Both Walpole and Pitshanger Scouts took to the park this week for an evening that put their knotwork to the test.
The session opened with a game of Grenade to get everyone moving before settling into the main business: six knots, each with real-world uses. Bowline, clove hitch, round turn and two half hitches, reef knot, sheet bend, figure of eight. Leaders ran a teaching session first, encouraging Patrol Leaders to take the simpler ones and pass them on to the newer members of their patrol.
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| Andrew and a Scout working on a knot |
Then the challenge. Each patrol had to join three ropes using all six knots, one Scout per knot, and use the combined length to pull a patrol member along the path on a skateboard, against the clock.
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| On the skateboard mid-challenge |
The best knots that held belonged to Scouts who had been paying attention. The ones that didn't were the most memorable!
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| Working on knots |
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| Having some fun |
Good work all round. Those six knots will find plenty of uses at Summer Camp. A well-tied bowline has a way of coming in handy at exactly the right moment.