Fifty Cubs from Durham City District came up by coach for their District Camp at Bonaly Scout Centre in Edinburgh. On Saturday we woke up to snow followed by lots of rain, but the Cubs weren’t going to be put off by that. Having started to plan the route on Friday night, Cubs set off in smaller groups to get the bus into Edinburgh, half were to spend the morning at Dynamic Earth and the other half to start on Monopoly Run.
The morning group eventually made it to Dynamic Earth having got very cold and damp after walking across Edinburgh, so they were very grateful for the hot chocolate that I bought them on arrival to warm them up! The staff at Dynamic Earth were fantastic – nothing was a bother and we delayed our tour to get warmed up. We spent around 4-5 hours in Dynamic Earth, although some groups spent more time than others. The Cubs had an amazing time!
We then set off trying to get to as many locations as we could and for Cubs to get their photo taken at those places. We met some very friendly Policemen outside the Scottish Parliament who spoke to the children and let them have a look at their handcuffs. My group were determined that we would get to The Royal Yacht Britannia, which we did!
Back to camp for a nice warm dinner and an indoor campfire as the Cubs had been cold and wet enough for one day. Well done to our Leaders and Young Leaders who ran our singing for us. It is always good to have lots of volunteers.
On Sunday morning we took the Cubs to the swimming pool at Wester Hailes where the staff were really accommodating. Cubs took part in staged swimming badges with a number of leaders on the side checking off each stage. The remaining leaders stayed in the pool, just in case, but all went well and 50 Cubs achieved a swimming badge! We split the Cubs into 2 groups and the other half went to Ratho climbing wall where all the Cubs had the opportunity to take part in climbing.
Thank you, Bonaly, for a great weekend, we will definitely be back again soon.
Sarah Dodds, ADC Cub Scouts, Durham