District Expedition – to the Lakes we go
By Robin Mair, Team DC
There was an idea…
Way back earlier this year when we first started escaping Covid 19, Team DC launched the idea of running a District Expedition again over the Autumn half term. We contacted various leaders around the district to ask the question and the consensus was yes. During September we opened the opportunities for Explorers and Scouts to apply and were overwhelmed with all 48 spaces being taken up within 5 days.
Over the next couple of months, we held several training sessions and a day hike to see how everyone got on. This is a big step for some first-time attendees, really pushing the boundaries on their comfort zone. The participants were all broken down into Patrols of a maximum of 6 so that when we added 2 adults we were within the correct numbers for groups on the hills.
Off to the lakes
Sunday 24th October came round way too quick and we are all up bright and early to leave for the Lake District. We had not even done 10 miles when one of the minibuses had a double puncture so stopped at Rownhams for a repair. Hopefully this was not a sign of things to come. Monday morning turned out breezy with occasional squally
showers and sunny spells. A mixture of walks were done around Lingmoor Fell and everyone had a great time. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday saw the us succumb to classic Lake District weather. 2 patrols were climbing each day, 2 were caving and 4 were out walking. On Wednesday and Thursday, the climbing ended up being indoors. The caving continued and walking happened; not necessarily as high as we would have liked to get the participants due to the weather.
On Friday morning due to 2 adults succumbing to a positive lateral flow test the decision was taken to bring everyone home a day early. Flash bang wallop and another excellent week was over. All participants had a fantastic time even though the weather was not as kind as it has been in the past.
A massive thank you has to go to the organising