TWENTY-one young people from Greenock and District Scouts experienced a challenge -of-a-lifetime expedition to Bavaria, Germany.

The 16 to 24-year-olds formed four teams from a mix of Groups and Units across the district (Darroch Explorers, Westburn Explorers, Finnart Explorers, 59th, 73rd and 6th) and put years of development and progressive training into practice by embarked on the Explorer Belt trip.

The 10-day Explorer Belt is open to Explorer Scouts and members of the Scout Network and is sometimes described as “the antidote to the package holiday”. It is designed to help young people develop a real understanding of another country by travelling through it, completing surprise projects, working as a small team and meeting local people.

Another expedition aim was to inspire other Scouts in Inverclyde and show that through Scouting’s progressive outdoor experiences there is always something to aim for and strive towards. All four teams worked hard to meet their targets and to make the expedition a truly memorable experience.

They were supported by funds and donations from various sources and greatly assisted by training events to ensure that all teams were comfortable with navigation, hiking and camping. The teams’ supporters also helped with travel, equipment and training resources. Participants also worked hard to support themselves with group and individual team fundraisers such as quiz nights, activity days, bag-packing and car washes.

The group chose the Allgau region of Bavaria as it is an area known to some of the leadership team through attending past summer camps nearby and through a work exchange programme.

With its Alpine trails and unique culture it was ideal for an Explorer Belt expedition. Having researched the area and potential route extensively the leadership team also felt that this was an area that was safe for young people to explore and, if any issues arose, they would have exit strategies for each leg of the expedition.

The group travelled to and from the start and end point, Sonthofen, together. On Day One they met up with the VCP Scouts of Sonthofen who offered hospitality throughout the stay in the region starting with a joint barbecue evening.

On Day Two the teams set off while the expedition leaders stayed at the church in Sonthofen as a base. They assisted with a church fete and met more of the local Scouts — the hospitality was tremendous.

The teams checked in by phone each evening to give details of their day, confirm their location and that they had set up camp and were all ok. All messages where captured and sent back by e-mail as daily updates for eager parents and followers at home.

Everyone gathered again on the second last day and the teams had a debrief before having a well-earned rest, a swim and a large group meal. As a gesture of thanks the group took the German Scouts out for dinner to celebrate the fantastic trip. The night ended with some bowling and, in true international Scouting spirit, with campfire songs.

On the final day the group travelled to Munich and toured the city before travelling home.

The Explorer Belt is no easy summer holiday. In order to complete it, the teams had to:

•    Plan and train for an international expedition
•    Travel to Bavaria, Germany and travel through the Allgau region over ten days
•    Complete a self-selected major project
•    Complete ten smaller projects
•    Keep a notebook or diary during the expedition
•    Take part in a debriefing after the expedition
•    Make a presentation about the expedition

The expedition length was around 100 miles. It was important that the route and distance took into account the local geography, methods of transport, physical ability of the team members, daytime temperatures and likely weather. Teams also have to make time for their major and smaller projects. All this took 18 months of planning for the four teams with monthly sessions during which teams identified their projects, their daily legs of the route and identified places to stay — campsites, hostels or mountain huts.

Each team’s routes were chosen with the following in mind:

•    It should pass through at least four towns or villages
•    It must not include any wild country
•    It should support the major project and provide opportunities for completing smaller projects

The teams were on their own for at least 10 days and were responsible for carrying personal kit, tents, stoves, maps and a phone per team.

The Explorer Belt was assessed by a team who base their decision on:

•    How much the team have developed their knowledge of the country, people and way of life
•    How much the team members have developed personally and as a team from the experience
•    The quality of the expedition

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Once home, the teams started to prepare to give a presentation of their expedition to an invited, audience and assessment team. The four teams successfully gained their Explorer Belt Awards on Saturday 27 September after their presentations of their experiences and challenges in front of an audience of 160 people. The assessment team was thoroughly impressed and all participants should be extremely proud of their achievements in gaining their belts.