Gertie goes adventuring (again)!

Skip
Sep 12, 2016
2 min read

Gertie has had many adventures, both in the UK and overseas. From our own small camps and sleepovers to the Derbyshire international Peak camps, she has spent many nights under the UK stars. But she has also camped with Guides in Denmark and across Australia (in the bush in SA and at Sydney’s Taronga Zoo) and New Zealand (in a volcano and a kiwi burrow).

But one location was missing and last weekend, Gertie had a great idea – she planned to go and see where the first ever Scout camp was held.

She headed off to Foxlease, Girlguiding UK’s training and activity centre in the middle of the New Forerst, but no roughing it under canvas this time. Gertie stayed in very comfortable en suite accommodation in the Georgian mansion!

It was a busy afternoon, checking out all of the activities and things to do on site and in the New Forest. There were ponies, cows, donkeys and pigs all wandering through the unfenced forest.

The following day, making the short, calm ferry crossing from Sandbanks, she arrived at Brownsea Island quay, where the first two Scout patrols arrived, over 100 years ago in 1907, to take part in Robert, Lord Baden Powell’s experimental camp. He would decide at the end of the week whether his plans for Scouting would be launched.

Avoiding the ice cream shop (for the moment!) she began her hike across the heather covered island to the south shore where the original camp was held and where the Scout Activity Centre has now been built. Despite concentrating hard on any movement in the undergrowth, none of the sitka deer or any of the 200 red squirrels were spotted today, but there were plenty of peacocks with very cute chicks.

At the centre, there were plenty of Guides and Scouts heading off for the beach to get onto the water or into the woodland to work on service projects for the National Trust.

A little further along the track, she found the Scout Stone, commemorating the first camp. (and, finally, a red squirrel popped up!)

The visitor centre had lots of information about the experimental camp, including this programme. Skip wasn’t sure about the 6,00am start, but did think that the 1pm activity should be re-instated!

Back in Poole, Gertie posed for photos with Lord Baden Powell who was sporting one of our neckers!

So, 109 years on - and with the addition of Guides (1910), Brownies (1914), Rangers (1916), Cubs (1916), Beavers (1986) and Rainbows (1987) and with over 1 million Guides and Scouts members in the UK, over 40 million worldwide.– it’s fair to say that the first camp was a great forerunner of things to come!