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Scout camp

I woke up this morning recalling Easter cub/scout camps of my childhood, especially cooking baked potatoes in foil on the fire with baked beans. But I can't remember if we used a pan for the beans. I also recall the sizzle of sausages and drinking weak tea or coco. There is something primitive and yet great about eating off a camp fire. I don't suppose they have open fires these days. When my mates suddenly dropped out of the scouts because it was no longer cool, at the age of about 13, I was distraught! But I also quit, sheep that I am.
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Comments

  • How would you cook baked beans without a pan? 
  • Thought you were going to start singing that Charlton song. 
  • Chizz said:
    How would you cook baked beans without a pan? 
    In the tin. Place in the ashes.
  • Hammer Wood. Spent  a few camps there.
  • Went from beavers up to chief scout though was definitely something my mum pushed as I would've been quite prepared to leave when I realised it wasn't "cool". Certainly kept it from school mates!

    @SporadicAddick one lasting memory of Hammerwood was the old bloke in the tuck shop using his extremely grubby hands to handle the sweets! 
  • I am a scout helper in Dartford, yes we do still cook on fires and the kids love it. 
    Beavers is the one thing my little lad of 7 still gets to enjoy each week, even through the Easter holidays when usually it would have been on holiday as well.  It is done through Zoom link but his group leader is a wonderful lady and it is the highlight of his week as it was when he physically attended.

    Really is such a wonderful movement and proven how popular by the fact there was a 3 year waiting list for him to be able to start.
    Glad he enjoys it, I started helping as a parent when my daughter started scouts at 10, she is now 22 and I can’t seem to leave it dispute me thinking this is my last year. , We are running our group online at the moment, it’s a learning curve for us all 🙄
  • Contrary to the thought above that less risk would be taken due to Health and Safety (e.g. no fires) my two sons have spent nights away in Downe camping from the age of 6.  I don't recall camping at such a young age, but the leaders and movement do such an amazing job for the kids and they love the freedom often not afforded in the modern world.  
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  • RolandsOut said:I
    Contrary to the thought above that less risk would be taken due to Health and Safety (e.g. no fires) my two sons have spent nights away in Downe camping from the age of 6.  I don't recall camping at such a young age, but the leaders and movement do such an amazing job for the kids and they love the freedom often not afforded in the modern world.  
    Glad your kids enjoyed it, Downe is a great camp site but expensive for groups especially if numbers are light. We have been many times with our group at different times, the kids love it as with it being a scout only allows a little more freedom as aposed to others. 
  • I am a scout helper in Dartford, yes we do still cook on fires and the kids love it. 
    Justin, which Group are you with? I retired ater a spell of bad health and pressure of work just over 10 years ago. However I had been in Dartford scouting for much of my life. The two Group's I was involved with were 8th Dartford and Sutton. 
  • We do lots of visits to local scout/Beaver groups down here particularly when the groups are earning certain badges. 
  • @RolandsOut one of my boys did that last year (aged 8) with Boys Brigade.

    He loved it, I can’t remember ever feeling so apprehensive while he was away!
  • Boys Brigade > Scouts
  • Veteran of G57 (Greenwich SAS Division) and used to meet up at Charlton URC Hall up Bramshot Avenue, before taking our outfit up to John Roan. 

    We always used the Scouts Camp at Downe near Biggin Hill, can't remember what time of year, just rememebr other Scout troops going Canada and places like that and we'd go to Downe, 5 minutes up the road
    I was in the 9th Dartford cubs and scouts. 

    Looking back, I suspect that my first "camping" with the Cubs would have been in one of the lodges at Downe, I would have been young and it was all very exciting!

    The furthest I went with the Scouts was Poole I think, where we camped. I remember visiting Brownsea Island.
  • redman said:
    I am a scout helper in Dartford, yes we do still cook on fires and the kids love it. 
    Justin, which Group are you with? I retired ater a spell of bad health and pressure of work just over 10 years ago. However I had been in Dartford scouting for much of my life. The two Group's I was involved with were 8th Dartford and Sutton. 
    @redman I am at 9th Dartford, by Dunelm on Heath Lane.
  • Used to love campfire food. Best was chocolate buttons in bananas, wrapped in foil
  • McBobbin said:
    Used to love campfire food. Best was chocolate buttons in bananas, wrapped in foil
    Totally this. Cut the banana skin, insert chocolate buttons to taste but really between 50mm and 1 cm, wrap in foil and leave in the outside embers of the fire. 

    Still do this whenever I am allowed a fire. Food of the gods. 
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  • Talal said:
    Went from beavers up to chief scout though was definitely something my mum pushed as I would've been quite prepared to leave when I realised it wasn't "cool". Certainly kept it from school mates!

