WRAY CASTLE 1980

Reports of summer camp are in separate pdf files accessible from the links above

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        Summary of Summer Camp at Wray Castle, Ambleside 1980

ATTENDANCE

Scouters

SL Alistair B. Cram, ASL Kenny W. Paton (QM Food), ASL Graham L. Patrick (Glip), ASL David McElroy, ASL David Bolster, Peter Bennett (weekend only),  CSL Anne Watker (Akela) (long weekend only).

Venture Scouts/Young Leaders

Colin Terris, Murray Brabender, Guy Grant.

Paralytic Polecats (Curlew) Patrol

PL Brian McCready, APL John Kerr, Craig Griffin, David Gordon, Fraser Gibson, Graeme Simpson.

Spud Bashers (Eagle) Patrol 

PL Robbie Mochrie, APLAndrew Wilson, Graham Bolster, Kevin Byng, Robert Wright, Calum Glenny.

Scheming Stoats (Falcon) Patrol 

PL Douglas MacEwan, APL Alistair McCready, David McEwing, Andrew Ross, Callum Gillespie.

Randy Pikes (Fox) Patrol         

PL Tommy Boag, Acting APL Andrew Davies, APL Glen Grant,  David Whiteford, Andrew Firth.

Frisky Ferrets (Stag) Patrol

PL David Eadie, APL Colin Roach, APL Sandy Thomson, Mark Edgar, John McEwing.

Drunken Ducks (Tiger) Patrol

PL Kenny Kerr, APL Robert Lawrie, Gordon Brabander, Colin Spiers, Alistair Grant.

Cub Scouts (1st-4th August)

Kenny Blair, Kenneth MacKenzie, Craig Adams, Neil MacCallum, Richard Barclay.

Visitors (1st-3rd August)

Stuart L. Patrick, Graeme MacBeth, Alistair Bennett.

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There were six  patrols in camp out of a possible total of eight. Six of the Troop’s eight PLs were present as well as seven of the Troop’s eight APLs. In total, there were 32 Scouts at the camp, representing about 67% of the Scouts in the troop. With the arrival of the Cubs and visitors between 1st and 3rd August, the attendance of Scouters, Venture Scouts, Scouts and Cubs peaked at 51 during that weekend.

Overview

The 1980 summer camp at Wray Castle, Ambleside, was the second (and last) summer camp to be held there by the 70th. The first visit to Wray Castle was in 1976, and so there were a significant number of Scouts and Leaders making their second visit to the campsite (A.B.Cram, K.W.Paton, Glip, C.Terris, M.Brabender, G.Grant, T.Boag, B.McCready., D. Eadie, R. Mochrie). The attendance at Wray Castle in 1980 was a respectable 32 Scouts plus a strong contingent of 5 Scouters and 3 Young Leaders (Venture Scouts).

The weather during camp was mixed, as one might expect in the Lake District. There were several sunny, warm days, but there were also times when it was wet and dismal. The worst of the weather arrived on the final day, when the camp was being struck. It then poured non-stop. 

The standards of camping and behaviour were excellent and were symbolic of the 1980s as a whole. The Patrol Leaders proved themselves to be highly competent and responsible, while the Scouts behaved extremely well both in and out of camp and were a credit to the Troop. There were only three 'incidents' to speak of throughout the camp and none of them were particularly serious. Unlike other Summer Camps, Glip did not assign star ratings for the Scouts attending when he wrote his log book account. However, it seems likely that 30 of the 32 the Scouts attending would have been rated as ‘good', ‘very good ’ or ‘impressive’. 

The campsite itself was ideal for a typical 70th Summer Camp in that it was slightly hilly with woods that were suitable for kitchen shelters, civvies and wide games. There were also sufficient flat areas for tents and games whileLake Windermere was easily accessible for water activities. Needless to say, there was an abundance of hills and mountains within range of the campsite that were suitable for hikes and hill climbs. Being a recognised Scout campsite, there were water taps located around the site as well as a toilet block. It also seems likely that a supply of pioneering timber and firewood was available on site. Finally, Ambleside was within easy driving distance for visits and supplies. Having said all that, the big disadvantage to the site was its popularity and so several Troops were camping there and the space allocated to each Troop was quite restricted - probably about 10-20% of what the 70th would have preferred. As a result, it was impossible to position Patrol sites out of sight of each other. Indeed, 4 of the Patrol tents and 3 of the  kitchen shelters had to be  pitched immediately beside each other. 

