Scout training at Lodge Hill

A cold but sunny morning awaited me when I awoke - far too early for a weekend, even though I was running late (not the best night - baby wasn't really on sleeping form, ignored the alarm clock).

It was a quick drive down to Lodge Hill Outdoor Activity centre in the heart of rural West Sussex, for two days of intense training sessions to become a fully fledged Explorer Scout Leader. The last weekend of training and that is almost it, just need to organise a camp to get my nights away permit and the hallowed wood badge, which, incidentally is now plastic. Or so I've been told. The original wooden beads on the wood badge were carved from a fallen tree at the home of Scouting, Gillwell Park, because of the massive interest that Scouting attracts from Adult Volunteers and the fact that the tree fell a very long time ago the wood is no more. Hence the plastic. Sign of the times?

I digress, but a little history of Scouting here and there doesn't hurt. One of today's modules was programmes, balanced and wholesome. We were even given a programme checker to make sure they were indeed balanced and wholesome. I wonder if Microsoft have a programme checker? The session was facilitated by the affable Tim, offering his words of wisdom from years of experience on what a balanced Scout programme should be. The Scout Association help with this, by giving you a list of zones to work to and also methods of delivery, such as talks, technology, outdoor adventure & visits.

Our small group decided to build a programme with the aim of going on a lightweight expedition. Starting with this at the centre of a spider diagram, we spidered our way out spinning the web and covering areas such as gear talks (if you want one contact Walk and Travel - Sussex and South Surrey only!), food tasting, a visit to the gym to get a fitness programme planned, first aid training, night hikes, practice backpacking weekends and using technology in the outdoors, Garmin GPS, digital mapping and laptops - after a session on traditional navigating, so compare and look at the routes we were going to hiking along.

Then more detailed planning followed and night based on food tasting was arranged. Here is our programme for a Scout evening:

• 8pm Flag break and inspection
• 8.10pm Talk on nutrition, calories need for hiking (2500 for sustenance and 2500 for the hike - though I wasn't too sure on the numbers, more research may be needed) and an interactive looking up of calories in food on the Internet.
• 8.30 Game
• 8.45 Food for backpacking laid out on a table, to include dehydrated backpacking food, wet backpacking food, supermarket food for backpacking and supermarket food unsuitable for backpacking. Scouts to put together a 24hr menu choosing the right food stuff for the expedition.
• 9.00 Preparation of the food and a tasting session and food evaluated on a score chart
• 9.30 Clear up
• 9.45 Feedback on what types of food were the most yummy and gave enough calories for the expedition.
• 10.00 Flag down.

I found this to be one of the better Scout training sessions as a balanced programme really is key to retaining the young people, developing them as people and really just plain old enjoying themselves. Think I will be using this one with my Explorer Scouts.

Take your mum travelling!

Interesting turn of events! I had heard that more and ore older people were taking Gap Year - well, I think if you are taking time out from your job or career, it is called a sabbatical. But going with you kids. . . honestly, what is the worked coming to.

Perhaps you like the idea of your Mum and Dad joining you at a full moon party on the beaches of Thailand? Perhaps they could share your dorm room in a hostel and come and get totally inebriated at some down at heel backpackers bar where you can get lots of rather strange local liqueurs or beer at rock bottom prices. . .

It would be interesting. There you are sidling over to a rather attractive fellow backpacker and she retorts, 'Is that your Mum over there?'

There are some plus points - Mum can do your ironing and cook your dinner, Dad can deal the dosh for some posh nosh. Hmm, it could work.

Fair enough, cynical look at it over. I think it can be a great idea, though, in my humble opinion, travelling is a right of passage, time to lose the apron strings and let fly your mind, body and soul, meet fantastic people, see amazing places and absorb yourself in something like never before and likely never to be again.

Some friends of mine when they they went travelling, had their parents out for a holiday, which is a great way of involving them. They get an excuse for an exotic holiday and you get some respite from a shoddy dorm and pasta again. Let's face it, if they haven't seen you for 6 months, the chances are they'll spoil you.

I'm not sure how well it will work travelling with them, but by all means have them over for a holiday, everyone's a winner.

Are you going traveling on your own? Check out Walk and Travel's top tips for keeping safe when travelling solo.