17/08/2026
On 24 July, 2 Leaders, 2 Young Leaders, 1 Guide and 3 Rangers went to Kristianstad for the Swedish Scouts’ Jamboree with 18,000 Scouts from 40 countries. We camped with three Southern Sweden units, played games, tried local food, learned about Swedish culture, and enjoyed a packed activity programme. We also endured a dramatic thunderstorm! The girls loved meeting Scouts and Guides from around the world, including other British groups. There was lots of pioneering: we learned knots, how to build swings, benches and tables, and saw Swedish-style camping with huge poles and tree trunks.
From camp, we travelled overland through Europe. We spent a day in Copenhagen, then took the night train to Berlin where a friend guided us around the city and memorials. In Prague, we saw the castle and old town with its astronomical clock, before heading to Bratislava, where we visited a decommissioned nuclear bunker turned tea café before another high-speed overnight train to Vienna.
We stayed in a Scout hut near Mödling and explored the Sea Grotto, which doubled as an underground WWII plane-production site. We returned to Vienna and then went by night train to Amsterdam and a big celebratory café meal before an early train to Paris. In Paris we packed in the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, and Notre-Dame, then headed home via Eurostar to London and back to Oxford after a little more shopping for the girls.
The trip followed the Explorer Belt idea: the girls planned much of it, mapped routes, each planned a day - considering language, budget, transport, sights and food. We tried regional treats, including chimney cake, croissants, strudel, Danish hot dogs and Copenhagen pastries.
Everyone had an amazing time, and we are all excited to share our Guiding experiences. We've also all started planning our own repeat adventures, but with some differences!
