This is a travel & outdoors adventures blog… but I don’t seem to do a lot of outdoors adventures recently. However, in January I spent a day volunteering with the National Trust, specifically with the volunteer rangers on Brownsea Island. Now, Brownsea Island is a bit special. It’s local but it’s also where Scouting and … More Juliet Tries… extreme gardening with the National Trust
A little under a year and a half ago, I became a qualified archery instructor. It’s still the most exciting thing that has ever happened to me and the qualification I’m most proud of. I did it through Girlguiding, who ran an adults-only camp at Foxlease, their Training and Activity Centre in the New Forest. … More I’m a qualified archery instructor!
Last weekend I went on a Level 3 walking weekend in South Wales with my Girlguiding region. Level 3, in our terms, is a bit above Mountain Training’s Hill & Moorland Leader but a little below full Mountain Leader. I am not a Level 3 walker. When I walk – which hasn’t been recently – … More Bog-squelching in Wales
You may know I’m a Guide & Ranger leader. You may not know I’m a member of the Trefoil Guild. That’s “Guiding for Adults”, although I usually describe it as “Brownies for grown-ups”. The Trefoil have meetings, do what they like and have no unit leader responsibilities. All the fun, none of the hassle. However, … More I finished my Bronze Voyage Award!
There we are in the blistering heat, a marquee up behind us. It’s taken us three or four attempts to figure out what shape the frame should be but it’s up. There’s me, most experienced camper of the lot and severely emetophobic First Aider. There’s Pixie, inexperienced camper doing her assessed camp for her camp … More Alice in Wonderland camp
You pick up a lot of skills as a Guide leader. Team work, leadership skills, First Aid, various outdoors abilities, admin, improvisation, children skills, public singing – and event planning. I was involved in my biggest event yet last weekend. I’ve planned multiple district events for 50-100 people, some of them all on my own … More Behind the scenes at a national Brownie event
Friday night was not optimal tent-pitching weather but there we were – me, three Rangers and four Guides, up to our ankles in mud, in pouring rain, putting up our tents in the dark. We’d arrived at 6pm at Girlguiding’s latest event, Sparkle & Ice, a winter survival camp happening simultaneously at three Training & … More Sparkle & Ice 2017: it turns out winter camp is cold
This week, I took my Rangers ice skating. It’s one of the things Girlguiding should be about – oh, not necessarily taking them ice skating, but doing fun things, having new opportunities and trying new activities. We spend far too much time in the meeting room where the girls are more interested in Snapchatting each … More We went ice skating!
When Region announced that it was celebrating the Senior Section Spectacular at Alton Towers, I immediately decided I wanted to go. I’d never been to Alton Towers before and I probably never will again. It’s a five hour drive from home and I hate rollercoasters. But I do enjoy spectacular events and camping in unusual … More Senior Section Spectacular at Alton Towers
I’ve acquired a couple of new badges for my camp blanket lately and that’s because I went walking on Dartmoor. I went with Girlguiding and my region now does walking badges because they don’t want to be outdone by LaSER (London and South East Region) who started producing badges in 2014 and whose badge was … More Walking on Dartmoor in the sun and in the rain
I Am A Polar Bear 