Douglas & St. FinBarresScout Group – 2nd 6th 47th 93rd Cork

This blog is brought to you by two of our Scouts Slaney and Emer.

After an eventful Sunday us tired campers had a late start to breakfast at 10 past 9.

Eager campers prepared their bags and waited to be told what activities lay ahead for the day. At 10:30 we set off to the lake on foot. We arrived shortly after and split into three groups before heading in rowing boats to Trinity Island.

The island proved tricky to find with one boat up on the rocks unable to move, some steering in the wrong direction and one boat never arriving.

Once we reached the island we explored the historical remains and discovered some locals on and around the island such as caterpillars, spiders, a dead fish and swans.

On leaving the island a boat was scratched and damaged but it didn’t stop an exhilarating race back, which resulted in many blistered hands.

After a fun experience out on the water we journeyed back to camp for lunch. After over two hours of rest we ventured back to the lake for an educational boat tour around the islands. We learned many facts such as a house with 365 windows for a different view each day of the year and were intrigued by a 6 foot long pike fish with 700 teeth caught by a local fisherman.

We arrived back to the shore safe and sound. We headed back to camp but some peckish ventures stayed behind at a nearby cafe.

The remaining campers continued their voyage back and started to prepare for dinner. The next few hours consisted of hard working labour as we built tripods, gathered firewood, prepared the pots and began cooking. A few slackers arrived back to camp to unfortunately discover half the work was completed.

After eating a hard earned meal of spaghetti bolognese and some scrumptious cheesecake. Later in the evening we enjoyed some smores while we reflected on yet another eventful day.

– Slaney & Emer with credit to Katie, Tomás and Darragh.

Our first and last Sunday on Camp 2022 officially started around 8:30am however some Venture Scouts and a Scouter were up much earlier as they couldn’t sleep and may have woken a few others!!

Once breakfast was done and wash up was completed we piled onto the bus and headed to Lough Gara Stables & Country Pursuits which was about a 30mins drive from our site. When we arrived we met Adrien, Jimmy and their team.

We split up into two groups, one group headed off and got set up to get on horses while the other group went off for some airsoft shooting. Both so different but equally as fun. When the sessions ended the two groups swapped around so everyone got to take part.

After our packed lunch the next set of activities started, group 1 headed off to do some Archery while group 2 were shown around the rest of the centre, got to interact with the goats, the pony’s, the donkeys, the rabbits and everyones favourite Percy the pig. The group also got to learn about caring for and how to groom the ponies. Again, the two groups then swapped around.

The final activity was an assault course which was really good, some people did it more than once and even some of the Scouters took part!

Sadly the day had to end but it was a brilliant way to spend it and we headed back to site. The weather today was really sunny and very warm so after some time to make sure we had enough water and sunblock we started on dinner. Pocket pizzas, a camp favourite, especially over the open fire. A game of soccer followed then by a surprise visit by the ice cream van so what a treat that was!

When the ice cream was done various games of Uno were underway however we ended up combining 3 decks and played one huge game that ended at 11:15pm when it was time to call it a night.

All tucked up in our tents now and can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings!

Well can you believe it, Camp 2022 is finally up and running? As we settle into our tents tonight it feels so good, for some us it’s been a few years doing this and for others it’s a first time experience.

Setting off from the Scout Hall this morning shortly before 10:30am by bus and by car there was a level of excitement and nerves but once the journey got underway everyone settled down and began to enjoy the experience, the banter with your fellow Scouts and making a few new friends.

After almost 2hrs we stopped off at the Midway Services (Junction 17) for lunch and a chance to stretch the legs. We jumped back on the bus about 45mins and across the country we went, nearly 3hrs later we arrived onsite to Lough Keel Scout Campsite in Boyle Co. Roscommon.

First things first was to shake off the travel tiredness and shortly after the bus arrived Ronan pulled in with a trailer full of gear in tow! Time to unload the trailer and start setting up the site. The Scouts and Venture Scouts have a selection of tents and everyone has space to be comfortable. The Scouters have a number of tents too and we’ve a central tent, known as ‘the grubber’ where a lot of our spare gear, equipment, cooking equipment and food is stored. The site has communal fridges that we share with the other groups onsite.

Once our tents were up we had a chance to sort our our personal gear while the Scouters and two volunteers got to making dinner of burgers and beans in the grubber. Yum!!!

When dinner was over and everything washed away we headed over to Lough Key forest Park to check out the lough itself and get our barings around the site.

Tonight was very relaxed, card games and chat with hot chocolate and donuts for supper. Bedtime was around 11pm and we can’t wait for tomorrow already!

Please check back here – this list may & probably will be added to!

