Scout Hike 6th December - Ardgillan

We had our second hike at the weekend. We were keeping it local so as to maximise our time and keep costs low. We met at the train station again @ 10am. Some of the scouts could not make it because they were sick, while some could not make it because they could not get out of bed. We won’t mention any names, James, will we?

We headed off, just after 10 am walked along the coast road to the Ladies Steps, the footbridge into Ardgillan Castle Demensne. When we got Ardgillan, there was a vote (by the scouts) to go to the Playground. We had made good time so the leaders agreed. It was half way up the hill, but somehow once it was on site, it was a sprint to get there. The scouts enjoyed the playground and it was great to see them mixing together. They really have come together well for a bunch of kids who didn’t really know each other just a few short months ago. We continued on up the hill and around the park until we came to Ardgillan Castle. It was here that we decided to hold our Investiture for Ciara and Finn, who could not attend the big one last week. We had brought the Association Flag that was presented to us and both Finn and Ciara made their promise with the rest of the troop around them. We then performed the group YELL.

Straight afterwards, we headed for some shelter from the wind and had our lunch in the trees in front of the castle. There was plenty of craic and Finn’s mum made Rock Road cake for everyone to celebrate the investiture. After lunch we headed down through the fields and then took a detout to adventure. We headed off the path and Brendan led us through a swap where we had to bash our way through. On the other side we found a Bivvy that someone had made a while ago. We explained to the scouts about Backwoods skills and bivvys. Then they were given an hour to build their own to fit their patrol in. Ciaran and Fiona supervised while Alan and Brendan built one for the leaders. The most winningest patrol was the Raven Patrol who had a brilliant design. See photos below. It could easily fit them all in and with a bit more work, could have been ready for sleeping in.

When we had finished with the Bivvys, we went to play a game of Sardines in the woods. It’s like man-hunt, except when you find the person hiding, you have to hide with them. Anthony went first and hid very close by, but the scouts ran past him. Jessica was the first to find him, so whe was on for the next game. By the time it was over, the rain had started coming down. We packed up and headed for home. On the way back, we passed Ciaran’s house. His mum was waiting with a cup of tea for Fiona. It was served in a china tea cup from a tea pot, no less, on the side of the road. Very Fancy. We arrived back at the train station ahead of scedule and so had to wait awhile for parents to arrive. The scouts are old enough now to walk home on their own, for the most part, so we’ll try that for next time. It was a great day out, but next time we are hoping to do some serious walking in the Dublin Mountains. Oh and BIG CONGRATS to Ciara & Finn. Welcome to the 89th Bremore.