Milton Keynes Scouts take to the Chilterns
Over 1000 Cubs (young people aged 8 to 10), Scouts (young people aged 10 to 14), Explorers (young people aged 14 to 17) and adult volunteers aged 18 plus took to the Chilterns for Buckinghamshire Scouts’ Endurance events.
The Cubs hiked 10k, the Scouts 40k, the Explorers hiked 60k, whilst some Explorers and adult volunteers took on the 80k challenge. The events attracted Groups from Berkshire, Hampshire, London and Oxfordshire.
The Cubs started their 10k hike at Chesham, with the first team leaving at 9.00am, and finishing at Great Missenden. All the other hikes started at Great Missenden, with the first Endurance 80 team leaving at 7.30am. The 40km hike visited Chesham, Ashleigh Green and Lee Common. The 60km hike included Wendover, Coombe Hill and Princes Risborough. The 80km hike visited Stokenchurch and Radnage. These hikes all finished at Great Missenden.
When asked at the end of their 10km hike what they thought of it, Tyler and Thalia said, “It was great fun, we could jump in the puddles, walk in the mud and spend some time outdoors with our friends.” Asked if they would do it again, they said, “Definitely”.
When asked why they volunteer, Lucy and Rachel said, “It’s great to see the smile on a child's face when they do something”. Lucy added, “I’ve been to Belgium and Switzerland as a volunteer, and I probably wouldn’t have gone there if I had not been involved in Scouts.” They both added that they had made new friends from volunteering.
Adult volunteer and organiser of the event, Clare Clarke said, “Many of the Cubs have never walked 10k before and I’m sure they’ll be very proud when they get their Hikes Away badge. Getting children and young people doing outdoor activities is fundamental to Scouts.” Clare added, “Scouts helps people learn skills for life. Commitment, leadership, responsibility, self-confidence, social skills and teamwork are all fundamental to our endurance events.”
James Williamson, Lead volunteer for Buckinghamshire Scouts, who took part in the 40km hike said, “The endurance hikes are very challenging for all the participants, especially when there are lots of puddles and mud. For some, it may be the distance, and for others it might be walking in the dark.”
He added, “There are about 200 volunteers involved in the organisation and running of the event. Whether it’s setting them off early on Saturday morning, being at checkpoints, cooking breakfast and lunch, driving mini-buses to collect teams who have dropped out or monitoring where people are on the course.”
For further information about Scouts, please visit www.bucks-scouts.org.uk