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Rob, April and Katie enjoy a slightly less than conventional way of getting down the mountain - sliding!

1st Bookham Explorer Scouts and Ranger Guides Summer Camp 2007

The Rangers and Explorers Summer Camp took place in the Lake District this year, just outside the town of Keswick. The first four days were spent on an expedition, exploring the local countryside and climbing some of the tallest hills and mountains in England. Each group faced their own individual challenges but all emerged having enjoyed the walk and more than ready for a shower. The first evening on Base Camp was celebrated with a meal in a Keswick Curry House - a bit of a first for the Unit, but a risk that paid off with a lovely meal being had by all!

The rest of the week was spent undertaking various activities. After a morning of rest on the Tuesday, we loaded into the minibuses and went to explore the town of Keswick a little further. Having shopped and enjoyed the refreshment facilities, we returned to the campsite for a delicious Barbeque. We also spent a day in Bowness on Windermere, taking boat rides on the lake, enjoying the scenery and sampling the ice cream! Other activities we undertook during the week included canoeing, wind surfing, kayaking and ghyll scrambling (which basically entails jumping down waterfalls and into freezing cold water – a truly exhilarating experience!) at the Derwent Water Marina. Further fun was had when we visited Rookin House Farm for some land activities including quad biking, a ride on the off road argo-cat, go-karting and human bowling. A slightly more educational trip was a visit to the local mountain rescue team, in Keswick, who showed us around their base and let us test out some of their equipment.

On the day before our departure, we visited the Rheged Centre in Penrith, where we looked around the mountaineering exhibition and watched a film on the giant screen. Then, finally, after a week and a half of fun and exhaustion, it was time to pack up and go home.

Thanks from the Unit are given to all those who helped to make this camp possible.

April, Camp Chairman