John Knox – GSL at the 162nd Braid – fills us in on their adventure to Auchengillan.
Sunrise at Auchengillan is magical at this time of the year. The hills, the trees, the fading grass, the stone walls, all are drenched in golden light. The Scouts under canvas, the Cubs and Beavers in Kyle Lodge, all looked out onto such a glorious scene each morning. We had a rare weekend of good weather.
Enjoying the scenery
We also had a wonderful time. After breakfast on Saturday morning (Oct 8th), all 31 of us went for a hike up The Whangie, the rocky gorge formed when the Devils’ tail struck the ground (or when the ice-age glaciers gouged out a fault line in the rock, if you prefer). In the afternoon, each section went for their own activities, led by the excellent staff at Auchengillan. There was raft-building, water-walking, crate stacking, grass sledging, rifle shooting etc.
Raft building project – successful!
Another magical thing about this time of the year is that it gets dark early. So after supper, we had a camp fire and roasted our marshmallows. Our second night under canvas, or in the bunk beds, was strangely quiet. But by sunrise, we were up and at it again. This time we all swapped our activities and our tales of derring-do. The Beavers even built their own go-cart, Roman style, with large wooden wheels.
Finally, it was time to board our own sets of wheels. We drove home to Edinburgh on a sunny Sunday afternoon. A terrific camp, thanks to Scout Leader Aileen Deas who organised it all and to the staff at Auchengillan. How do they make such good weather, do they rub two sticks together?