As far as games and activities were concerned, these included archery, camp golf,  cricket, football and water activities. Cricket seemed particularly popular at Wray Castle this year. There was also an evening wide game on the 29th July which involved the Scouts trying to hunt down the Young Leaders. Unknown to the Young Leaders, the Scouts were told that the Young Leaders were Russian agents carrying a contagious disease (Olympititis) that could only be cured by a liberal dowsing of water. On the theme of water activities, Lake Windermere was easily accessible for swimming, canoeing and lilo paddling, and there were frequent visits to the Lake throughout camp. A game of water polo was also played at one point amongst the canoeists. On another occasion, Alistair Bennett and Glip gave all the Scouts on lilo beds a tow across the bay. A new water activity was also invented which involved riding the camp bikes in the Lake. David Gordon made a name for himself by hurtling down a slope on his bike into the Lake. David remerged from the waves, but not the bike, and a salvage operation had to be carried out to recover the bike. There was also a spot where abseiling could be done (possibly close to the water), although the exact spot has not yet been identified. The Lake was also the venue for a barbecue on the 1st August. No sporting competitions were held during the camp and the terrain was judged unsuitable for croquet. Finally, a Camp Olympics/Sports Day was scheduled for the afternoon of the 1st August, but had to be cancelled due to rain.

 

Training and testing sessions were held regularly throughout the camp, covering the various tests associated with the Scout Standard and Advanced Scout Standard. This included making bivouacs, and a number of Scouts spent a less than comfortable night to test them out. There were also plenty of opportunities to pass tests such as firelighting, cooking, axe and saw, felling axe, map and compass and first aid. A number of Proficiency Badges were also covered such as the Observer, Mountaineer, Explorer and Map Maker. Kenny Kerr gained his Advanced Scout Standard, while David McEwing, Colin Spiers, John McEwing, and Callum Gillespie gained the Observers Proficiency Badge. Colin Roach, Graham Bolster, Andrew Wilson, David Eddie, Douglas MacEwan and Robbie Mochrie all finished off their Mountaineer's Proficiency Badge. Regarding hill activities, nine Scouts and two Leaders successfully completed Fairfield (2863') by the Fairfield horseshoe on the 1st August. On the 5th August, 3 Patrol Leaders, 1 Young Leader and a leader attempted to climb The Old Man of Coniston by the northern shoulder. However, they were defeated by poor weather and lack of time. On the other hand, a group of 6 Scouts and 2 leaders successfully reached the summit of a 2000' mountain (possibly the Pike of Bliss (2304').

 

Two groups of Scouts (8 in total) attempted their Advanced Scout Standard hike (4th-5th August). Due to the relatively poor weather forecast, they were given a low-level route that involved following single-track roads. The exact route was not recorded but it involved the Scouts hiking to Seathwaite from the south then camping overnight before hiking over Wrynose Pass the following day. Two groups of younger Scouts also completed a day hike on the 5th August that counted towards their Scout Standard (Wray Castle to Hawkshead and back). This hike was organised and monitored by the PLs who were not otherwise engaged in hikes or climbs. There was also a two-day hike (4th-5th August) carried out to the north of Ambleside by the Scouts attempting the Explorer Proficiency Badge. Unfortunately, there are no records off their exact route or of any projects that they might have completed.

 

Two substantial pioneering projects were completed during the camp by the PLs, Young Leaders and Scouters. The first of these was a portcullis gateway into the campsite. Unfortunately, a photograph was not taken of the construction but it is can be faintly seen in the background of one of the photos shown on the website and was clearly a substantial construction. The other project was a camp swing which took several days to build and strengthen. A photograph of it in action is on the website. 

 