    @SporadicAddick one lasting memory of Hammerwood was the old bloke in the tuck shop using his extremely grubby hands to handle the sweets! 
    You're Bear Grylls?
  • My lad did a sleep over with Beavers in a church Hall with 3 groups just before the lock down.  In hindsight it probably should have been cancelled but he absolutely loved it with all the games and fun they had.
  • Veteran of G57 (Greenwich SAS Division) and used to meet up at Charlton URC Hall up Bramshot Avenue, before taking our outfit up to John Roan. 

    We always used the Scouts Camp at Downe near Biggin Hill, can't remember what time of year, just rememebr other Scout troops going Canada and places like that and we'd go to Downe, 5 minutes up the road
    I was in the 9th Dartford cubs and scouts. 

    Looking back, I suspect that my first "camping" with the Cubs would have been in one of the lodges at Downe, I would have been young and it was all very exciting!

    The furthest I went with the Scouts was Poole I think, where we camped. I remember visiting Brownsea Island.
    We were always in tents mate. Not good for my brother and fellow scouts one time as about 6 of us was in a tent, with me at one end and at the top of a small slope and I used to wet the bed. 
  • Veteran of G57 (Greenwich SAS Division) and used to meet up at Charlton URC Hall up Bramshot Avenue, before taking our outfit up to John Roan. 

    We always used the Scouts Camp at Downe near Biggin Hill, can't remember what time of year, just rememebr other Scout troops going Canada and places like that and we'd go to Downe, 5 minutes up the road
    I was in the 9th Dartford cubs and scouts. 

    Looking back, I suspect that my first "camping" with the Cubs would have been in one of the lodges at Downe, I would have been young and it was all very exciting!

    The furthest I went with the Scouts was Poole I think, where we camped. I remember visiting Brownsea Island.
    We were always in tents mate. Not good for my brother and fellow scouts one time as about 6 of us was in a tent, with me at one end and at the top of a small slope and I used to wet the bed. 

    We used to go to Downe as well, we were in the 21st Lewisham North group, if I recall correctly there was a bloody great big slope there that you had to cart the camp fire wood back up from the woods to the campsite.

    We did most of our camping down at Hammerwood, East Grinstead, where it was a lot more remote and you had to take everything with you as there were no shops for miles.

    Had some great laughs down there.
  • 6th Mottingham Spitfires I was in , wasn’t too cool back in the day but we played football on Mottingham Playinf Fields and I can recall going camping once , no idea where but it was fun

    Akela, I will do my best to do my duty ....
  • I can't remember exactly where it was we went on Guide camp, but Cudham rings a bell. We were also in tents on bloody great slope, so I ended up waking up at 4am each morning with only my head still inside the tent. Luckily it didn't rain so my sleeping bag just got a bit dewy and dried out fairly quickly.
  • I was in 7th Royal Eltham Cubs and Scouts (then based at Deansfield School), but don’t think it exists anymore.

    Can’t remember much about Cubs apart from being nervous the first time I went. With the Scouts though, we went up Snowdon and Tryfan, the Peak District and a few more. Plus other Camps.

    Wasn’t concerned about being uncool as I was never one to hang outside McDonalds.

    My other half put my Son in Beavers, aged 6 and he has just started Scouts, my daughter also went to Beavers and is now in Cubs (she is in Brownies also) and our 5 year old starts Beavers later this year... hopefully.

    They’ve been on quite few camps, one of the favourites being a summer family camp weekend at Downe. Seeing how hard everyone works feeding 80-100 people, when asked if I could help out on a weekly basis by the assistant leader, she’s also a family friend, I thought no, but said yes. It’s a good way to pay back what Scouts did for me, to spend time with my children and to help other kids get off their iPads!


  • Veteran of G57 (Greenwich SAS Division) and used to meet up at Charlton URC Hall up Bramshot Avenue, before taking our outfit up to John Roan. 

    We always used the Scouts Camp at Downe near Biggin Hill, can't remember what time of year, just rememebr other Scout troops going Canada and places like that and we'd go to Downe, 5 minutes up the road
    Veteran of G57 (Greenwich SAS Division) and used to meet up at Charlton URC Hall up Bramshot Avenue, before taking our outfit up to John Roan. 

    We always used the Scouts Camp at Downe near Biggin Hill, can't remember what time of year, just rememebr other Scout troops going Canada and places like that and we'd go to Downe, 5 minutes up the road

    Downe was a regular site for scout jamborees from troops all over south England .. WELL back in the day 
  • @RolandsOut one of my boys did that last year (aged 8) with Boys Brigade.

    He loved it, I can’t remember ever feeling so apprehensive while he was away!
    The Boy's Brigade, oh those were the days. None of that stupid 'dib dib dib' malarkey and 'Arkela, we will do our best' stuff. Absolutely loved the Boy's Brigade and actually met up with my old Captain when in Norfolk last year but I digress. We went on some great summer camps - Harlech, Isle of Wight, Burnham on Sea, Seaford to name a few. Very fond memories of being in The Boy's Brigade.
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