cuppa. Before leaving, John proudly boasted a variety of American bird ringtones on his phone which, from a distance, were authentic enough to fool some of the Scouts and Seniors.

After a hot Thai Chilli for tea it was time for the first round of the Volleyball Tournament where the four teams would play each other. (Two Scout patrols: Badgers and Squids, the Seniors: Mallory, and the leaders.) In the opening matches, the Seniors wiped the floor with the opposing team every game they played – even the leaders!

On Sunday evening a brief plan was also conjured up for 'The Camp'; a short documentary about Summer Camp 2014 being directed, shot, and edited by the Seniors and a few Scouts. The film will be from the point of view of Scouts and include interviews with people from all sections of the group speaking about the inimitability of the 8th Darlington Scout Group summer camps. It will also include footage of some of the highlights of the week. The youngsters making the film hope it will teach Sir David Attenborough a thing or two about making outstanding documentaries – however leaders just hope it would be something appropriate that they can use as a PR tool.

Sunday was rounded off with cheese and crackers for supper before the Scouts hit the hay and the Seniors retired to their food shelter for endless card games.

Summer Camp 2014 - Day 1

Camp at Target Wood, Hexham

The most anticipated and legendary event of the Scouting year, Summer Camp, commenced on Saturday July 26th 2014. 15 Scouts, 9 Leaders, 4 Seniors, 2 Cubs and 2 Bears arrived at the den bright and early to pack the van and the 4X4 for a lively week at Target Wood – a last minute location found by Alec after the original site for Summer Camp fell through only weeks before.

The ardent group of Scouts sung their way to the field and were privileged enough to hear Mark’s rendition of 'Copacabana'. The field itself is North of Hexham and the farmer had been kind enough to mow the grass in certain areas of the field so the scouts had an area for camping in, an area to play games, a place to park the cars and then a pathway to get to the woods without needing to trek through the knee-high grass and thistles.

The bright sun beamed down and made the experience of setting up camp uncomfortably warm and sweaty. There were three Scout tents to erect, three food shelters, three kitchens and a Senior bell tent – an ancient tent which the Seniors had spent the previous few weeks unsuccessfully re-waterproofing. The tent had not be used in at least four decades however was still in good shape. It was a dark green in colouring, with some lighter areas which gave it a camo look, and the word ‘Willy’ inscribed on the inside. The Seniors’ plan on using the bell tent as a permanent tent for whenever they go camping.

At 3pm Maverick marked the finish of constructing camp by raising the flag. Leaders then spent the afternoon taking advantage of the sun and reading whilst Scouts and Seniors headed to the woods to slowly wood collect. There was plenty of wood however Scouts made an effort to collect it one stick at a time because the trees offered shelter from the sun.

Sausages

After a tasty sausage casserole for tea, the temperature finally started to decrease and everyone headed over to another part of the field to play kick rounders. Light showers started before supper which by midnight had developed so much it felt like the camp was in the grip of a hurricane.
As mentioned earlier, the Seniors hadn’t waterproofed their tent very well so there were dozens of leaks dribbling onto sleeping bags and personal kit. Sleeping close together and in the only habitable half of the circular tent was the only way to avoid waking up soaked.

May Camp 2014 (Croft)

Queueing up for some lunch: the Cubs

Since 1948 the 8th Darlington Scout Group have been camping at Hunger Hill farm near Middleton St. George however the field is prone to flooding and over the past couple of years the weather at May camp has been far from adequate. It was so bad last year the camp was called off by the first morning and everyone returned to the Scout HQ. So, this year, the leaders moved May camp to a new field near Croft-on-Tees.

Cubs lost in the woods

On the first evening, the friendly estate manager was kind enough to carry all of the equipment and personal kit down to the camp site in his trailer since the tall, wet grass made it impossible for the van to get anywhere close. Meanwhile, the farmer’s dog was insane enough to be charging around the field in the abysmal conditions and thrashing rain when it could have been relaxing at home.

Thanks to the weather, the camp took longer than normal to erect. Once Scouts had their tents put up and made a start on their kitchens they didn’t have much motivation to do anything else, so they had a pasty for supper and headed off to bed.

The next morning, with T minus two hours until the Cubs and Beavers arrived, the Scouts and Seniors needed to wash, wood collect, cook bacon sandwiches, wash up and finish final touches to camp which they didn't have time to do previous night. During breakfast, Pat’s peculiar obsession with his red plate came to light.

The rumble of nearby train and nervous glances up the hill at the paper-white skies marked the descent of 28 Cubs and Beavers into camp. On arrival, leader-in-charge, Alec introduced the different sections of the group and explained what was on the agenda for the day. The visitors started by being split into three teams: James’ Jaguars, Liam’s Loch-ness Monsters and Maverick’s Mallards. This was soon followed by relay races, treasure hunts and a game of ‘Secret Stalker’ whilst Scouts prepared a lunch of sausage sandwiches and beans.

Through the afternoon, Beavers and Cubs carefully dodged intermittent showers. They started off in the woods for a string trail guided by the Seniors and leaders, and then retreated into a tent to do some colouring in whilst the rain thrashed against the walls. When the rain finally got lighter, the visitors had a whale of a time playing ‘the mug game’, ‘three-way football’ and tug of war before finally setting off home — filthy and soaked.