• Full & correct Uniform – Worn travelling and possibly at other occasions
• After discussion, a lot of people are missing or grown out of uniform parts since covid / lockdown etc. Because of this, we’re no longer requiring full uniform. However everyone MUST have a Neckerchief – this will be worn nearly all times throughout the camp.
• Hiking boots (if you have them).
• Water bottle – At least 1 litre
• Sleeping Bag
• Ground Mat or Small Inflatable
• Track-ends/Leggings
• Warm Sweater
• T-Shirts
• Insect Repellent
• Changes of Underwear
• Plenty of Socks
• Warm Nightwear
• Change of Shoes or Runners
• Shorts & Trousers
• Raingear – Waterproof Jacket & Trousers
• Warm Hat & Gloves
• Wash Gear – Toothbrush & paste, Shower Gel, Shampoo, Comb
• Towel
• Swimming costume & hat
• Tea-Towel & Dish Cloth
• Sun hat
• Sun cream
• Unbreakable – Cup, Plate, Bowl, Knife, Fork, Spoon
• Torch
• Rucksack or similar type hold all
• Day trip bag
• We would ask not to bring any electronic devices. They can easily get lost / stolen / damaged and we will not accept any responsibility for them.

If you choose to bring a mobile phone on camp (at your own risk), please be aware that it’s likely that you might not be able to charge it. Also, use of same may be limited to specific times etc.

Due to the nature of the activities planned, we’d recommend not bringing good / expensive clothes.

Please check back here often. This list may & likely will be added to!

Location: Cuskinny Court Activity Centre, Cobh.

Date: 18th June 2022

Start Time: 9.30am

Collection Time: 6.00pm

Cost: €25 – Covers all activities and snacks.

Pay online by following this link Online Payments System When logged in select “Cuskinny Activity Day” from the list.

Directions (Google Maps): https://tinyurl.com/5cpzmy8f

The group have organised an activity day in Cuskinny Court activity centre for all our Beavers, Cubs, Scouts and Ventures.

Activities will include archery, climbing wall, grass sledging, zipline, squirel trail, forest maze, some activities have an age limit. We will also have a combined age games event, so lets hope the leaders can keep up!!

Gear to bring:

• Knapsack lined with a bin bag.
• Rain gear (coat and waterproof pull-ups)
• Boots or old runners
• Old clothes
• A change of clothes and shoes
• Lunch
• Water bottle
• Sun hat
• Sun lotion
• A compass, if they have one.

Mobile Devices: Leaders will not take responsibility for any devices brought to the event and there are no charging points at the centre.

Dates: 3rd – 7th August 2022

Depart: 3rd August Scout Hall @ 14.30

Return: 7th August Scout Hall @ 15:00

Location: Castletownbere

Accomodation: Under canvass

Cost: €188 – Covers all transport, food, snacks and activities.

Pay online by following this link Online Payments System When logged in select “Scout Camp West Cork August 2022” from the list. The payments structure will be 4 payments of €47. An initial deposit/payment of €47 followed by 3 payments of €47 that will be automatically collected every 2 weeks.

Camp Theme: The theme of the camp will be “Search & Rescue” and most events over our few days away will have an element of that theme associated with it.

Activities: We’ll have a number of activities including sea kayaking. The kayaking will be run by Outdoors Ireland a well established local kayaking guide and training business. The other activities will be land based and subject to weather we may have a day at a local beach.

Gear List: your scout must bring these…

• Neckerchief
• Rucksack lined with a large bin liner
• Napsack for daily events
• Hiking boots
• Rain gear ( coat and pull-up waterproofs )
• Water bottle – 1 litre minimum
• Compass
• Whistle
• Headtorch + spare batteries
• Sleeping Bag
• Ground matt
• Travel / camping pillow
• Cup/Plate/Bowl/Knife/Spoon/Fork/tea towel in a string pull bag
• Change of clothes for 4 days
• Warm fleecy + hat incase evenings get chilly
• Old clothes suitable for water activities.
• Wash gear – towel / tooth brush etc
• Sun cream
• Insect repellent
• Sun hat
• Personal 1st aid kit
• Musical instument, if they play one they should bring it. Excluding a drum set!!

Optional gear they can bring

• Walking poles
• Gators
• Dry bag
• A platypus for extra water
• Swim gear

Medications: If your scout needs medication for anything no matter how trivial you must inform the leaders before leaving for camp.

Previous Medical History: If your scout has had any history of allergies, hayfever etc you must inform the leaders before leaving for camp.

Return to scout hall: When we return back to the scout hall all scouts will be needed to help unload and put away gear and hang up tents in the hall if they are wet.

Electronic devices: Leaders will not take any responsibility for any devices brought to the event and there are no charging points on site.

Have you any questions? You can WhatsApp the 2nd Section leaders or email AndrewBreslin@DouglasScouts.ie

Date: Sunday 29^th May

Location: Mangerton, Killarney

Start Time: 9:30am

Finish Time: 2.30pm

General Directions: Take N73 west. To avoid Killarney town centre: Aprox 1km after Glenflesk filling station/church, take left turn signed for Mangerton.

Google Map Directions: https://tinyurl.com/4es77zpe

Food before hike: A very good breakfast is essential to fuel your Scouts walk until their 1st food break.

For the health and safety of all our scouts if we deem any inappropriately dressed for the hike they will not be permitted to attend. Parents are asked to wait until check is completed.

Spare clothes and footwear should be left in the car that will be collecting them.

