Summer Camp 2025 saw the Scout Troop return to Butchers Coppice in Bournemouth for a week of activities by the sea. A small but well-formed party of campers from 8th Holborn took advantage of all the Dorset coastal towns of Poole and Bournemouth have to offer.
After arriving by train from Waterloo we made our way by bus to the campsite on the edge of Bournemouth.
Sunday began with a series of games run by the campsite crew, before we set out on a hike to a nearby blueberry farm. We picked two kilos of the crop, before enjoying blueberry ice cream to fuel us for the return hike to camp.
On Monday we walked from the campsite along the Bourne Valley Greenway to Bournemouth beach where the braver among us enjoyed a bracing dip in the sea.
Poole is famous for its pottery-making heritage so Tuesday’s excursion was to Studio Poole where we painted our own plates and mugs to be glazed and fired in a kiln. We were able to pick up the finished pieces later in the week and some very nice souvenirs were created.
After lunch we made our way to Branksome where one of Europe’s largest travelling circus big tops had been set up. Circus Extreme presented some incredible dare-devil feats of acrobatics and motocross, all to a rock music soundtrack. Back at the campsite, the site crew had rigged up a big screen for an open-air movie screening.
Wednesday began with a tomahawk-throwing session on the campsite, before we braved the zipwire which runs the whole length of the main camping field at Butchers Coppice. Even David and James managed to climb the daunting-looking ladder to the top of the pole. The afternoon’s excursion was to Splashdown water park with its array of slides.
Thursday’s plan for a walk in the Purbeck hills had to be re-thought when there was a warning of thunderstorms and flash flooding, so we instead staged a Scouts vs leaders 10-pin bowling competition (the Scouts won…).
After a quick pit stop in an indoor gaming centre, we diverted to Poole’s Lighthouse arts centre for a screening of How to Train Your Dragon. Whilst we were in the cinema the promised thunder and lightning indeed came to pass.
Back at Butchers Coppice the weather cleared up in time for the evening campfire, organised by the campsite team and shared with all the other groups camping there.
On Friday we headed by boat to Brownsea Island, 118 years to the day after 20 boys travelled there for the experimental camp that led to the founding of the Scout movement as we know it today. We took part in a foraging walk and learnt how to make an effective wilderness shelter with sticks, bracken and leaves.
As has been our custom for the last few years, travel to, from and during the camp was almost entirely by public transport, taking advantage of the excellent bus network in Bournemouth and Poole. We hopped on and off 20 different buses during the week.