142nd Troop Camp 2004 - Cumbria
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This year’s scout camp was located in a field by High Arnside Farm near Ambleside in the Lake District. We had all the usual aspects of camp including fires to cook our meals on, the main kitchen area- the marquee and of course all the tents. However there were some differences e.g. dining areas for each patrol proved to be very useful. Another huge difference was the fact that it didn’t rain except for the first half day of the week, which was amazing compared to the two previous camps where it was soaking all week.
On the Sunday morning each patrol put up their dining shelters and gathered wood for the evening fire and really just sorted out camp. In the afternoon the whole group went out on a small walk in the area around the campsite partly just to get used to the area and partly to test the patrol leaders on their map reading skills, which they would need later on in camp!
On Monday we all went on a walk up the Old Man of Coniston. This was extremely interesting because some of us took a wrong turn half way up and ended up on the wrong path to a different peak. This was the front group so when I in the second group got to the top the others were nowhere to be seen so we sat and ate lunch there and sure enough, half an hour later they appeared claiming they’d taken a scenic detour and had known where they were all the time. On the way back we came across a Tarn (mountain lake) and some of the braver ones (or more stupid ones) had a swim and got very cold!
On Tuesday morning we made a bridge with some pioneering poles we brought with us. In the afternoon we went sailing on Windermere (the largest lake in England). Some of us went in Toppers and Pico Lasers, (which are one man boats), and raced them together while others went in a much larger boat called a Wayfarer with an instructor. It was excellent and I really enjoyed it.
On Wednesday and Thursday we did the overnight hike. This is a four-mile hike on each of the two days. The first afternoon is spent getting to a different campsite and the next morning is spent getting back again by a different route. The first morning we got our routes sorted out then we had lunch and got started. Our patrol only took one detour so as a patrol leader my map reading was just about adequate. We also managed to beat the other patrol both times there and back by half an hour.
On Friday we had our camp Olympics. This consisted of Dutch arrow throwing contests, trebuchet competitions, the flour chase and the water slide events. The flour chase was very funny this year. Everyone except one boy went the wrong way completely, and ran miles in the wrong direction. This boy had decided he was going to walk the whole way, so when he came to the junction, because he was so far behind, he couldn’t see anybody to follow and happened to choose the right way (everyone else had just followed the person in front of them). Realising I was lost I first made my way back to camp via a marshy area. Once I got there I was told everyone had gone the wrong way so I decided to run it again, only to find when I got back that the boy who had walked the whole way had beaten everyone! It was really funny and at least he was in my patrol.
On Saturday we packed up the campsite and went home. It was a really fun experience for everyone and the weather stayed nice all week, which is unique for scout camp- excellent!
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