Having Fun On A Winter Camp
While most of the United Kingdom had ground to halt due to severe winter weather 2500 hardy Scouts aged between ten and eighteen enjoyed a weekend of winter camping fun.
If you, like me, need a warm, comfortable bed at night then you will find it hard to understand why anyone would want to spend several nights sleeping under canvas in sub-zero temperatures. But as one hardy young explorer scout told me it’s all about being prepared (the old scout motto). This means having the right camping equipment and some good quality, warm outdoor clothing and plenty of layers.
Organisers had laid on no less than 70 adventurous outdoor activities for the boys and girls to have a go at over the weekend. These included abseiling, zorbing, orienteering along with trampolining and snowboarding.
Making certain that the scouts were all safe was a key factor. Organisers carried out risk assessments regarding the journey to the Gilwell campsite in East London as well as the dangers of sleeping out in freezing conditions.
To keep warm at night, when temperatures plummeted to minus six degrees Celsius (21 degrees Fahrenheit), the hardy scouts doubled up on sleeping bags and squeezed together with fellow scouts to share body warmth.
When I chatted to a few of the tough young scouts they said that the key to staying warm in these winter conditions was to wear plenty of warm layers. They recommended at least 7 layers on the body with at least two pairs of gloves and thick warm socks. They also suggested that I should wear a warm hat as a lot of the bodies heat can be lost through the head (something to do with its surface area, so I was told).
Although I could see that these scouts were clearly having a great time in the snowy winter conditions I was glad to get home to a hot cup of cocoa and my warm, comfortable bed.
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