North Yorkshire Moors Ranger Day

On Saturday the 25^th October 2014, 9 scouts from 1st Marston Moor set of for an excited day at Carlton Bank in the North York Moors.

After arriving at the site, we met Tammy and Janet our instructors. Then we got all our gear like the trowels and the shovels, then we set of and walked up a hill called Cleveland Way Hill. When we got to the top Tammy and Janet told us  how to use the tools and then we got in pairs. We had to dig the grass out of the drains so the water could run through the drains.

After one hour of hard work we stopped for lunch. Soon after we played two amazing games.  One of the games that we played was where there was ‘prey’ in the middle and that person, who was blind folded and if you got pointed at by them you are out, the first person to tap the person who was the prey was the winner. The second game was where you had to make a creature and then the leaders judged you. It was very fun.

Finally after lunch break we did some more digging of the drains. In total we did a big thirty four drains. We had lot of fun there and we have to say thank you to Tammy and Janet.  

Written by Abi

(Falcon Patrol)

 

 

Roseberry Topping

When I was told that we were to take on Roseberry topping, one of many peaks that 1^st Marston Moor had yet to conquer; I hate to say that I had genuinely not expected much, and that I thought that this particular mountain would not pose much of a challenge…

Captain Cook Monument

So, on a bright October morning, with the sun blazing over the hills, our fabulous scout, cub and beaver crews (each starting from different locations) set out in hope of scaling Zee Roseberry Topping. Being a scout, I’ll quickly break down the scout walk: We set off about 5km from the mountain itself, heading towards the Captain Cook Monument. After a brisk walk the monument, with one scout already complaining about his empty stomach, we set off in the general direction of RT. NAV went dow

n the toilet a bit at this point, what with the tremendous map-reading skills of 1^st Marston Moor scouts. Eventually we were back on track, thanks to some assistance from our leaders. The following trek included serene moor top strolls, uphill struggles and generally trying not to kill ourselves as we rushed through the woods. Amidst the cursing and falling over conversation broke out, which spanned several strange topics such as Doctor Who, mountain biking and…    Pigeons?!

Tea break time with a view.

2 hours and 5km later, we stood at the foot of the mountain. We took this opportunity to relax and take in the breath-taking serenity that is the English countryside. But the grinning faces of jubilant Beavers who were delighted to have won the race to the top soon snapped us out of our trance and we (rather reluctantly) made the climb. What every climber dreams of is the packed lunch that awaits them at the summit, It is truly what keeps them going, this seemed to be very true in the case of us scouts. But then we had a thought, where were the cubs? A quick look over the edge of RT told us the answer. Finally, some twenty minutes late, the cubs arrived, and scouts being scouts we had own special ways of welcoming them (which may or may not have involved a lot of laughter), the cubs later explained their lateness being the result of an escaped dog.

1st Marston Moor; Beavers, Cubs and Scouts

The second leg was mercifully shorter (much to the relief of us scouts) so we packed up our kit (and our troubles) and soldiered on. The second leg took us all the way up and along a high ridge, with perfect views of the coastline. Although it was much shorter, the second leg was significantly more strenuous, but still not a patch on some of the hikes the scouts have done beforehand.  We reached the finish point about an hour after summiting Roseberry topping.

So all in all, this hike was an enjoyable enough experience, but not as difficult as some other mountains. So, it was a great walk, with awesome views and not too much of trial. What more could you want, right?