Kielder Camp

Hawkhirst Activity Centre in Kielder was the setting for the main camp of the year for both Cubs and Scouts.

The Cubs arrived on Saturday and pitched their own tents. There was time to let off steam on the Adventure Course before the evening's campfire. Several of the Cubs were brave enough to stand up and perform a campfire song for the whole campsite.

On Sunday we went for a 6 mile walk along a section of the reservoir which included a visit to the excellent Bird Of Prey Centre at Leaplish.

Following this we drove up to Kielder Castle for a visit and and play in the maze befor driving up to the Scottish border. Several of the Cubs remained on Haggis watch throughout the time at the border :)

Monday and Tuesday were spent mostly on the water doing kayaking and canoeing. For most this was their first time doing water activities and many of them did really well.
There was still plenty of time left on Monday afternoon for some joint activities with the Scouts, which included fire lighting and building a commando bridge.

On Tuesday night the Cubs cooked pizzas on the fires they lit themselves then went on a night hike to the Skyspace and observatory, getting back to camp around midnight. We also managed to fit in Orienteering, Tracking and Geocaching.

Wednesday morning was taken up with archery, crate stacking and climbing. In the afternoon we visited the Dam and visitor centre at Tower Knowe and finished off the night with some games and our own mini campfire where once again the Cubs entertained us.

Coming home on Thursday, everyone was tired but had enjoyed a fantastic week.

Winter Camp
This year's Winter Camp was held at Seeonee Lair in Kettleness over the weekend of 22nd - 24th January.

39 Cubs attended the weekend, arriving on the Friday night. Saturday was spent entirely in Whitby, visiting the Abbey, the RNLI Lifeboat station and the Dracula Experience. Our thanks go to Craig and the other volunteers at the Lifeboat station for taking the time to show our Cubs around the station and the boats. The Cubs enjoyed this visit immensely, especially seeing their Leaders getting into the gear!

Lunch was at Hadley's fish and chip restaurant, where the staff where most welcoming and did a fantastic job catering for 49 people with vitually no notice.

After a walk along the pier the Cubs then embarked on a night hike along the coast to Sandsend where the minibuses collected them to take them all back to Seeonee Lair.

It was a tiring day for most, especially the younger ones who were all asking to go to bed quite early! They did however mange to stay awake long enough for a game of Who wants to be a millionaire?

After packing up on Sunday morning we headed off to Eden Camp, where we spent the rest of the day looking around the museum.

We arrived home shortly before 5pm, tired and very happy. It's been a fantastic experience which everyone seemed to enjoy greatly.

Magna
Cubs attended Magna Scince museum on 10th October where they took part in a series of organised activities and experiments.

It was a busy day but everyone had a fantastic time making Alien slime and hot air balloons.
All the Cubs were awarded the Cubs Scientist badge at the end of the day.

Nyjam Day Visit
Whislt our Scouts have been at the jamboree all week, the Cubs have been enjoying the glorious English summer weather at home!
Throughout the week, Nyjam have hosted day visits from Beavers, Cubs, Rainbows and Brownies. On Thusday it was our turn to visit the Great Yorkshire Showground to sample the activities laid on for the younger members of the Scout and Guide movements.

We weren't blessed with the greatest weather, however it was as good as it's been all week!

The visit was split into seperate zones:

• Adventure
• Challenge
• Global
• International
• Technology
• Water

Each zone contained a variety of activities for the Cubs to try out, many of which have counted towards a badge.

As we decided to walk from the Church hall to Nyjam and back (a total of 5 miles excluding the walking done on site!), we have counted this towards the Hikes Away badge.