about us

Greville - Easter Hike 2008

On Friday 11 th April, 6 of the older Greville scouts set off from Bookham to do the hike for their Expedition Challenge award. This took place on the Isle of Purbeck in Dorset. Everyone had to carry their tents, cooking equipment, food and all the other equipment they needed for the two day hike.

large picture suitable for download and framing! click here>

The first evening we stayed at Buddens, Dorset’s county scout campsite. It is an extremely good sight with very modern facilities, showers, and nice woodland camping areas. We cooked spaghetti bolognaise and then played games and built a campfire.

The next morning, we began the hike after driving to the start point near Corfe Castle. Most of the walk was along the coastal path which made map-reading straightforward and offered stunning views. We had lunch at Tyneham, this was a village that was evacuated during the second World War so that troops could practice the landings for D-Day on this part of the coast. The surrounding area remains a military firing range to this day and we saw shell casings and even several abandoned tanks used for target practice. The village is now partly restored and you can go in the old church and school house and walk around the ruins of the houses. After lunch we walked inland through heavy rain for a couple of hours to get to our campsite.

After the luxury of the first nights camping the second was a little more basic. It consisted of an open green field, a tap, and two brick built toilet cubicles. It was also surrounded by a huge amount of wildlife that kept us awake all night making noises. The pheasants did though provide some entertainment as we spent some time chasing them round the field and trying to trap one. Fortunately, for them, they both outran and outsmarted us.

The next day we spent the morning walking across country with some quite tricky navigation before rejoining the coastal path at about mid-day near Lulworth cove. A couple of miles further on we had lunch overlooking Durdle Door. The weather was very warm and the views across to Portland Harbour where the Olympic sailing will be held was really impressive. We then walked on for a couple more hours before reaching the minibus and heading home. Overall it was a really good hike, but carrying all the equipment made it a very tiring couple of days.

Report by Chris Reeh, Assistant Leader