BIG FDL
3rd Gidea Park Scout Group
web site . . .
HQ. The Rowswell Hall, St Michaels Church, Gidea Park.
 Beavers (6 - 8 years) Tues & Fri | Cubs (8 - 10.5) Tues & Fri | Scouts (10.5 - 14) 7:30 Thur
 SUMMER CAMPS

It's all about Summer Camp.
Everything the Scouts do is getting ourselves ready for summer camp. This page lists as many of our summer camps as we can remember.


 
 SUMMER CAMPS
Prior to the 1960s it gets a bit complicated because the group often had an Easter trip to Europe and a UK based summer camp...sometimes followed by an August trip to Switserland. A lot of these trips were joint trips with the Brentwood School Troop.
1959 Ireland Westport
1959 (April) Sicily Palermo, Marsala, Arigento
1958 (August) Switserland

Bonigen

1958

1958 Wales Barmouth
1958 (April) France Urrugne
1957 Scotland Oban
1957 England Stutton Coldfield (World Scout Jamboree)
1957 (April) Switserland Lausanne - Rhone Valley - Simplon - Stresa - Milan (Italy) - Florence (Italy) - Sori (Italy) - Menton (France) 


 
 1956 - Late August
scouts
GP Station
WHERE: Switzerland
BASECAMP: Mont Pelerin and Champery
NUMBER OF SCOUTS: ?
NUMBER OF ROVERS: ?
THE BIG HIKE:

Susanfe pass (2493m)

REPORT:  

 1956 - Early August
scouts
 
WHERE: Dartmoor
BASECAMP: Okehampton
NUMBER OF SCOUTS: ?
NUMBER OF ROVERS: ?
THE BIG HIKE:

An overnight hike from Basecamp in Okehampton, across the Dartmoor to Two Bridges and back.

REPORT:  

 1956 - April
scouts
Italy 1956
Merano (Tirolo Village) April 1956
WHERE: Italy
BASECAMP: Venice, Merano, and Riva
NUMBER OF SCOUTS: ?
NUMBER OF ROVERS: ?
THE BIG HIKE:

?

REPORT:  

 1955 - April
scouts
1955
WHERE: Malta
BASECAMP: Malta - 1st visit by UK troop!
NUMBER OF SCOUTS: 21
NUMBER OF ROVERS: 0
THE BIG HIKE:

?

REPORT: Report

 1955 - Summer
scouts
WHERE: Ireland
BASECAMP: Baronscourt, Newtownstewart and Carrick Donnegal
NUMBER OF SCOUTS: ?
NUMBER OF ROVERS: 0
THE BIG HIKE: Bessy Bell

 1955 - September
scouts
 
WHERE: England
BASECAMP: Bisham Meadow - Marlow
NUMBER OF SCOUTS: ?
NUMBER OF ROVERS: 0
THE BIG HIKE:

?


 
 1954 - AUGUST (Late August)
scouts

WHERE: Wales
BASECAMP: Llyn Crafnant
NUMBER OF SCOUTS: 14
NUMBER OF LEADERS: 1
REPORT:

Parish Magazine Article



 1954 - SWITSERLAND (AUGUST 8th - 18th)
scouts

1954
Ralph Roos and Bill Girdwood (ASM) allong with some Brentwood Scouts

WHERE: Switserland
BASECAMP: Schaffhausen Scout HQ & then St Morits
NUMBER OF SCOUTS: 11?
NUMBER OF LEADERS: 2-3?
REPORT:

Parish Magazine Article



 1954 - APRIL
scouts

1954
Outside the Athens YMCA with Air Vice Marshal Papaspiros R.H.A.F (Retired)

WHERE: Greece
BASECAMP: Vouliagmeni (1st UK Troop)
NUMBER OF SCOUTS: Not known
NUMBER OF LEADERS: Not Known
REPORT:

Parish Magazine Article


 
 SUMMER 1953
1953 Scotland Strathpeffer (First English Scouts)

The Summer Camp site was by LOCH ACHILTY, a pretty sheet of some half a square mile of water four miles from the now deserted Spa village of STRATHPEFFER in Eastern ROSS shire. We were near the great Falls of ROGIE, where we watched salmon leaping; and the Fails of CONON at the foot of LOCH LUICHART where we saw the new hydro-electric works under construction. In the cource of some 90 miles of hiking we also visited the Glen ORRIN Falls, and climbed the 1900 ft. peak of SCURR MACASAIDN. one day we crossed to the Isle of Skye, after a six mile walk to ACHTERNEED station, followed by a 50 mile railway journey to KYLE of LOCHALSH, one of the most wildly beautiful routes in Britain. Some of us were kindly afforded a motor-ride to ULLAPOOL, further north along the West Coast, seeing the colossal Falls of Measach in the Corrie Halloch Gorge; though this road traverses Scotland from East Coast to West, so sparse is the population that only three villages and moorland inn are encountered on the whole journey with a score or so of isolated cottages.

The greatest adventures if the fortnight was the 32 mile 2 day walk and climb over Ben Wyvis (3,429 ft high) into Glen Glass. We had afternoon tea on the summit cairn amid cloud, drizzle, wind and many square miles of Caledonia storm and wild.  We camped overnight in an empty cottage, cooked breakfast by a stream and proceeded to find the black rock or Devil’s Gorge near Evanton. This is one of the most terrifying things in Scotland, for one comes upon it without warning of any kind.  The river forces its way through a chasm nearly a mile long, one yard wide at the foot and only 3 or 4 yards wide at the top but some 120 ft deep.  In the depths is an invisible but audible waterfall. 

