This November, we invited the Cubs to Braid Wood Campsite in Chesham, for a 1 night action packed residential.

The Leaders were excited to announce the introduction of our new ‘Cub of the Camp’ trophy, to be awarded to the Cub who showed teamwork, leadership, kindness and a positive attitude, as well as Cub skills. Who will win the trophy this weekend? (keep reading to find out…)

The campsite at Braid Wood is a beautiful location, situated between the villages of Bellingdon and Asheridge. We were fortunate enough to have the entire site to ourselves for the weekend. We decided it was a bit chilly for camping under canvas, so we made use of the indoor dormitory.

The Cubs began the weekend by practising using the camping stoves and making themselves (and the Leaders) some hotdogs.

After lunch, we moved into the woods and the Cubs built some very imaginative dens. These were equipped with retaining walls, fireplaces, roof lights and al fresco dining areas.

After a quick snack break, we moved deeper into the woods to practice our bushcraft. We were joined by the amazing Huw, who talked to the Cubs about one of their most favourite activities – lighting fires!

The Cubs learnt about all the different ways that fires can be started. Do you know that Doritos crisps are actually really good for starting fires? The Cubs practiced using the strikers to start fires with cotton wool, wire wool and char cloth.

After dinner, we were back outside for a campfire. The Cubs enjoyed marshmallows, toasted waffles and hot chocolate.

After a while it started to rain, so we dashed inside to dry off, warm up and watch a movie on the big screen. It was lovely to see some very unique camp blankets on display, decorated with a variety of badges.

The next day, the Cubs were up bright and early! After an amazing breakfast (thanks Leaders) we prepared for our hike. We talked about all the right (and wrong) things to pack in our hiking bag.

Then we embarked on our hike, with the Cubs doing the map reading along the way. They did a great job of navigating, and surprisingly, they didn’t get us lost once!

3 hours and 8km later, the Cubs were back at base ready for an afternoon of fun and games with Chil.

Finally, it was time to close camp and say goodbye. But, before we did, we learnt that Jamie S was the winner of ‘Cub of the Camp’. Jamie was a deserved winner of the trophy, listening carefully to instructions throughout the weekend, supporting other Cubs, and demonstrating some great Cub skills.

The judge also had a special mention for Henry O for being a fantastic role model Sixer.

Well done boys!

The Cubs have earnt lots of badges this weekend, which will be coming home next week. One of the badges that the Cubs have to look forward to is the autumn camp quadrant for camp blankets…

Until next time…