Expedition 2026
This year, as requested by Scouts, we thought we would try something new and challenging. Specifically, how we can work towards the more challenging “Challenge” badges.
As part of this, we worked with the Scouts to capture their wishes, including:
- Places they’d like to go
- Food they’d like to eat
- Things they’d like to do
Whilst Scouts have given us a few ideas to work with, Leaders have been working behind the scenes, pulling together the necessary forms, confirmations, permissions, bookings, etc.
This year, we’ve been able to take some of our Scouts to Ramsey. We stayed at 1st Ramsey Scout Hall, which acted as our base whilst we moved around Ramsey participating in a series of activities and challenges.
Our weekend included:
- Independent travel on the Manx Electric Railway from Douglas to Ramsey. Scouts were given a short quiz to answer, which required a particular skill that should be exercised on any equally important document such as an exam: that of quickly scanning the questions first. Sometimes you may have to wait for the answer, for example, when you alight.
- Independent navigation using a map from the well known MER terminus in Ramsey to the less well-known Ramsey Scout Hall. This built on some navigation work we’ve been working on during our regular programme and we were pleased to see all Scouts were successful!
- Completion of more advanced Swimming requirements, including swimming longer distances, performing rescues and swimming in your clothes. A number of our Scouts have now “maxed out” their Swimmer Staged Badge.
- Cooking and cleaning, whilst managed by Leaders was applied by Scouts. Cutting skills, cleanliness during food preparation and afterwards and the general cooking process were all discussed and handled by our Scouts.
- We built Cardboard Chariots, which gave Scouts the opportunity to design, build and test their creations and Leaders to exercise their experience in verifying safety before racing could commence. In our various races, which were as a time trial, we learnt about centre of gravity (“how do Sidecar passengers deal with weight movement when going found a corner?”), weight (lighter payloads might mean greater speed, but sacrifices stability) and robustness of designs (one of the chariots took a lot of beating!)
- Orienteering on Mooragh Park using Pedalos. In a time limit, teams were split up so one boat had the map but the other had the answer sheet. The two halves of the same team had to work together despite this separation.
- We were fortunate enough to enjoy the hospitality of the the EnergyFM Bowl’s Tim’s Time programme for local community groups. Our Scouts were able to show off their skills vs. the pins.
- Having been given a variety of navigational instructions (eg. “turn left at ….”, “Take bearing 238 degrees”, “Walk 850 paces”) Scouts had to retrieve two parts of the single code, returning to the hall to combine their answers to decode the key and solve the riddle.
As part of this, we now have over 20 badges to award, covering:
- Teamwork
- Craft
- Swimming
- Nautical Skills
- Nights Away
- Expedition
- Outdoors
- Adventure
- Orienteering
We were fortunate to be able to meet a number of people who commented on their own respect for and time with the Scouting movement. We were also able to recognise other Scouting groups participating in events, both on and off island.
This weekend gave us an opportunity to concentrate on some specific requirements of badges but add the flexibility of time – sometimes things just take longer!
We’ve had some great feedback from this year’s adventure and are already thinking of next year’s plans …
Scouting has also taught me various skills, with possibly the most important being fire safety. With the various fire safety skills I have been taught in Scouts, some of them I never would have knew without Scouts, for example, I have learned about the vest ways to escape a house during a fire and how to protect as much of the house as I can. I may be able to help great quantities of people in a dangerous situation, if it is unfortunately needed. Also, with the information I have been given I will be able to pass it on to other people who have not been educated on the topic, helping even more people to stay safe, enabling them to help others and pass information onto even more people.
special local badge for one of our remaining term meetings by grabbing a chippy supper, of our national dish, Chips, Cheese and Gravy before heading down to the promenade to watch Culture Vannin’s specially curated Drone Show, celebrating our Year of the Language.
