Caythorpe Scouts conquer Peak District Hills, and sleep in brand new tents, thanks to Grantham's RotarySwimarathon!
On Friday 12 May, Scouts from 1st Caythorpe and Duke’s Covert excitedly set off for the Peak District straight after school, joining the international Scouting event, Jamboree on the Trail ('JOTT': https://jott.org.uk/) With cars and the Group Trailer loaded to the gunnels, the journey’s excitement peaked as most in the convoy pulled into McDonalds for a quick tea.
Arriving at Pindale Farm Outdoor Centre (https://www.pindalefarm.co.uk/) a while before dusk, the tents were pitched and mess tent set up ready for hot chocolate and the hope of a good night’s sleep ahead of the challenges that lay ahead.
On Saturday morning, with various levels of sleep attained (seemingly the Scouts managed a better night than the volunteer Leaders) and a hearty breakfast served and cleared away, the Scouts got into their teams ready for the off. We shared Leaders with other Groups from Grantham District and Lincolnshire County, to ensure that those heading up into ‘T1’ (Terrain 1 – 500m above sea level) had Leaders with the correct activity permits.
The routes had been carefully planned in advance, with Scouts from some teams having done the work themselves, then self-navigating, in order to qualify for the Expedition activity badge. The majority of our Scouts were in two teams, the first covered Lose Hill and Hollins Cross on day one and Win Hill on day two while the second team ventured into T1 terrain, taking in the edges of Kinder Scout via Grindsbrook Clough and Jacob’s Ladder on day one and the ridge from Lose Hill to Mam Tor and around onto the Limestone Way on day two.
Scouts and Leaders alike found the hikes challenging; for many Scouts it was their first venture into hillwalking and it’s hard to know what to expect when you’re only 10 or 11 years old. We were really lucky with the weather, which helped, as the sun came out on Saturday afternoon and stayed with us for the rest of the weekend. The Scouts showed grit, resilience and determination as they continued to walk through sore legs and blisters. They all learnt, or refreshed their memories on, map reading, navigating, teamwork and finding the courage to carry on, when all they wanted to do was sit down with a cup of tea!
Before we knew it, the second hike was over and everyone returned to strike camp, trying desperately to fit everything back into the cars and heading home for a well-deserved relax before school on Monday morning!
Groups attending:
· 1st Caythorpe & Duke’s Covert
· 2nd Grantham
· 9th Grantham
· 1st Grasby
· 1st Wainfleet
· Viking Explorer Scout Unit
We’d like to say a massive THANK YOU to the team at Grantham’s RotarySwimarathon, who have kindly donated just over £1,000 to 1st Caythorpe and Duke’s Covert Scout Group. Some of this money has been put towards the new expedition tents that we used for the first time in the Peak District. Our Beavers, Cubs, Scouts and volunteers are truly grateful for this incredibly generous donation. Thank you!
Alex, one of our younger Scouts, wrote this summary of his weekend away:
On 12th May I set off on an adventure to join our Scout Group in Derbyshire. We put up our tents at Pindale Farm on the first few hours of our arrival. This was the first outing for our new tents!!
On the second day we all woke up at 6:45 and got ready for breakfast, served under our mess tent (the heart of the campsite). We had the options of Weetabix, Cornflakes, Scrambled Egg and pancakes. After breakfast, we made our own sandwiches with ham or cheese, a selection of fruit and some crisps and two chocolate bars. We packed our bags for the hike and put everything away in our tents neatly and shut the tents doors.
There was a total of 49 Scouts & Explorers from different Groups all coming together for our hikes. We were split into 3 different groups, my group went up a mountain called Mam Tor, I did 51,356 steps and walked 29.13 km. The view from the mountains was spectacular, I could see for miles. It was very busy up there, lots of hikers, bikers, dogs and paragliders! It was great walking with my friends and 2 Leaders who were with us – especially as they treated us to Ice Cream at the end of our hike.
When we got back to the camp site, we rested for a while, got showered and had our dinner. On day 3 (Sunday) we set off again after having our breakfast and making our pack ups. It was very misty first thing but soon the sun came through and warmed us all up. I did 34,283 steps and walked 20.1 km (so my watch says!). On arrival back at camp, it was time to strike our tents, pack everything away and make sure the site was left clean and tidy for the next people to enjoy.
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