The six older scouts from Earley and Burne Troop approaching their 14th birthday/moving up to Johnston Explorers were provided with training to get them fully prepared for their Expedition challenge. These training sessions were part of the regular scouts evening as well as some additional sessions over a number of evenings: Badge requirements, Navigation, Route card, Menu planning, Shopping & food storage, Cooking, Expedition tent pitching, First-Aid and emergency procedures, Personal equipment, Packing a ruck-sack, Highway code, Countryside code, Risk assessments review.

On the day we all met at the Scouts hall, to check equipment and load the ruck-sacks with tents, Trangias, fuel, first-aid kit, maps & compasses. The next stop was Sainsbury’s to shop for the teams food, before proceeding on to the official start point ‘Harold Wood’ train station. With rain clouds passing by with a menacing look, at 11’ the team finally started on their trek to Thriftwood Camp Site, with three check points where they were met with leaders with the occasional phone call and text asking how to navigate out of a field they finally arrived at the camp site at 19:30 with just enough daylight to pitch their tents and cook the evening meal. The next morning they presented themselves to the office paying their camp fees, breakfasted, showered and tidied away their expedition kit ready to join the others arriving for Easter Camp.

Congratulations to Tristan, Ollie, Alex, Evie, Meighan and Olivia on completing their Expedition Challenge Award.