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BB2621 : Scouting
for BOOTboys
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Thursday
2nd July 2026
“Edwardian
society was plagued by the thought
that Britain was not developing
useful citizens. There was a
concern that many people were
physically weak, due to a lack
of understanding about nutrition
and health, and didn’t possess
useful skills.”
This
quotation is taken from the
Official Scouting website as
the reason for, in 1907, Lord
Robert Baden-Powell setting
up the Scout movement. Its
subsequent handbook is called
"Scouting for Boys".
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Change
“Edwardian to “Carolian” and,
to my mind, the quotation is
still relevant. Fortunately
there are people prepared to
do something worthwhile about
it, as we discovered today.
It wasn’t
long after leaving our car at Cartmel Fell that the BOOTboy scouting skills
were put to the test. We had to
negotiate Rankthorns Plantation, a jungle of bracken, the height of which would
have certainly perplexed the Hekarwe tribe.
Eventually we emerged at the right location into more open country and
had no difficulty finding our way over to Simpson Ground .....
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.....
and into the Chapel
House Plantation. Fortunately, the track
through these woods is well marked.
Precise navigation identified the access point to the first of our
objectives, named by Wainwright as Staveley Fell though the OS is silent on the
matter. A steep path led up though the
wood and out to a clearing that provided an excellent view point over Windermere to
the Lakeland Hills.
Prominent in the
foreground was our second and far more frequented target, Gummer’s How. As has been
said many times, this is a real mountain in miniature with the climb from the
car park becoming increasingly steep and rocky.
It is not uncommon to see folk up there.
What was unusual was to see a whole mass of youths.
On closer examination it became evident that
most were wearing neckerchiefs. Discussion
with their elders revealed that they were Scouts from Edinburgh. Scouting has obviously changed since my brief
encounter sixty-odd years ago as they had similarly be-neckered creatures with them
that were unknown in my days.
Girls!!!! Scouting For Boys has clearly
been re-written. I hope they all
remember the motto. Be Prepared!
They
were definitely prepared in one aspect at least.
I offered to take a group photo of
them. Their leader politely thanked me
but said it was not necessary. He had
a troop selfie stick.
The Scouts
retreated north as we turned east for our third objective, Raven’s Barrow,
passing en-route more jungle.....
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..... then Sow How Tarn and followed by the big barn at which we have paused on
many an occasion. From this direction
there is hardly any climbing at all. Of
course, we took turns in sitting on the throne that looks east over the Winster
Valley.
Mission successfully
completed our penultimate task was to enter St Andrew’s lovely church and
admire its triple decker pulpit and other charms.
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Our final
challenge was Scouting for BOOTboys. Who
could we find to join us at the Hare & Hounds? Tony, for once, was not for
being seen but Stephen responded
to the bugle. Oops sorry, wrong
youth group. It was Stephen who
responded to the call. He knew he had to Be Prepared.
Don,
Thursday 2nd July 2026
Thanks to Mike
for several of the photos
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