Explorer News - 8/3/10

Picture Galleries - Circus Skills and Karting.

Circus Skills - December 09 and January 10

Karting - The Garage -February 2010

Explorer News - 28/12/09

The Belt follow-up

Our three intrepid travellers of the summer experienced slightly different conditions when they met up with some of the fellow Explorer Belters during the week.

Arriving at Dunfermline on a beautiful winter morning on a snow cover landscape at the 2nd Fife Camp Site outside Dunfermline, I don't think their accomodation was quite what they expected and no doubt we will hear more of the experience in the New year. A few pictures :-)

I gather Monopoly was again the highlight of the three days - although perhaps the return home trip might have ousted it.

Explorer News - 18/12/09

Circus Skills

Tonight, after finishing off the Module 'A' of the Young Leader Scheme, Duncan introduced the guys to some 'Circus Skills'.

Explorer News - 20/11/09

Fire Station Visit

Members of the Unit visited the along with the 12th Troop. Daniel B was nominated causalty for the evening whilst the fire fighters demonstarted a car crash rescue.

A few pictures of the visit can be found in the Gallery Archives.

Explorer News - 15/10/09

Irvine Paper Mill Visit

Members of the Unit visited the Irvine Paper Mill today and had a very interesting tour of the site along with a short talk about how the paper was actually formed from the wood logs.

A few pictures of the visit can be found in the Gallery Archives.

Explorer News - 21/8/09

Three intrepid Explorers… Two diverse countries…
One extreme adventure…

Poland Explorer Belt 2009: The Report

On Monday 27th August, three members of the Phoenix Explorer Scout Unit set off on the adventure of a lifetime. Their destination: Poland. Their challenge: walk approx 160km over a period of eight days, armed only with the bare necessities needed for survival. Sounds daunting, huh? You ain’t heard nothin’ yet…

The team from Prestwick consisted of Simon Lamb, Callum Stephen and Daniel Bryson, and in homage to their leader, Bob McIntyre, they titled their team name as the “McIntyre Muppets”. Before jetting off on the plane to Poland, the three boys spent a number of days out on practice walks, and even took their tent for a test drive in Simon’s back garden! Very soon, though, the departure date arrived, and the team travelled to Poland with over forty other Scouts from across Scotland. Upon arrival in Krakow (located in the south of Poland), the group spent two days preparing themselves for the walk, by buying maps and cooking gas, and also by finalising their route and the eleven projects which were to be worked on during the eight days.

The Muppets at Krakow before they started their expedition.

All too quickly, Wednesday arrived, and the Muppets set off from the youth hostel in Krakow, taking a bus out into the big bright beautiful world of the Polish countryside. Their first stop was Pcim, a small town, due south of Krakow. From there, they spent the first day walking west towards Tokarnia (where they compared the sport facilities available with those of Prestwick), and then headed south down to Jordanow. A good distance of roughly 22km was covered, and the first night was spent under canvas in a local campsite. The following morning (which played host to a horrible humidity), the team walked further south to Spytkowice, and then hopped on a bus down to Jablonka. The second night was spent in a sort of B&B, and the team remarked that the town of Jablonka reminded them of an American setting: dusty, big roads, heavy heat, etc.

Day three saw the Muppets face a long, boring walk to Zubrzyca Gorna. However, in a sudden twist of fate, the team met up with a 21-year-old Polish man (called Mario), who helped the group out extensively with their projects, providing them with a good knowledge base of the area. His girlfriend also provided some homemade soup for the team, and after several hours in each other’s company, the Muppets left their new friend, and made their way to another local campsite. There, they met up with another group on the Belt, and after spending the night with them, the team decided to walk with them the following day, through the Babiogorski National Park.

The Muppets left the other group on day five, and then proceeded to climb one of the Polish mountains (1111m), located between Zawoja and Koszarawa. Although the hike proved to be more strenuous and longer than expected, the team were rewarded that night: a local couple in Koszarawa – whom Callum spoke to in French, as they understood it easier – took the boys to an Agrotouristic Farm, where the Muppets spent a highly enjoyable evening speaking to a lady from Katowice (named Ula), who helped out with some more challenges, and also gave her views on the European Union’s impact on Poland.

The luxury of the ATFarm was left behind on day six, as the Muppets curved around to Jelesnia, and by day seven, the group were on the home stretch up to Zywiec. Up until now, the sun had been unwaveringly bright and hot, but that soon changed on Tuesday afternoon when the clouds appeared and rain began to plummet down. This meant that, despite arriving in Zywiec at 1pm, the Muppets – by this time, drenched – were still looking for accommodation at 6pm that night. Adapting their plans to suit the change in weather, the team brought forward the following day’s plan, and took a train to Bielsko-Biala. Whilst on the train, the boys met a helpful Polish man (by the name of Bartek), who used his mobile phone’s internet access to book them a room for the night.

The morning of the final walking day arrived, and after a nervous wait for exam results, the Muppets made their way across the city to the finishing point at the Wapenica Scout Centre. A celebratory handshake with the team leader signalled the completion of the walk, and one by one, the other groups began to arrive at the campsite, and – as I’m sure you can imagine – the stories began to flow…

The bedraggled Muppets at Wapencia, 160 kilometers later

Reunited with the other Scouts, the boys spent the final five days at the Scout Centre, where they took part in a number of activities: archery, First Aid, zip-wire, hiking, shooting, and shopping, to name but a few. The group found the Polish Scouts and leaders to be most welcoming, and all three boys would agree that the experiences they gained whilst staying on the site were both unique and worthwhile.

The route they took from Krakow - - the red dots mark where they stopped overnight.

Sadly, all good things must come to an end, and this meant that the return to Scotland was drawing ever closer. A visit to Auschwitz concentration camp – which was both meaningful and enjoyable – rounded off the trip well, and this was complemented by a closing ceremony back at the campsite.

The flight home on Monday 10th August signalled the end of the adventure in Poland, but there are still lots of things to be done. Before they can be presented with the actual Explorer Belt, the Muppets must make a presentation about their experiences, and a chosen panel will then decide on whether the Belt should be awarded or not.

The expedition of a lifetime may be over for now, but the memories are sure to go on and on and on...

Explorer News - 13/2/09

The STV Visit