Ctt2018 Day 2

And here we are at the end of day 2.

It's been a long day but loads of fun.
After a 7am start to get breakfast cooked and cleared away, the Scouts set off for flagbreak armed with 100 or so clothes pegs, all marked up with our #followthedragon hashtag.

The idea is that you attach these pegs to someone's clothing without them noticing. Our Scouts certainly have plenty of enthusiasm for the game. The necessary finesse may develop as the week progresses 😂

At activity sign up, the Scouts get to choose their 4 activities for the day.

Choices for today included: Pedal karts, Gyroscope (Just watching makes me feel sick!), zip wire, zorbing, climbing, inflatable obstacle course, trampolining, laser tag, Kayaking and swimming.

In between activities,  our Scouts have been getting to know some new friends in our joint group for the week, 1st Melbourne Scouts. Football is always a favourite but Bottle Rockets is proving quite popular too.

Tonight there were a few more "drop in" activities including a cinema and pedlo racing. Or, less organised but certainly popular was chilling around the camp fire.

It obviously all worked as the site went quiet much earlier than last night!

Hopefully that means there'll be plenty of energy for tomorrow's activities.

Tolmers 2018. Day one. Three wheels on my wagon

Look who just got back today.....

It's the third time at Tolmers for some of us and we're definitely glad to be here.

We arrived a little later than planned thanks to some minor difficulties with the minibus. We had to change a tyre before we could set off but found that the spare was flat too. Thanks to the parent who took both wheels to Barry to get the tyres changed.

The M25 was much kinder today than on previous trips so we made good time and arrived in time to help 1st Melbourne Scouts set up our joint campsite.

The scouts have all been fed and watered and are either asleep or at least talking quietly enough not to bother anyone.

Camp starts for real tomorrow with the first of 5 days full of activities.

Oh, and we've got the first batch of #followthedragon pegs marked up and ready to go. 😁

Nord17 Day1 - The Longest Day.

What a day. We've been travelling since 0530 bst. 20 hours on the move.
We've had a little minor wazzockry but no serious mishaps.

After a nice early start, we made our way to Heathrow and on to Stavanger where we were met by the ever helpful leaders from Madla Speidergruppe. Our bags safely stowed, we had a leisurely stroll to Solva Beach where dinner was served. After a few hours playing on the beach, we made our way back to check in for the onward flight to Bodø (pronounced Booduh apparently).
The sun was just thinking of setting in Stavanger as we set off but we soon caught it up and were treated to a fine view of the midnight sun over the Lofotens as we came in to land. Our bags were ferried for us and we had a gentle 3k walk to camp.
Unfortunately, the registration team had gone to bed so it took a little while to work out where we should be but we arrived at our site to find that the Madla advance party already had our tents up.

Time for a few hours well earned sleep before the camp starts for real tomorrow.

Hopefully, when they've had some sleep, we'll be getting a few Scouts to contribute to the blog this time!

Scarefest 2016: Closing thoughts

Well, that's another excellent Scarefest done. Thanks to the Scarefest UK team at Gilwell for a fantastic event.

Despite being given the option to take advantage of the extra hour in bed with the clocks going back, most of the Scouts were up early packing their bags before breakfast.

Once it became obvious that the mist really was mist, not just excess smoke from last night's fireworks, we decided to delay taking the tents down in the hope that the mist would clear and the tents would dry out a bit.

This gave the Scouts another 2 hours to enjoy some more activities. It also gave the few who went to bed early last night to write up their thoughts on the weekend.

Thomas: I enjoyed all the mazes. All of them were very scary. The favourite maze was the Escape. All of them were very cool. If we go next year, I would really want to go.

Joseph: All the mazes are really good. The scariest of them all for me was the Escape. Someone got so scared he had to leave halfway through.

Dylan: I enjoyed the fireworks, they were outstanding! At the end there was an explosion and you could feel the heat hit your face.

Sion: I enjoyed the fireworks and the scary mazes. My favourite maze was the Factory. I want to go next year.

Having given up on getting tents dry, we packed up and headed home. A nice easy run around the M25 and M4 took a full 90 minutes less than the trip up on Friday.

Then it was all hands on deck to empty the buses and hang the damp tents out to dry.

We're not sure what the cubs had planned for their next meeting but it looks as if they'll be learning how to fold tents now instead ;-)

A fantastic end to our camping season. Loads of fun and a great first camp for the guys who joined us this term.

Got to check the dates for next year to make sure they fit the holidays but we'll definitely be back if we can.

We'll have plenty of activities going on over the winter, but this camping blog is going into hibernation for the winter.

Scarefest 2016

Well it's the end of the day (actually the start of the next one) and, although there are a few more activities tomorrow, it's pretty much the end of the camp.

Saturday got off to what is by camp standards a decadently late start. It was 8:30 before everyone was up and heading for breakfast.

The on site catering was excellent as usual and stoked us all up for a day of activities.

The day's activities, before and after lunch, included Crate Stacking, Caving,  Grass Sledging, Rodeo Bull Riding, Laser Tag, Archery, Caving, Total Wipeout and Fairground Rides. Everyone had their favourite and some Scouts managed to get 10 or more rides on the Cage.

Before dinner, we met back at the campsite to change into our Halloween costumes for a group photo then, with darkness falling, the camp really came to life.

Most of the activities were still running with the added excitement of the dark on some and spooky lighting on others. There were also a range of scary mazes now open for Scouts to really get into the spirit of things.

At the end was the spectacular finale, an amazing display of Fireworks, music and laser lights before heading back to our campsite for bed.

It's been a long, but very enjoyable day but, before they went off to their tents, the Scouts had time to write down their thoughts on the day.

Isaac: I enjoyed the three mazes and all of the activities.

John: I enjoyed the firework display that lasted 15 minutes and the cage.

James: I enjoyed the fireworks and all the mazes because the fireworks were well timed and the mazes adrenaline flowing. I also liked the radio. Watch our broadcast at scoutradio.org.uk/scarefest

Matthew: I liked the cage

Aiden: I enjoyed the the fireworks display as it was not only amazing but also in time to the music.

Dan: I enjoyed the firework display and all three mazes. The leaders were great for making this happen.

Evie: I enjoyed the fireworks and the laser tag

Lewis: I enjoyed the firework display and the mazes.

Ellie: I enjoyed skipping through the creepy mazes.  I hated all the stupid boys.

A few had snuck off to bed without leaving their feedback but we'll get them tomorrow and include it in the final camp blog.

Back on the road

It's Halloween and it's half term. That must mean it's time for Scarefest at Gilwell Park.

After loading the buses (loaned by Ysgol Y Deri again. Thanks guys) up, we hit the road. The plan was to get to Gilwell before the M25 got silly. It almost worked. Delays around Bristol and Swindon set us back quite a bit so we did get caught in the beginning of the rush hour build up on the M25.

Now it became a race. Could we get the tents up before it got dark?

Just about. The light was just running out as the last peg went in.

Dinner was an excellent Bolognese pre-prepared by chef Martin, then off to the evening activities.

Dodgems, Fire Circus, Scout Radio, cinema and the traditional Scout pastime - buying popcorn and donuts.

There's something like 600 Scouts on site so there's not much chance of it going quiet soon.

Hopefully they won't be too tired for a full day of activities tomorrow.

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.