Delayed several summers, Hampshire Scouts have just returned from their first county level international expedition since Covid-19, Suisse Adventure.
Over 120 Scouts from across Hampshire took part in a fortnight of activities, forging international relationships, and engaging in foreign culture.
Our Explorer Scouts and Scout Network camped for two weeks at Kandersteg International Scout Centre, within the Swiss Alps. They all took part in a broad variety of personalized activities ranging from hiking up some of the mountains in the Alps, rock climbing, paragliding, mountain biking and day trips to all the sights of Switzerland.
Included for everyone was a session white water rafting on the Lutschine River, a day trip to the de-facto Capital City of Switzerland, Bern, including seeing their famous city bears, and hikes to some of the beauty spots around Kandersteg including the stunning glacial lake at Oeschinensee and the fun of the swimming lido in the village.
They were supported by a forty strong team of volunteers, many of whom also got to enjoy these thrilling activities and proving that Scouts is just as much fun for our adults as our young people.
Just being on a diverse international campsite provided a huge source of entertainment. Playing football with Portuguese Scouts? Everyday occurrance. Attempting some friendship challenges with other Scouts from across the world like building human pyramids and finding five neckers? No problem. Dancing to bhangra at the international campfire? Highlight of our Friday.
You can find out all of the published newsletters from the fortnight of activities on the Hampshire Scout's Members site.
Words by Rob Felstead and Steven Osborn