Come to Tolmers day six

Well here we are on the eve of the last day of activities.
All rested from yesterday's hike, our Scouts were up remarkably early and done with breakfast and washing up quickly enough to get a good place in the activities queue.
Today was a water day with more than half of our Scouts spending some or all of the day on a craft of some kind.
There wasn't enough wind for sailing, so those that had planned to do that learnt to do Stand Up Paddleboarding (Supping) instead. After lunch, there was more water fun with 9 Scouts taking on the raft building challenge while others canoed on the lake. Attempt one at the raft building was not a huge success, sinking and depositing it's crew into the lake fairly quickly. Having learned from the mistakes, the MKII raft was much more robust and outlasted all the others on the water.
Other activities today included the Bungee Run, Giant slide and Shooting. There was a visit from Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue who, of course, got pegged. The #followthedragon tag is gradually taking over the world!
After dinner it was off to flagdown and a surprise for two of our Scouts who celebrate their birthday on Saturday. As they have to leave tomorrow to go on a family holiday, they found themselves on stage with 800 Scouts and Guides singing happy birthday. They also got to join in with the service crew leading the camp in the daily rendition of Round the Old Camp Fire.
Camp fire was the final activity of the day and, again, some of our Scouts got to go centre stage and help with the action.
Tomorrow brings a bitter-sweet touch - we're all looking forward very much to the activities and the evening disco but we're very aware that it's the last day and it'll soon be time to go back to the real world.

CTT2016 Day Five

Well, we're now over half way through and, most importantly, everyone is still smiling.
Today was incident hike day - the famous Tolmers Incident Hike. 13k (8 miles) in some amazing Hertfordshire countryside.  It was hard to believe at times just how quiet it can be when you're this close to so many big towns and cities. Out of 90 teams taking part, we had 6 teams out walking; 5 Scout teams competing and a team of leaders walking at the back as sweepers, supporting the excellent CTT service crew. Our 5 teams were mixed again with Scouts from the two troops working together to navigate the hike and complete 4 teamwork challenges. The winners have been announced but not the full results so we know we didn't win but we don't yet know how close we were.
Just to prove how posh Cowbridge is, our leaders even managed to procure a cream tea mid hike!  Not many pictures today as the Scouts were spread out walking at a very different time and pace to the publicity crew. One special mention has to go to Team 54 from 2nd/4th Leighton Buzzard Guides. Our leaders spent some time with them as they fell behind and were caught up by the sweeper team. Normally, the back markers are the ones that moan and whine, making the sweeper task something of a chore, but these girls were great. They had one member who could only walk so fast so just accepted that they were going to be last in and concentrated on enjoying themselves, smiling, laughing and singing their way around. A fantastic positive attitude that their leaders and parents can be properly proud of.
Back from the hike, we realised that there had been a bit of a comms problem with the food shopping so the leaders had to be a bit creative with the contents of the food box in a "ready steady cook" style.
The resulting improvised concoction proved so popular that we're trying to cone up with a name so we can add it to future menus.
Of course, after the local Air Ambulance rep was so supportive of our pegging campaign, it would have been rude not to support them so a crew of Leaders took part in the charity bingo night in the Leaders only club, Joy's Joynt.
Just two more days of activities left and discussions are already underway about where to camp next year. Keep reading for news on that as it develops.

Ctt2016 Day four

Well, here we are at the end of day four. Another successful day in the combined 1st Cowbridge / 1st Melbourne calendar. Our Scouts, some whom met for the first time at the weekend, are working really well as mixed patrols. Tasks and challenges are becoming more or less automatic as the Scouts get into a routine. Another batch of #followthedragon pegs was released at flagbreak and the message continues to spread. After flagbreak, our Scouts went off to another day of activities and adventures. The leaders took advantage of the local hospitality and were served with proper cream teas at Joy's Joynt.
Never willing to pass up an opportunity, we've accosted most of the visiting VIP's with #followthedragon pegs. We've managed to peg, and photograph most of Hertfordshire Scouts senior management along with the Mayor and Mayoress, Hertfordshire police and the rep from Hertfordshire Air Ambulance (Joy's charity for this year and beneficiary of all our tea drinking donations) - see our Twitter feed for pics @1stCowbridge or search #followthedragon. The football series continues with Wales currently leading two matches to nil.
Flagdown was particularly poignant this evening as we all paused to pay respects.
to a young British Scout who passed away on camp in Finland. Wherever you're reading this, we ask you to spare a thought for Kent Scouts as they deal with this tragedy.
We're all hoping for a good night's sleep and some equally good weather for  tomorrow's world famous Tolmers Incident Hike then two more days of great activities.
#followthedragon

Ctt2016 Day Three

Well we've survived day 3. A bit of light rain overnight didn't cause any problems, by the time we were having breakfast,  the sun was back out and normal service was resumed.
We armed ourselves with the first 60 of our branded pegs, all bearing the hashtag #followthedragon, and headed up for flagbreak and activity sign up.
Activities for today included, trampolining, climbing, gladiators, giant slides, backwoods cooking, sailing, bungee running and shooting. The leaders had a strenuous time photographing these activities so we're forced to adjourn to the coffee shop for a game of darts. While dinner cooked, 1st Cowbridge took on 1st Melbourne in a closely fought England v Wales football match. Wales just kept their heads up for an 8-7 win.
A combined leaders quiz team narrowly missed a podium finish, being beaten into 4th place by half a point.
Keep on eye on our Twitter feed, @1stCowbridge to see tomorrow's adventures.
If you’re lucky enough to receive a #followthedragon peg at flagbreak tomorrow, tweet a pic, with the hashtag and let us know.

CTT2016 Day Two

Well, it's the end of day two and we're still a site of happy campers. An early 7am wake up call didn't dampen spirits, nor did having to cook breakfast. There was some dismay among the Scouts when they realised that the washing up fairy hasn't been able to keep up with our travels. Dishes left on the table don't dissappear and magically reappear clean ready for the next meal!
Despite this, we managed to be near the front of the queue for flagbreak and activities sign up. With over 40 activities to choose from, there's no danger of being bored. Today, our Scouts have done canoeing, caving, climbing, abseiling, archery, pedal karting, journalism, slippery slope challenge, gyroscopes (don't ask, the video that will be on the group website after camp will make you sick enough), and backwoods cooking. Some of the leaders volunteered to help out with the sailing too, an interesting morning as I've not sailed a small dingy in over 20 years. I did manage not to get too wet though and, more importantly, didn't drown any Scouts.
If you’re reading this back home in South Wales,  you'll be glad to know that our weather is considerably nicer than yours. It's been another hot day with the overnight temperature expected to drop to just 14 degrees!
If you're reading this on site at Tolmers, come and say hello at site 17. Keep an eye out for us around the site and give us a shoutout using the hashtag #followthedragon, or tweet @1stCowbridge.