Our adventures continue...

A big wow for Warsaw! A couple of hours exploring in the sunshine was a welcome break from the exertion of the last couple of days. The Science and Culture centre was absolutely gorgeous and the views from the 30th floor were amazing but hazy. A short shopping trip later and it was back on the train headed for Lipowe Pole where we had a great reception from the locals. Next day we prepared for a party held for the 30th anniversary of Tadek and Anna - the chief fireman and his wife - and the first anniversary of their daughter and her husband. After that we painted some exterior walls of an extension to the fire station/children's centre and visited the Shrine of Our Lady in a nearby town. Then the celebrations began. Dancing, drinking and eating and eating and eating... A whole room full of grown adults doing the Birdy Dance was quite a sight to be seen.

The next day we attended Mass in the village church. Afterwards, we had lunch at the station before setting off to see the White Eagle military museum. Back to the station for our Scottish presentation which went down well with the locals, especially the dancing!

Then we had yet more food followed by a trip to the Dana sewing factory. A final meal and some very fond goodbyes later, we found ourselves on the train to Krakow in the morning.

Charis and Ron

We're in Poland.....:0)

Despite expectations of seasickness the crossing was surprisingly calm, however the weather in Amsterdam was (to put it politely) absolutely awful. Which meant that a quick canal tour was all that we could face. We left Amsterdam and got the train to Berlin. The next day we had quick walking tour of Berlin's chequered history from World War 2 to the fall of the Berlin Wall. