Tolmers 2018 Day Six - Scorchio

Omg it's hot!

34 degrees to be precise.

This didn't deter our intrepid Scouts. Activities chosen today included Laser Tag. Journalism, Caving, high ropes, Sailing, Sweeper, and an entry into Tolmers got Talent.

At the end of the days activities, there was an extra special flag down. Two of our Scouts who have put in three years of fantastic effort were awarded their Chief Scouts Gold award to much applause.

The night was finished off with another great Tolmers camp fire.

Just one more day of activities to go. What's tomorrow's favourite going to be?

Tolmers 2018 Day5 - Hike Day

Today was hike day so no on site activities. We put out six teams of Scouts and one of Explorers/Young Leaders between the two troops with the teams deliberately mixed up to encourage intertroop teamwork.

While some leaders headed out for the shops to sort out the days food, 3 of a more determined nature set out as the Sweeper Team, walking a short distance behind the last of the 60 teams to make sure that no one got left behind.

As all the odd numbered teams walk the circular route in the opposite direction to the evens, we crossed paths with most of our Scouts along the route as they completed not just the hike but the 4 teamwork challenges set along the route. The teams seemed to work well (or at least everyone we saw on route was smiling). The only incident of note remains a bit baffling. In the middle of the driest summer for over 40 years, two of our Scouts somehow managed to not only find the only muddy pond in Hertfordshire with any water left in it but somehow finished up knee deep in the water.
We'll let you know how the teams scored tomorrow.

A dinner of hotdogs and nachos followed and then up to Flagbreak.

After Flag, while the leaders were engaged in a game of charity bingo the scouts and explorers got together in some of the best team work we've seen all camp. All 36 of them blew up 1000 small balloons and managed to completely fill one of the leaders tents😯

Watch this space to see what sort of payback develops.

Back to normal tomorrow with a full day of activities on camp.

Tolmers 2018 Day 4

Day 4 has been absolutely roasting. No need for an alarm clock - when your tent gets too warm to stay asleep then it's time to get up; 7am in this case!

Today's format stayed the same - after breakfast and washing up, it's up to flagbreak and activity sign up.

Our Scouts chosen activities today included Raft Building, Laser Tag, Backwoods cooking, Quad Biking, Caving and the Mountain of Air.

The leaders, meanwhile, continued a Cowbridge Scouts tradition was upheld. Cream Teas were served in the Leaders coffee bar.

After Flag Down, it's time to get the fire lit for toasting marshmallows where one or two learnt that an over cooked marshmallow may just be the hottest substance known to man 😮

There are no on site activities tomorrow. Instead we have several teams entered in the Tolmers Incident Hike - a 13k hike with challenges along the way. With 7 teams entered this year we have fairly high hopes

Tolmers 2018 Day 3

Here we are at the end of day 3.

Bacon egg and beans for breakfast followed by flagbreak and activity sign up.

Today our Scouts activities have included Climbing, Gyroscope, Swimming, Kayaking, Giant Slide, Laser Tag, Caving and Quad Biking.

After a pretty good curry, it was back up for flag down and some evening activities including a showing of The Greatest Showman in the camp cinema.

Other Scouts spent the evening making their own activities around the camp fire under the watchful eye of 1st Melbourne's young leaders.

It's something we try to nurture on a camp like this. By providing free time we allow the scouts to use their imagination and independence - skills that will be invaluable in later life.

The leaders rejoined the camp fire a little later for a small Scouts Own.

Everyone seems to have enjoyed today's activities and it's great for the leaders to watch the team dynamics develop and personalities emerge in a way that just doesn't happen on shorter camps.

What activities will they choose tomorrow?

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. 😁

Scarefest 2017. Prelude.

It's Halloween weekend which means it's Scarefest at Gilwell Park.

We were in two minds whether to come or not this year. The last 2 years, Scarefest has fallen on the last weekend of the Welsh half term meaning we could leave early on the Friday and have an easy drive up. This year it's at the beginning of half term so we couldn't get away until much later.

We mulled it over and decided that we would send an advance party to get the tents up etc with the Scouts arriving by minibus later on. Well, that was the plan, anyway.

Since the only leader with a tow bar was working nights and needed at least some sleep before heading off on camp, the advance party couldn't leave until lunchtime. No problem. Sat Nav says 4 hours, we'll be there by 5pm. Plenty of time.

The motorway network had different ideas. Jam after jam saw the eta drifting later and later. Then, at well after 6pm and only 30 miles away from camp, there's a bang. A tyre blown on the trailer. No drama. On to the hard shoulder, change the wheel and we're away. Not!

Turns out, the nut securing the spare wheel to its bracket is not the same size as the wheel nuts. Not one single tool in the car fits it. Call for assistance  then. Nope. "We can't change the tyre safely on the motorway. We will have to recover you off and fix it somewhere safer. Oh by the way, because of the size of the trailer, it will be 2 hours before we can get a vehicle there to get you off."

A quick check on Google maps shows a nice safe layby just off the motorway. Only half a mile from where we are. Since the tyre is dead anyway, we'll limp to that layby and call again. Luckily though, there's houses by the layby and one good Samaritan  has a spanner the right size. 10 minutes later, the wheel is changed and we're on the way. Finally on camp after a 7 hour epic.

Things are no better on the minibus. 90 minutes gets them from Cowbridge to Newport!

The advance party heads for Chubbys for dinner  (can't beat Chubbys 1/2lb bacon burger with cheese - proper grated cheddar, none of this processed burger cheese rubbish) before getting on with the job of pitching 3 patrol tents and a mess tent. A blatant Facebook appeal rustles up some help in the form of a few Sea Scouts, Explorers and a leader from a local (ish) group and the tents are up in no time. Just in time for the minibus to arrive after their own 5 and a half hour battle with the motorway network. They don't even have the joy of a Chubbys meal and have to settle for motorway services fast food - not that that ever seems to bother Scouts.

Personal kit is all stowed away and the Scouts are asleep relatively quickly and looking forward to a long day and night if fun tomorrow.

Massive thanks to the unnamed helper in the layby and to 1st North Fambridge Sea Scouts.