The adventure started from the minute we arrived

It is impossible to capture in a few words the spirit of summer camp this year but here is a potted version. Our scouts will spot the omissions but we know! Look at the picture gallery for a taste more.

	Our scouts really earned their badges this time. Some of them getting far more than the nights away, hikes away and adventure badges planned.
	Camp cooks abounded as well as sports stars, cyclists and mountaineers. It will break the group bank but who cares!

Joining over 160 members of 1st Crowborough for their centenary camp our 11 scouts enjoyed just some of the activities that Gilwell had to offer, swimming, water polo, balance challenge, hiking and of course the campfire with Crowborough.

It was very much now and then as we camped in pop up tents, cooked on gas as a team under a jamboree shelter, played swingball, football and built a swing. We had had herbie (our camp box on a trolley) to carry our kit.

Crowborough in contrast had bugle call at 7:00am cooked on altar fires, camped in patrol tents and were in bed by 10.00pm, just when ours were making mischief!

It was great to join them there and of course to meet some overseas scouts from Denmark, Belgium, Germany and the north of England.

After a couple of days it was time to go and the train station was over a mile away walking with our kit. The scouts looked like zombies awoken from the dead as they packed for a 7:30 deadline...oops 7:45 deadline...oops an 8:00am deadline..oops..

Just then over the horizon came rescue in the form of Drew Marshall in a minibus. We scuttled aboard leaving a car at Gilwell with cookers, gas, tables and chairs, and the spare dining shelter. Only much later the question was asked what happened to the extra cheese bread and fruit.

After our farewells to Crowborough we were off!