There were several day trips during the camp. On the 29th July, the Scouts were given the opportunity to visit Ambleside during the afternoon. As well as shopping, some Scouts hired a rowing boat on Lake Windermere and encountered David Bolster and Glip who had canoed to Ambleside from the campsite. On the 31st July, the Troop donned uniform and took part in a day trip down Lake Windermere by boat, train, and car/minibus. The troop was split into two groups. The first group was driven into Ambleside where they caught the MV Swan with sailed down the length of Lake Windermere. At Lakeside, the Scouts disembarked and caught a steam train which carried them along a surviving stretch of single-track line to Haverthwaite. The minibus then collected them at the station and drove them to Fell Foot Park on the southern shores of Lake Windermere where a packed lunch was held with the second group of Scouts. The first group of Scouts were then transported by car and minibus back to the campsite. The second group of Scouts did the same journey but in the opposite direction. Logistically, the success of the trip relied heavily on cars and minibus being in the right place at the right time to shuttle Scouts to and from Fell Foot Park and Haverthwaite. On the 2nd August, it was the turn of Bowness to be invaded, this time by Cub Scouts, Scouts, Venture Scouts and Scouters (once again in full uniform). The Scouts were let loose in Bowness and many took the opportunity to play crazy golf and pitch and putt. Later, when it started to rain, cafes became popular. Meanwhile the Scouters had a lunch as far away from the Scouts as possible, near Newby Bridge. On the 4th August, those Scouts not involved in ASS or Explorer Badge hikes viisted Troutbeck Bridge Swimming Pool, then purchased ice lollies at the Post Office shop. Finally, on the 6th August, many of the Scouts took the opportunity to visit Ambleside to buy last minute presents. Others visited the village of Hawkshead where Kenny Paton treated them to milky coffee. Some of the Scouts visiting Hawkshead were carrying out a project related to the Explorers Badge, but the nature of this was not recorded.

 

Due to the amount of driving here, there and everywhere, the Scouts had plenty of opportunity to perfect their singing skills and the quality of singing was extremely good with several Scouts providing excellent descants for songs such as 'I've got Sixpence', 'The Jimmy Green Song', 'Nelly the Elephant' The 'Jelly Piece Song', 'Small Town in Germany' and 'The Sun has got his Hat on' to name but a few. Tommy Boag's Patrol in camp kept up the standard of singing, and dinner preparations at the Randy Pike Patrol were usually accompanied by Tommy Boag's Patrol choir in full voice. The quality of singing in church on the 3rd August was also excellent, although this was probably more to do with the church choir than the Scouts. Unlike 1976 when the Scouts attended a local Anglican service and felt like fish out of water, the Troop visited a Methodist Church in North Ambleside.  It is assumed that the colours were carried and that there was a short parade before and after the service. However, there is no photographic or log book evidence of this. Attendance at Church marked the 'Duty to God' aspect of the Scout Promise. The Scouts also had the opportunity to experience the 'Worldwide Brotherhood of Scouting' by meeting Scouts from other troops in camp. One of these was the 6th Beeston who were camping nearby. Several of their leaders signed the Troop Log Book and there may have been some neckerchief swapping during the camp. David McEwing certainly swapped his neckerchief as seen on one of the photographs taken during the coach journey home.

 

​​During the camp, various awards were made as previously described. Another involved the presentation of cakes, frisbees and birthday cards to Glen Grant and Colin Roach, both of whom had a birthday during the camp. At the end of the camp, various Scouting awards were made. David Gordon (Disaster) and John McEwing (Muslet) jointly won the Novice of the Year. Glen Grant won the Camper of the Year, while Andrew Firth was the first Scout to win the prestigious title of Camp Twit. The Scout of the Year was not identified and it is possible that this was delayed until the next Patrol Leaders Council  when all the PLs would be present to voice their opinions. If there was an award for the most secretive Scout at Camp, that would have gone to Kenny Kerr who was careful to ensure that his Patrol Box was padlocked at all times when not in use. The Scouters were highly suspicious of this and suspected that Kenny was hiding firelighters in his Patrol Box. It was only later that that the Scouters discovered that the Patrol Box concealed a gas-fuelled 'flamethrower' which proved far more effective at lighting fires than firelighters. Of course, all the other PLs (and possibly the Scouts too) were fully aware of the existence of the 'flamethrower' and may well have borrowed it on the odd occasion. Kenny continued using his 'secret weapon' at Coldstream, then bequeathed it to Robert Lawrie who used it to burn out a wasps nest at Templar's Park in 1982. It is not known what became of the flamethrower after that.

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Finally, the Lake District delivered its heaviest and most prolonged rain storm on the 7th August when the Troop was striking all the canvas. As a result, the canvas was soaked. Tommy Boag remembers folding up his kitchen shelter and finding that it was so waterlogged that it was impossible to lift.  Eventually, it was manhandled to the coach and placed inside the coach on the aisle. Throughout the journey home, a small river flowed down the passageway from the kitchen shelter, while the windows became coated in moisture.

 

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