Lake District summer camp - Saturday 23rd to Saturday 30th July 2011
Who would have thought we'd get a week without rain in the Lake District!
The campsite
We stayed at one of the newest Scout Activities Centres; Great Towers on the east side of Windermere. The site, however, is not new and has been run by a County for many years. Thanks to Wattsy, Bruce and Rach visiting it on a wet weekend in February, we had the perfect spot for a Explorer camp - away from everyone else!
The 15min walk to the showers was a bit long but it didn't seem to bother anyone. The isolation allowed us to have a little extra freedom which suits Explorers!
The Activities
The week was pretty full. We had the first day on site trying all Great Towers had to offer during its "Start of Season Celebration" event with a fantastic fireworks display in the evening. Then it was up bright and early on Monday for mountain biking. The tracks in Grizedale Forest weren't quite what we expected, but the day produced our first (and only) casualty. If George had remembered his physics lessons, he would have known that the co-efficient of rubber on gravel was not sufficient to counteract the centripetal force created when cornering given his weight! (Basically he fell off on a bend.)
The next day was yet again hot and sunny - a perfect opportunity to climb to over 600m and look out over the fells before us. After a return journey along the shores of Ullswater there was time to visit the farm tea shop before heading back to camp. Tuesday saw the first of the "cauldron" meals - Lamb Goulash cooked on an open fire with baked potatoes done in the camp oven. Fortunately for Wattsy, the meal was a hit which meant he didn't have to find something else to feed 8 starving teenagers.
Wednesday was our day out to Blackpool which started in the Aquapark and ended with a picnic on the beach opposite the famous roller coaster. Once back at camp Bruce turned his attention to garlic bread and pizza in the camp oven. Thursday was the only overcast day we had; but it didn't really matter as we were rafting in the morning and paddling in six-person boats in the afternoon. Unfortunately no-one wanted Lewis or Rachel in their boat so they ended up swimming more than they might have liked!
Friday was our "lie-in" and was appreciated by the leaders as much as the Explorers. In the afternoon we went "High All Aboard" on a high ropes course. Wattsy tried a handstand on a platform no more than two feet square, twenty feet in the air and failed dismally (he can't do one on the ground - so what made him think he could do one in the air!). George and Seb had more success by smashing the record climbing time of two minutes and fourteen seconds - they managed in in under thirty seconds!
Then it was time to head home - a fantastic week for all and one we hope you all remember for a long time.
The People
It was a all male group of Explorers; a first in a long time. Thanks to everyone for making the week so easy for the leaders and such a good laugh.
Huge thanks to Bruce and Rachel for all their hard work and to everyone who took part - we hope you enjoyed it!
If you have any photos, comments or stories, e-mail them and they will be added to this page.