Date: May, Friday 6th – Sunday 8th

Checkin Time: 18:00 – 18:30

Finish / Closing Ceremony: Sunday 8th @ 15:00 (refer to detail at bottom of page)

Location: Kilcully campsite

Directions: Via Google Maps

This is an event for Scouts who in a team of 8 demonstrate their scouting skills in the areas of Camping, Pioneering, Cooking, 1st aid, Navigation and camp site hygiene & cleanliness. It is a Cork South Scout County event and that weekend there will also be another Scout county onsite running a similar event. They’ll have free time during the day and at night and as it’s their 1st time at this type of event we just want them to go and enjoy the experience, have a laugh and take the opportunity to mix with other like-minded scouts from right across Co. Cork.

Things to keep in mind: Scouts must not be late arriving on site for registration and once there (barring a family issue) scouts must not leave the site. Although they’ll be working very much under their own initiative there will be plenty of leaders onsite to assist them if it’s needed.

All of the scouting kit will be provided by the group, but they’ll need to have their own personal kit (listed below).

Food: All food, breakfast, dinner and tea will be provided. However we won’t know what the proposed Saturday night menu will be until we’re on site. As the team has yet to decide who their team cooks are we’d suggest that all team members start practicing prep’ing meals at home. We’d suggest concentrating on vegetable peeling as well as cooking rice and pasta dishes. Of course this is something that all of our scouts should be doing in prep’ for our summer camp in August.

Personal Gear they must bring

• Scout Neckerchief
• Rucksack (Important they have only 1 bag for all their personal gear as tents and site must be kept tidy and clutter free)
• <Hiking Boots> only
• Raincoat + Waterproof pull-ups
• Warm Hat and gloves
• Light fleece jacket.
• Sun hat
• Change of clothes for 2 days
• PJs or light tracksuit and T
• <Sleeping bag> + travel pillow (can bring a 2nd s/bag to ensure they’re warm)
• Ground matt
• Head torch + spare batteries
• Personal wash gear
• Cup / bowl / plate / knife / fork / spoon / t-towel / j-cloth (kept in string pull bag)
• Small bottle of hand sanitiser
• Personal 1^st aid kit
• Insect repellent
• Sun lotion

Additional Training: Next week as well as the usual scout meetings we are planning on organising 1 or 2 additional outdoor evening meetings to practice the various Shield tasks. Team members MUST attend these, but all scouts are welcome to come along and participate. If/when we have a location confirmed we’ll put details on the WhatsApp.

Finish: On Sunday after the closing ceremony Scouts will be required to tidy away and load the kit on the transport and then meet back at our scout hall to help put all the kit away and/or hang any wet tents. We expect to be finished in Kilcully by 15:00, but could run over. Keep an eye on WhatsApp for updates.

Important: If your scout suffers from hay fever, is an asthmatic or needs regular medication let your leaders know before attending the event.

As mentioned at the last meeting the section are competing in the Cork South Shield Competition this year on the 6th-8th of May at Kilcully Scout Campsite.

In preparation for this we are going to Fota Scout Centre on the weekend of April 8th – 10th. This weekend is not limited to those who wish to attend the shield. All scouts are welcome to attend, the more the merrier.

Scouts attending must have an activities consent form completed and returned to us and also have paid the annual registration.

Securing a place is subject to a non-refundable deposit of €10 and can be paid at the next meeting (30th March).

• Arrive: 7:30pm on Friday 8th April
• Depart: 2pm on Sunday 10th April

Accommodation: Tents

Cost:

• Cost is 40 euro per scout (including deposit). This will cover accommodation, food and programme for the weekend.
• The full amount is due on Wednesday the 6th of April.

Gear List:

• Uniform not necessary but neckerchief is a MUST.
• Old/worn clothing is best to be used for this weekend
• Sleeping bag
• Bivvy bag
• Full raingear (jacket and leggings)
• Warm hat and gloves
• Hiking boots
• Tea towel
• Unbreakable cup, bowl, plate
• Knife, fork and spoon
• Two complete changes of clothes
• Towel and personal wash gear
• Water bottle – at least 1 litre
• Torch and spare batteries

Directions:

Please DO NOT pack ANY electronic devices or mobile phones or bring any such devices on the weekend.
Douglas & St. FinBarres Scout Group accepts no responsibility for any loss or damage caused to electronic devices or mobile phones while away on this weekend.
Leaders WILL NOT ‘mind’ ‘take care’ ‘watch over’ any electronic devices or mobile phones for Scouts on this weekend

Should you have any further query please do not hesitate to contact me at seantaaffe@douglasscouts.ie

Yours in Scouting,

Sean and Ronan.

Date: Sunday 6^th March

Location: Galtymore

Start Time: 9:30am

Finish Time: 3pm

General Directions: Jct 12 M8, Kilbehenny, continue on R639, at cross roads signed Galtymore climb turn left, continue to the end.

Google Map Directions: https://tinyurl.com/kstrwrhf

Food before hike: Hike is not overly difficult, but a good breakfast is essential to fuel their walk until their 1st food break.

For the health and safety of all our scouts if we deem any inappropriately dressed for the hike they will not be permitted to attend. Parents are asked to wait until check is completed.

Spare clothes and footwear should be left in the car that will be collecting them.