Summer Camp 2024 Success
Date: 12th Sep 2024
Author: Daniel Meadow
Summer camp happens every year not at the exact same time but around the same part of the year (summer). This year we went to the peak district – Gradbach – on the way there we listened to the radio and played minis.
When we got to the camp site everyone helps unload the luggage van and set up the activity and food shelters before getting into tent groups and setting up our tents. After that we made dinner and created a rota within our activity group (who would wash, cook or tidy). Next, we had a meeting where we learnt where the toilets, showers, drying room, camp shop and camp office was. The toilets were about ten minutes away from camp through a cow field (which was scary at night because a bull escaped the field). We already knew that there were going to midges but almost everyone came home with bright red dots everywhere on them.
On the first full day at the camp my group went canoeing and we met our instructor for the next few days. His name was Steve. After that we were told how to do some simple strokes (most of us knew how to do them) then set of down the canal. After a while we split into two groups and did a stand-up race in each one before heading on down the canal. When we got to the end (before turning round) we played a game of water polo, and the same people won (I think) twice. Then we headed back to camp without anyone falling asleep.
The next day, we made breakfast which was American pancakes but the people cooking took too much time making them, so we had some of the leader’s ones. For our activity that day we had climbing in which we did rock scrambling, climbing, and abseiling. This was like bouldering but more into the cliff face. After climbing we went back and made a dam over the river by camp but sadly, we had to take it down before dinner and decided on a few activities for the next day as we were going to stay at camp.
The next morning, we played a few games and we did some paracording then went to the top of camp and did some measuring of distances then went back down and played uno and had lunch while also grabbing a snack before setting off again to do a beautiful hike through lud’s church and then all the way up to the top of the hill (which had an amazing view) which was very windy that the wind was pushing me downhill. That night we made buttered chicken using a great recipe and, in the end, it tasted amazing. Later we had a campfire and did some witling.
The next day was our final full day, and my group went gouge walking. We met up with Steve at a pub before following his van to the place where we prepared ourselves for our river scramble. We started off crossing the road and going down into the valley following the path to a wide grassy area where we got in the river leaving one of our leaders to walk along the path (the other came in the river with us). We started off walking along the river some people had decided to try and not get too wet while others wanted to get really wet. Soon, we came to a mini waterfall and climbing up it was very slippery but no one slipped we carried on going into a plunge pool where some people took the challenge to swim under the water and some people did a handstand (which Steve said the bubbles coming from our helmets looked cool) the next major plunge pool we got to jump into and the people who did got to go twice (I was the first and last person to do it in my group other than the leader) after that we headed back to the vehicles where we gave Steve a carved lump of wood that a few of us had signed (including other activity groups). After that we went back to camp had chicken fajitas, played volleyball then sat round the campfire and sang songs then headed to bed.
The following day we packed our bags, had breakfast, made lunch then packed the tents, cooking tents and boxes into the van. After that we played a game and headed up to the top to go to the toilet and then get in the minibuses. It was a quiet journey back as most of us were falling asleep. Unfortunately, it was a very hot day, so a very kind leader got us water at a service place. When we got back to Warminster, we unpacked the van and then headed home.
– Titania F (Wednesday Scouts)