The Mill Lane scout troops spent this weekend at Hammerwood Scout Campsite, between East Grinstead and Holtye in West Sussex
With a lightweight camp, we tend not to use any canvas at all, apart from a giant tarp as a mess tent, and hike tents for those that find hammocks a bit intimidating.
We were blessed with an almost completely dry weekend this time, although Wet Wood (the name of the wood the campsite forms part) is never actually dry.
Activities
The camp was a laid-back affair with quite a lot of time for the scouts to do their own thing. We did manage to organise
- Rope swings
- Wide games in the dark (no photos, it was dark)
- Rounders
- Campfire sketches
Menu for the weekend
- Post-hammock-pitching tinned cream of tomato soup for supper
- Cooked breakfast, with hash browns, garlic mushrooms, bacon, sausages; porridge with apples and honey
- Jacket potatoes with tuna sweetcorn mayo, baked beans, butter and cheese
- Bananas, crisps and squash at snack-time
- Spicy chicken stew with rice followed by baked apples and cream
- Hot chocolate at suppertime
- Breakfast Shakshuka (a chorizo tomato and pepper stew with eggs poached in the sauce); also porridge
This was our first ever completely gluten-free camp, and, while we would do some things differently next time, we were quite pleased with how it turned out.
Overall, for the end of October, we think we experienced the campsite at its best.
A big thank you to all the scouts for coming, and the leaders for all they put into the weekend, before, during and afterwards.
If this looks like something you would like to do please join us – either as an adult volunteer or as a young person. Get in touch with us.