The standard of camping was consistently good the dry pits almost rivalling the Black Rock for depth. The weather after the first four days was cloudy with plenteous drizzle but this did not penetrate the surrounding foliage.

Among the fauna observed were lizards, mountain hare and red deer, Hooded Crow, red Grouse, ptarmigan, peregrine falcon and buzzard. Flora included water lily, gipsywort, gentian, marsh pennywort, wild genenium, bog asphodel, bog myrtle of course miles of marsh cotton and heather.

We are greatly indebted to the Assistant County Commissioner, Mr. Macrae for very kind and effective assistance in obtaining the site for us and for his continued services while we were there.

 
 
 APRIL 1953
WHERE: Italy
BASECAMP: Sori, Rome
NUMBER OF SCOUTS: 17 members.
NUMBER OF LEADERS:  
JOURNEY:


REPORT:

A report can be found here.

 
 
 1952
1952 Ireland Lough gill, Sligo.

It’s not clear exactly where the base camp site was other than on the shore and within rowing distance of Sligo for shopping. We do know our Scouts emulated the local scouts by rowing out to and camping on various islands. This included the island of Innisfree which was made famous by W.B. Yeats with his poem The lake Isle of Innisfree.

 
 1946 - 1952 - CAMPING RECORD
scouts

POST WAR CAMPING ACHIEVENTS BY MEMBERS OF 3GP

In the first six years after the end of the 2nd World War 3GP camped for 200 nights. The following members campered for 100 nights or more.

  • Brian Lloyd
  • John Paisley
  • Michael Jones (12,000 miles)
  • Malcolm Pattrick
  • Derek Hayward (12,00 miles)
  • David Hunt
  • Allen Matthews (200 nights) (16,000 miles)
  • Ian Frost
  • Roger Bell
  • Colin Banks
  • Paul Matthews (150 nights)
  • Normal Meakins
  • Bill Girdwood
  • John Sixsmith
  • David Sixsmith
  • John Smith
  • Graham Meakins
  • Richard Stringer
  • Martin Sixsmith
  • Keith Reilly

 1952 - APRIL
scouts
1952 Swiss
WHERE: Italy
BASECAMP: Locarno Scout Camp Site on the shore of lake Maggiore
NUMBER OF SCOUTS: 22 From 3GP, 1 From 8th Romford, 1 From 45th West Ham and 36 from Brentwood School.
NUMBER OF LEADERS: 10
JOURNEY:

Locarno - Belfort - Delle - Moutier - Bern - Lotschberg (Kandersteg!) - Simplon - Domodossola - Locarno - Bellinzona - St Gotthard - Luzern - Basel


 
 1951 - AUGUST
scouts

1951
Campsite on the trianglar green in the centre of the village of Martindale.

WHERE: The English Lake District
BASECAMP: Martindale.
NUMBER OF SCOUTS: 14 from 3GP + Brentwood School.
THE BIG HIKE:

Overnight via High Street to Ambleside and back via Kirkstone Pass and Patterdale.

 

Attended Sunday service in the parish church St Peters. Also held our own week day morning service in the 16th century Old Church using the pre-war service sheets.


 
 1951 - JULY
scouts

Lapland
11:30pm on the Kungsleden Trail.

1951
Fording a stream on the Kungsleden.

1951
Abisko camp site.

WHERE: The Arctic - Swidish Lapland
BASECAMP: Abisko on lake Tornetrask 150 miles beyond the arctic circle.
NUMBER OF SCOUTS: 8 from 3GP + 10 From Brentwood School.
THE BIG HIKE:

Nuolja - First Brits that year
The first part of the 425 kilometer-long Kungsleden hiking trail,

 

Valby, Copenhagen. Use of troop HQ granted as a transit camp. Abisko (Lapland) At the time the most northerly camp arranged by any UK troop.

It was a 2100 mile journey by boat and train.


 
 1951 - APRIL
scouts

1951
G.D. "Doc" Cluer at the campsite in a former flower market in Ospedaletti.

WHERE: Italy - The Italian Riviera
BASECAMP: Ospedaletti, Sori
NUMBER OF SCOUTS: 10 from 3GP, 2 from 1st Emerson Park (7th Squirrels Heath), 1 from 1st Aresford, 1 from 1st Hutton, 1 from 45th West Ham (Stratford Parish Church) + Brentwood School.
NUMBER OF LEADERS: 7
THE BIG HIKE:

Monte Nero - Views of Corsica
Monte Bignone (1299 m)

REPORT: Parish magazine Article & Itinery
  Included a trip to Monaco

 
 1950 - AUGUST
scouts
1950
Above right are Pat, Dave, Ricky and Tom
WHERE: Wales
BASECAMP: Bryn Moel Llanycil Bala
NUMBER OF SCOUTS: 17
NUMBER OF ROVERS: 0
THE BIG HIKE:

Aran Fawddwy - 905m (From Drws-y-nant Station)
Arenig Faw - 854m (From "a wayside station" probably Arenig)

REPORT: Parish Magazine Article

 
 1950 - APRIL
scouts
 
WHERE: Italy & Sicily
BASECAMP: Rome, Taormina (1st UK Troop to Sicily)
NUMBER OF SCOUTS: 24 3GP Scouts + 31 from Brentwood School and 1 each from 7th Romford, 1st South Weald, 1st Epping Forrest South and 1st Alresford.
NUMBER OF ROVERS: 1 Rover Mate from 3GP (Ray Dallas)
THE BIG HIKE:  
REPORT:

April Camp 1950

NOTES:

First visit of any Scouts from UL to Sicily
First visit of the year of UK Scouts to Italy.

 


 SUMMER CAMPS

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