Having harvested many kilos of bracken during the week and transported in readiness it up to the Cricket campsite near the river Itchen, Scouts (and some Leaders too for that matter) spent the night in either Bivvy shelters (improvised constructions of natural materials ) or Basha shelters (man made materials, like sheeting and tent pegs) as overnight accommodation.
No one got significantly wet or had to return to a tent in the night, although in some cases some areas for design improvement were noted
Also we were able to have a very education bush-craft session which included each making a tent-peg from a hazel stem picked from the woodland (owners permissions etc.), and learning the essential techniques of safe knife work and also what to look for in a knife for different uses. (do you know how big a blood bubble (danger zone) to leave clear when whittling, for example, or where your femoral arteries are and how big they are?)
We also had a go at Tomohawk throwing, and later, after dinner, enjoyed a evening campfire, partly in conjunction with a cub pack from Hamble.
Food was cooked on alter fires or the remains of the camp fire throughout , and we also had a lamb stew for Sunday Lunch, which slow-cooked in the modern day equivalent of a hay box - using a large cardboard box and newspaper balls to keep it warm without using firewood after an initial cooking phase on the fire in the morning. After flag down at 2pm, Scouts were collected and central kit driven back to the HQ.
Many thanks are also due to all parents who came back to help unload - it may not seem like much, but it really is appreciated.
Mike Page-Jones
1st Romsey.
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