Home - Diary - About us - How to join - Beaver Badges - Cub Badges - Scout Badges - Be Prepared - History - Interactive - Help - Search - Links - Games - Risk

 The 2008 event was a great success despite the atrocious weather conditions the teams had to endure on the campsite on Saturday evening.

60 Teams entered this year's competition, 34 Scout teams and 26 Explorer Scout teams from both East and West Sussex. There were 55 teams that started the competition, with 43 of these completing the first day. On the Sunday, 37 teams started the 2nd day and 36 of these completed the hike. Out of the teams that completed the competition there were 16 Scout teams and 20 Explorer Teams.

This year's event was, as usual very hard, with the teams walking an overall distance of 26 miles, slightly longer than in previous years. Our congratulations go to all of the Scouts which completed this year's hike.

The hike took place on the weekend of the 29th and 30th March in East Sussex starting from the Village Hall in Palmer. The first days route took the teams up to the Downs at Black Cap and then onto Lewes, Kingston, Iford, Woodingdean, Newmarket and then back to Palmer where the teams camped for the night, which was a total of 16 miles. The second day the teams set off from Palmer to eventually reach the finish at Plumpton Green. Once the teams had left the campsite they followed paths to Ditchling Beacon, Westmeston, Street Hill Farm, Plumpton Race Course, Hayleigh Farm, Captains Farm and then to the finish at Plumpton Green. The distance for the Sunday was a total of 10 miles.

The check point incidents were as usual quite varied. They ranged from, preparing a balanced diet and costing it. recognising different plants and planting seeds, safe movement of "Radioactive" bottles, preparing a pulley system for lifting a weight, reproduction of a map from memory, cycle safely and maintenance and the final incident was to prepare an identikit, with half the team describing different faces and the other half of the team trying to produce these face's from the description.

On the Sunday the teams again had to carry out different incidents on the route which varied from, tying a knot with a piece of rope that all team members where attached to, carry out compass bearings to identify different letters that formed scouting words, dealing with a hypothermic member of your team and remembering the rest of the team, pop quiz and lyrics, logic puzzles where the teams had to associate places in Sussex with what they were famous for and finally a cheese and crisp tasting. There was a courtesy checkpoint, which we are sure most teams found.

The project was to produce a training programme for a two day hike, much like the Overland Hike. It was easy to see the teams that had helped to produce their own programme for this hike.

For a more detailed description of the incidents, we have attached a separate sheet.

Overall the teams are improving the standard of their kit but we are still having the normal problems, insufficient first aid kits and waterproofs not being waterproof. Leaders, please check your team's kits and make sure that the liners in the rucksacks are also waterproof.

Teams need to follow all of the instructions they are given in this competition thoroughly. By not fully complying with the instructions your team will lose valuable points which will drop your team down the finishing order.

Again, Congratulations to all of the teams that completed the hike and to the 6 winning teams in their respective categories.

Out of a possible 750 points the results were: -

Scouts:     1st 4thUckfield (Alpha) A 582 points 2nd 1st Crowborough (Southon) C 581 points 3rd 1st Crowborough (Southon) C 550 points

Explorer Scouts: 1st Hove and Portslade Explorer Unit B 646 points 2nd Phoenix Explorer Unit (Hastings) 63 9 points 3rd Hydra Explorer Unit A (Hastings) 635 points

 We wish to thank all of the 250staff that have given their time for the scouts on this hike and to our sponsors. Peglers of Arun4el, Caffyns of Lewes, DW Electrical Ltd of Shoreham and to Vodafone, without there financial support, the event could not happen.

Finally, we look forward to seeing you on the 28* and 29th March 2009, somewhere on the South Downs, for the 42nd Annual Overland Hike. Please make sure that you book this date now and start thinking about your training for this "Premier Scouting Event" (County's words).

Derrick Payne, Andy Wavell, Albert Hinton and Mark Wavell Hike Organisers.
 
Overland Hike 2008 - Checkpoint Incidents

Check Point 1: Balanced Meal / Price Is Right. With different foods being shown the teams had to list what would be best used for a balanced meal. They were also asked to cost the meal to see if they knew how much each item cost.
Check Point 2: Horticulture - All teams had to plant some seeds and then identify some common bedding plants.
CheckPoint 3: Radioactive Bottles - The teams had to move a number of "radioactive" bottles from within a marked area into a container without entering the marked area. The bottles could only be moved with string and elastic bands.
Check Point 4: Block and Tackle - The idea was to rig a pulley system to enable the teams to lift a heavy object.
CheckPoint 5: Sketch Map - Teams were given an A3 map of the area they were walking in and asked to memorise it. They were then given a blank A3 sheet with a small portion of the coast marked on it and asked to reproduce what they had just seen.
Check Point 6: Cycle Maintenance - Cycles with different faults were put in front of the teams for them to identify. They also had to show that they were knowledgeable on cycle safety.
Check Point 7: Identikit - the team was split into 2 with half of the team describing four different faces and the other half of the team trying to put together the faces with the features that were available to them.
Check Point 9: Knot Tying - The teams were tied onto a piece of rope from which they then had to tie a knot. The knot was different for the Scouts and Explorers.
Checkpoint 10: Bearings - The teams were placed in the middle of field and given a list of bearings. Each bearing led to a different letter from which they had to make a word associated with scouting.
Check Point 11: Emergency Equipment - One of the team members was to have the symptoms of hyperthermia and the remaining team members had to deal with the situation, which involved providing a hot drink and shelter for the hypothermic team member.
Checkpoint 12: Pop Songs - The teams had to identify different songs from an introduction and the first few lines of the lyrics. They also had to write down the second line of sets of lyrics, with the first line being given to them.
Checkpoint 13 Logic Puzzle - Teams were given a list of Sussex towns and a list of features that each town is famous for. They then had to match the town with the features
Checkpoint 14: Senses - A variety of different crisps and cheese's where offered to the teams to taste and smell and then to identify.

The incidents were 1) Food Nutrition 2) Flower Identification and planting 3) Radioactive Bottles 4) Pulleys 5) Map copy 6) Bike faults 7) Identity Kit 8) Plan an Overland Training weekend 9) Reef Knot 10) Bearings 11) Hypothermia 12) Help person crossing road 13) Pop Quiz 14) Matching pairs of words 15) Tasting cheese and crisps and 16) Finish courtesy.