| Pen Wood Camp, Selsley - Oct04 |
Pen Wood Weekend
Camp - An Account
Eight Scouts from Shurdington braved the pouring rain last Friday and headed for Pen
Wood Scouting Centre near Stroud for a weekend camp. They arrived about 8pm and set about
pitching their tents in a Nature Reserve near Selsley Common. They also had the use of a
new Norwegian log cabin complete with a grass roof. The facility belongs to Stroud &
Tetbury Scouts and was opened in April 2002. An hour later the Scouts and Leaders came
into the cabin for a welcome cup of hot chocolate and an evening meal. The rest of the
weekend was dry but sunshine was quite sparse. Scouts spent most of the weekend learning
basic Scouting skills like cooking on open fires, pioneering, knotting, map reading and
compass work, and also use of the Global Positioning System. A planned long hike on the
Saturday to Woodchester grounds and the Cotswold Way was partly scuppered by a local
farmer barring part of the footpath with an electric fence. A pretty selfish act the
Scouts thought. We were forced to retrace our steps but the view from the top of the
escarpment was worth the walk. Scouting has moved forward and is well in tune with the use
of old skills but also modern methods and equipment. It was interesting to note on a tiny
gadget that on this hike we walked for just over four miles, having taken 10,565 steps.
That works out at just over two feet per step; good for a leisurely walk in this beautiful
countryside. Saturday evening Scouts cooked a stew on an open fire, having first lit it by
striking flint and steel and the stew tasted delicious. A secret ingredient brought in a
jar on camp by one of the leaders added the right flavour. There was a strong hint of wine
and garlic there, but we reserved judgement. Scouts also carved two pumpkins to celebrate
Halloween. Scouts ate their evening meal outside by the campfire, which produced the right
atmosphere, much enhanced when an owl opened up its repertoire of hooting every few
minutes. This weekend also Scout Leader Louise Slee invested five new Scouts. On Sunday
Scouts used their pioneering project for a while. This was a rope bridge on which they
could practice commando style crossing of a crocodile infested river. They all thankfully
crossed over unscathed. Thanks go to Louise, Steve and Stewart who dedicated their weekend
to Scouting, and welcome to Kate, Alice, Nathan, Robert and Andrew who were invested as
Shurdington Scouts.
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