We finished the day off with a quick emergency aid scenario. Our theatrical special effects were supposed to simulate an explosion in the kitchen complete with smoke however I think this was lost on most! Lots of running around like headless chickens ensued but we eventually managed to get 2 “unconscious” casualties into the recovery position and the “emergency services” were also called correctly. A big tick for all those doing the Emergency Aid badges so well done.

 

Saturday evening involved us all pilling into the minibus for a quick drive down to Leek and the first fish and chip shop we could find for supper. We quickly scoffed this in the van and then headed back up to Rockhall, once again winding up the hill side in darkness, to the very welcome warmth of the cottage. I needn’t have worried about what we were going to do for the rest of the night as all scouts disappeared once inside and I was even more surprised the next morning when waking at 0730hrs to not hear any noise from the boy’s room! Had we actually managed to tire them out?!? Apparently so!

 

Whilst the scouts enjoyed a small lie in Chef Jordan was summoned back down to the kitchen to start the breakfast preparations. They say the job of the “Young Leader” is the hardest one in scouting!? The rest of the trooped started the packing and cleaning blitz on the accommodation. Some learnt to clean a toilet for the first time…

 

Midmorning saw us off to a small crag behind Rockhall to do some climbing on a decent short pitch. The weather was exceptionally good with not a cloud in sight and a perfect blue sky. The views were out of this world. We were soon surrounded by lots of the local climbers and even met a local Explorer Scout and his scout leader who climbing next to us for the rest of the morning. All scouts were successful in getting to the “summit” and we even had time to pause for some birthday cake for Joe Stay for elevenses!

 

We were late coming down off the crag but eventually got all of our gear down to the minibus and hopped on ready for the journey back. Following a brief stop for lunch in a Co-op car park (not the most scenic location considering where we just had been but needs must!) we began the long journey home eventually arriving only an hour later than scheduled. All in all this was a brilliant camp from our point of view. The location does come highly recommended and staying in such a unique place as Rockhall Cottage only serves to remind us that the tents can stay in the store – at least until summer camp!

 

Yours in Scouting,

 

Nigel

Scout Leader, 1^stHeyfordPark Scout Troop

 

Spring Camp 2010 Report

5th March - 7th March 2010

Our Spring Camp this year was held at Rockhall Cottage in the Peak District. A brief report of the camp is below.

Once on top of the Roaches the weather closed in, the temperature dropped, the wind picked up and the cloud came down on us. The only consolation being the absence of rain! This proved to be something of a technicality though as most scouts managed to get wet anyway as our walk passed a small pond into which it would have been rude not to have jumped. We eventually came down off the hill for lunch and quickly moved off again due to the biting wind. A short tramp down the road took us to a small farm complete with more mud and most surprisingly some pet sheep which instead of running away actually came over to us to be stroked. Intriguing to say the least! It was then just a short distance back down the hill to the hut and some welcome free time for the scouts.

Late afternoon saw us donning helmets ready to scale the large boulder which sat conveniently in the grounds. All I can say is all of the scouts did better than I had that morning as all were able to climb back down again without having to resort to jumping off from a great height!

Which if true is probably a good thing as all the leader were sleeping underneath the boys room which seemed to erupt on cue with the sun rising. My only guess was they were playing a game of see which scout can jump of the bunk beds both the furthest and making the most noise. The only one who didn’t seem to notice was Ziggy who despite claiming to have had a sleepless night was fast asleep in the fridge. Well, actually the kitchen (which was colder than the fridge anyway).

Following a bit of breakfast cooked by Chef Jordan (a very good effort but baked bean cooking skills clearly having gotten rusty) we geared up ready for our walk up to the Roaches. The weather looked promising but in true fashion this was a tempting lie. The start of our hike took us up from the hut through some forest passing many opportunities for decent climbing right on our door step with a large number of both large and small outcrops. And who needs a path anyway when there are so many decent sized boulders on route to clamber over?

Despite problems on the M40 we got underway on time...in time to hit more delays on the way to the M1. All good scout camps start with a traffic jam. Suffice to say we eventually rolled up at 2300hrs in a lay adjacent to the Roaches lower tier rocks. Following a brief plunge into the darkness Rockhall Cottage was located, the lights switched on and a trail of lights left for the scouts to follow. All endured the cheeky steep trek up the hill with no dramas and half an hour later scouts, leaders and all the gear were safely inside our new home. The excitement of the journey and the novelty of our new surroundings ensured we didn’t get the lights out until about 0230hrs but leaders don’t need sleep right?!