In May 2024, ten of the older Scouts completed their Chief Scout Gold expedition challenge – a two day, one night challenge which saw them completing over 20 miles of hiking!
In preparation, the Scouts did four weeks of planning covering:
- Route planning
- Navigational skills
- Expedition equipment
- Emergencies
Then, on the weekend of 11th-12th May, they set off on their expedition over the South Pennines, passing some amazing landmarks on the way. They planned their route to begin at Blackstone Edge, the 472m high boundary between Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire. They then headed towards Stoodley Pike, a 37m high monument in the moors of Calder Valley, before descending down into Hebden Bridge centre. After a quick park and ice-cream stop the Scouts then hiked up another hill, bringing them to the campsite.
After tents were put up, the Scouts cooked their own lightweight expedition food on trangia stoves before having a few games of camp cricket.
On the second day, the Scouts hiked along Rochdale canal back to the Summit Inn, which was apparently considerably more challenging than the first day in the hills.
A huge thank you must go to the 10+ volunteers that supported the event throughout its planning and weeks leading up to the expedition.
