Hey. About two weeks ago (sorry about that), we upped sticks to Dorking, Surrey. Over to Eddie…
Another successful 16th Bermondsey Adventure behind us, as we all report back safe and well from a few days of hiking, camping and generally doing crazy things out in the freezing countryside. 18 scouts, 5 young leaders and 4 leaders. About the biggest of our annual Feb. visits to stay in a scout hut in the Surrey woods, just south of Dorking, Surrey.
It started with our 13 & 14 year olds taking a train to Dorking station on Sat. and hiking in 3 groups to camp at Ranmore Common and hiking-on to join us at the hut on Sunday afternoon. They were walking in bright sun and cloudless blue skies during the day but at night the temperature dropped well below freezing, possibly to minus 7. They were camping in an oak wood, high-up on the North Downs. We had spent a month of troop nights specifically training them to survive in these very cold conditions, but they still found the deep frost at night and especially the morning a real shock. Getting-up, cooking their breakfasts, packing and setting-off was a real struggle with fingers freezing and tents covered with ice. Setting-off by 9am again in three groups; the 4 ‘first timers’ with Leaders, and one older boys and one older girl group without Leaders. Still with full packs they walked down from the top of the North downs, only to climb slowly to the top of Leith Hill, the highest point in the South of England, before making it to the hut by about 4pm, tired but in high spirits. Their map reading and hiking was the best I have known it in the troop for years. Pete and Miles hiked with Josh, George, Luke and Gleb. The ‘Girls Group’ were Rebekah, Zia, Lydia and Kweku!! Probably the best group were the ‘Boys Group’ of Ricky, Joseph and Jack who made all their route objectives and in really good time. [I can certainly vouch for that. -Ricky]
Meanwhile, our under 11 & 12′s did a magnificent hike on Sat, about 8 miles from the top of Box hill to the hut, in 2 groups, led by our YL’s. They arrived with their new hike boots all muddy (in fact, everything muddy!) with tales of seeing wild deer, frozen ponds, trains racing-by level crossings and house with a real moat. The younger group spent Sunday in the woods lighting fires and cooking dampers and burgers and on Monday it was their turn to climb Leith hill. The younger group walked about 18 miles over the 3 days. All credit to Kimberly, Jason, Warren, Sabrina, James, Keir and Jade. We welcomed Tunde who moved to Sittingbourne last year. They were accompanied by Cub Leader Catherine and Young Leaders Mel, Samuel and Katie.
The older group ended the camp being ‘dumped’ in a wood on Monday with the challenge of making a dinner out of a dead rabbit, a freshly killed cockerel, 2 woodpigeon and a couple of trout! How did they cope?  Lots of blood and guts, rather gory fun making a ‘Chick-pidg-abit’ out of all the spare parts and a reasonable ‘game stew’.
We welcome our new leader ‘Miles’ who brings new scouting skills, experiences and good leadership to our young people. He is also a professional musician and plays saxophone, so our many musical scouts can’t believe their luck!
I was amazed at how many scouts, from the newest just up form Cubs to our oldest YL’s, signed-up for the camp knowing how far they would all be hiking and the really wintery weather forecast. One 11 year old couldn’t wait to tell his parents how far he had walked, “My dad says I am too lazy to get out of bed!â€
Well done and thanks to everyone who made this such a safe and successful adventure.
You’d be surprising how warm it got during the day though. Anyway, there we go.