Scouts at the 'banter bivvy'

Concurrently, the Scouts wood collected and procrastinated at — what became known as — the ‘banter bivvy’ whilst the Seniors, after hours of tantalising and nerve-racking waiting, finally managed to steal Pat’s plate!

For dinner that evening there was Pasta Bolognese followed by a game of Relivo where Scouts and Seniors slipped around the huge hilly field. The game was great fun and everyone was very disappointed that they only got to play one round however after so many slips and falls they weren't sure their bodies could take any more.

Neil’s quiz that evening included ladles full of fascinating information. For example, did you know that Roald Dahl wrote 17 Children’s novels and the game Monopoly contains 22 streets? Primula cheese and Ritz crackers were dished up for supper, then “bed”.

On Sunday morning, due to drenched kindling, the morning routine took longer than usual however it wasn't too long until eggy bread was toasting and sausages were frying over the fire. Inspection swiftly followed breakfast which the girl’s patrol won. The rest of the day was then spent slowly packing camp away.

‘Lively’ is the single word that Scout leader Mark described May camp and he certainly wasn't wrong. The camp at Croft was many Scouts first camp and it had aggressive and unpredictable weather which everyone dealt with optimistically and always with a spring in their step. Alec described it best just before the flag was taken down for the final time: “If you can survive a camp like this, you can survive any camp.”

Easter Camp 2014 (Boldron)

The Seniors on their hike

Easter camp is the first camp of the year and can have unpredictable, difficult weather thus making the weekend exclusive to experienced Scouts — nine altogether.

They arrived at the Scout HQ at approximately 9 AM on Friday April 18th to pack the van with equipment they would need over the weekend. John (Scout leader) turned up happier than usual, and then left even happier because he wasn’t going to camp!

The field in Boldron (near Barnard Castle) where the group were spending the weekend is the same field that they camped in for June camp the previous year however Maverick claimed it “looked less green” the second time around.

The only hiccough that occurred in erecting the site was the Tiger’s tent falling down and the wind breaks around the toilet tents being deemed as useful as a jelly mallet because they blew over in the wind and wouldn't stand straight even when the air was still. Most things, though, ran smoothly all morning up to the fish finger sandwiches for dinner which Maddie described as “very nice”.

During the afternoon, Scouts revised camp inspection and the standard they should be abiding by when camping, whilst the Seniors planned a hike for the following day. The hike needed to be approximately 7 miles long and take the whole day to trek.

As the sun eased behind the horizon, and over a tea of pasta bolognaise, campers watched from afar as the wild, rebellious sheep in the neighbouring field majestically nutted Hannah’s car. The sunset also gave campers the chance to inspect the extent of the sunburn which the blinding sun had left on their skin. Some campers were lucky enough to have turned a crispy bacon tone however, tragically, some campers had turned the shade of red which John N would declare bacon perfectly fried at.

The masthead of the Senior's tent: Nessy

Ultimate Frisbee was the evening activity. The group was split into two teams and needed to throw the Frisbee into the other team’s small goal before of one of Neil’s iconic, unique, inimitable quizzes in the Marquee which the Tigers managed to win! One point off were the Seniors in second place, the Swifts in third and the leaders in an abysmal 4th place.

Friday night was uncomfortably cold with temperatures reaching as low as –2°C. Many of the Scouts, Seniors and leaders blamed the conditions for their lack of sleep that night. Despite this, the freezing temperatures had left some admirable, glistening scenes around the camp site.

After a quick wash, where campers littered themselves down the banks of the beck, and a classic bacon and egg sandwich for breakfast, an inspection took place where the PLs were taken round with the leaders and informed about what they were doing right and what areas they need to get their patrol to improve in.

After inspection, whilst the Scouts wood collected, practised fire lighting and had a delicious lunch of beans and toast, the three Seniors hiked 7.5 miles from the camp site to Barnard Castle via Egglestone Abbey and then back through a maze of fields back to camp. The weather was so pleasant James S wasn't even phased after he fell in mud, a bog and the river!

Saturday evening played host to a game of cricket where both teams managed to score over a century each and a camp fire. Campers sung in fine tune at the top of their voices to all of their favorite camp-fire songs. In between songs, the Scouts and Seniors even performed a stunt each which they had prepared earlier. Of course, since it was Easter, lots of the stunts involved the Pope. Even Lishman, the bear, belted out some songs and enjoyed some cold hot cross buns for supper.


That night, what can only be described as an ‘Easter miracle’ happened. You may have heard of it ‘raining cats and dogs’ however never will you have heard of it raining potatoes. However that is exactly what happened, bizarrely, in the Senior’s tent. The three boys woke up soaked in a small puddle of spuds!

After the Seniors had recovered from their first hand experience of divine intervention they joined the Scouts in cooking a never-tried-before breakfast of bacon omelettes. In theory, these sounded good however the reality was scrambled egg with diced bacon grill and vegetables. Aesthetically the final product didn’t look great however they tasted amazing and left campers craving more.

To mark Easter Sunday, there was then a ‘Scout’s own’ service in the marquee which included hymns, prayers and stories before Easter eggs were handed out. This was followed by a game of rounders which almost all of the campers played. The final score was 15-0.

Exhausted, the campers then had a quick dinner and then started taking down the site so the field could be restored to how it was before they arrived.