Grantham District Night Hike

On Saturday evening, as most families would have been settling down for tea, 63 Scouts from across Grantham District were convening at Marston Village Hall in anticipation of the District Night Hike.

It’s the first time our Group has taken part for a number of years, so a new experience for everyone from Caythorpe who attended. A couple of weeks before the event we were sent risk assessments, kit lists and the meeting point details. As for the route(s)… a surprise!

Caythorpe Scouts entered four teams, a total of 20 Scouts. On arrival, and after a very thorough safety briefing, the teams were given a map and a list of co-ordinates, then planned their route. There were a number of different routes (stopping teams following each other…) which passed four checkpoints in total, with a team of adults also covering road and rail crossing points and some roving teams whose task it was to ensure the event ran smoothly and be on hand if needed. Once the routes and personal and team kit had been checked, the teams were sent out at timed intervals. The first teams managed to start walking just before dusk….

The four checkpoint bases were fun activities; a food tasting experience, making camp doughnuts, a game of charades and a team challenge to 'cross the river' (not the real river!).

‘Recollections may vary’ as to the distances covered by the teams, but leaders overheard ranges from 6km to 14km or 10 miles, and 20,000 to 40,000 steps!

We’re pleased to report that, despite the very heavy rainfall in the days before the event, all Scouts made it back to the village hall with their walking boots / wellies still on their feet, not stuck in the mud. The first teams started arriving back at base, weary-looking, around 10pm, with the final team after 11pm.

Out of the thirteen teams that took part, six completed the event in the correct order, within the time limit, without missing out any of the bases:

Position Team                                  Time              Combined points - bases & walking

1             1st Foston Team 4          2hr 35            234 points

2             1st Caythorpe Team 4    3hr 10            147 points

3             1st Foston Team 3          3hr 27            119 points

4             9th Grantham Team 1    3hr 35            106 points

5             1st Foston Team 2          3hr 26            104 points

6             1st Ancaster                    3hr 52            55 points

Well done to 1st Foston for putting in a tremendous effort and winning the event, and congratulations to our very own Team 4 for coming second!

We think we’ve reunited all the lost kit with the correct Scouts – there were a few lonely, muddy walking boots left after the event. If you’ve not seen yours yet, please do get in touch.

Huge thanks go to the organising team for the immense effort and organisation they put into this District event; on the night we had 15 Explorer Scouts and 26 adults on duty, ensuring that the event ran smoothly and without incident, and that all the Scouts had fun! Thanks too to our Quartermasters, who sorted out the team kit so that our Scouts had map cases, compasses, whistles and first aid kits.

And a HUGE Well Done to all the Scouts who took part. Whatever the distance covered, in whatever time, it’s no mean feat to head out into the night with a team of peers and trust your map reading skills through muddy fields! #skillsforlife