Hello fellow budget hunters,
Today I am going to tell you the story of our good Friday hikes. These were a tradition with my guide group, that we did every good Friday come rain or shine!
I think in the end I did 7 consecutive Good Friday hikes. We used to meet at the fire station in my town, then walk past the church and along the river side. From there we had the lovely task of getting around 25 of us across the road where the A49 split to the bypass.
From there we walked across a couple of fields, taking care to avoid crops, over a couple of styles and into yet another field. (I can picture each of these fields but to you it must sound very boring!) From there we would walk up a lane to an old guide members house, where we would pick up the supplies we needed. This would be first aid kits, water, ropes, newspapers and all sorts of things. Then it was across one big field, with a marsh in the middle to the wooded area by the river. This is where we set up camp.
In the week prior, all of the guides were put into small groups of about 5 or 6 and had to organise themselves. Normally groups would make hot dogs and maybe pancakes over an open fire, before doing some Easter activities and hiking home.
I would always bring the frying pan. My Mum had bought us a cheap one many years ago and the smoke was never coming off it! However, one year my sister didn’t communicate that she was supplying her group with the frying pan and we had to find a spare one!
Some years the wood we collected was so damp, our fires were very smoky and had to use a fire lighter to get anywhere. Other years it would be very easy to start, especially being in the guides we had lots of practice building different fires. There’s different shapes you want for cooking on, but I always stick to an A frame!
My favourite hikes were after I was 14 and became a senior in guides, then we all had known each other many years and also knew what we were doing!
After eating some pancakes and far too many toasted marshmallows, it would be time to put the fire out. The leaders would have built a rope bridge and got everyone to cross the river on it! I am pretty sure to this day, I am the only person to ever have fallen the metre into the river!
One year my pancakes went all fancy!!
We would also get to hunt for plastic Easter eggs which were normally filled with a little chocolate egg! It was always fun, then have newspaper boat races down the stream. Once everyone had got tired, we would start the walk back.
One year, on the way back a field of bullocks were blocking our path and ended up chasing us across a field. The same year I think we also couldn’t open a gate, so everyone had to climb over it. Only the brave decided to vault the gate, including our guide leader which was hilarious!
Another year there was a beautiful sunset!
So that was my tradition every year until I went to university. Every good Friday I would come back stinking of wood smoke, it would be in my hair on all my clothes and it would be the best day.
Girl guides was a massive part of my life for 11 years (through brownies too!) And I just wanted to write about it on this good Friday!
Hope you have a lovely Easter
Until next time
The Great Ambini
XX