More than 30 scouts spent three nights under canvas by the Wayfarers Hut in the Vale, becoming the first group in the Channel Islands to pitch out tents after the pandemic.
Mobile phones and screens were banned and it was an opportunity to learn lifelong skills such as independence and team-building, after lockdown.
Early on Saturday morning, after a breakfast of cereal and bacon rolls, the young people were doing the dishes, with a few light-hearted ribs about the need for a dishwasher at the hut.
Lucas Harradine, 10 years old, was enjoying the outdoors.
‘Last night was cold but very fun, we went to bed very late, let’s just say 10 or 12ish, and the food has been good, sort of.
‘It’s been crazy, bizarre with the lockdown, I missed friends and family and it was very strange not going to school, but I did distance learning and now things are back to normal.’
The weather was soggy on Saturday morning, but this was known as ‘scout sunshine’, and it did not impact the enthusiasm of Ines Rocha, also 10.
‘I went for a lot of cycle rides during the lockdown but I did miss coming to scouts.
‘It’s our first camp in ages, and we’re sleeping here for three nights and we’re going to do lots of activities.’
A game called ‘laser tag’ on the day’s itinerary was hotly anticipated, and 10-year-old Jago Duncan explained the rules.
‘You have to zap people but it doesn’t hurt and it’s really fun.
‘The last few months were frustrating because we weren’t able to see our friends, but at our school we’re in the same classes for next year so that’s good.’
Scout Leader Tracey De La Haye and a team of helpers had their work cut out for them over the weekend because it was non-stop activities.
‘In a minute we’re going down to Saumarez Park to do a treasure hunt and a wide game, which is a game you play over a big expanse of ground and there are lots of different challenges involved, and after that we’re going to the beach for lunch.
‘And on Sunday we’re going to Rue Mainguy to do laser maze, kayaking on the reservoir, bottle rockets and foraging.
‘And we’ll be doing backwards cooking, which is cooking outside in tin foil on the fires, which is proper scout cooking, we call it backwards cooking because it’s going back in time.’
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