By Nick Nelson, chair, 1st Bradley Stoke Scout Group.
It’s been a long time since we have been able to camp but the three Scout troops and their leaders jumped at the chance on offer at Woodhouse Park, near Almondsbury. We usually camp in September but this year it drifted to the first weekend of October. You might remember it; the weather was biblical!
At camp, you are expected to put up your own tents and the Scouts spent Thursday evening raising tents and marquees as well as moving in the kit we need. It rained, it started to get a little muddy and we spotted that a number of tents were no longer fit for purpose, so Friday morning we had to ring around to see who had enough eight-person tents in stock (not as many as you think!)
Everyone arrived on Friday evening and quickly settled in, some of whom were in the very new tents (Air Beams!) which proved popular. The rain held off and we managed games in the fields and trees before night fell and everyone hurried to bed.
Overnight it rained, and that became the theme until we left on Sunday. Occasionally we would dart out for a brief period in the sunshine (lulling us into a false sense of security) before it started raining again. Very quickly, the ground turned to mud, and the mud then just got deeper. Some learnt the hard way that boots need to be tied on firmly with many stuck on one leg with the other just a sock. However, we still managed to cover activities like orienteering, axes & saws, fire lighting, cooking and the adventure course (which is an assault course you just get [more] wet and muddy on). We also helped tidy and maintain the site as it returns to full use. The highlight was a campfire led by Julia. Songs and actions warmed everyone up and, despite the rain, the campfire kept going.
Sundays are always a little slower with a later breakfast, but we completed our final activities before dropping tents. With everyone tired – especially the leaders who were operating on coffee by now as they are always the last to get to sleep – we were grateful to the many parents who turned up, helped us and took home very muddy tents to dry out. Thanks to you all, it really did lift us.
We are still drying and cleaning kit, but everyone enjoyed themselves. Some had joined straight into Scouts and had never camped before. Some had never overnighted without their parents. Well done to all of you but special thanks to our leaders who continued to motivate despite the conditions. We are already looking forward to the next camp!
If you have been inspired and are looking for a new challenge, we are always looking for more adults to join the adventure, especially as we lost leaders over the pandemic. We are in particular need of Cub leaders as well as some help organising our equipment. Please visit our website 1st.bradley-stoke-scouts.org and click on ‘Join 1st BSS’.
This article originally appeared in the November/December 2021 issue of the Bradley Stoke Journal magazine (on pages 12 & 13). The magazine is delivered FREE, nine times a year, to ALL 8,700 homes in Bradley Stoke. Phone 01454 300 400 to enquire about advertising or leaflet insertion.
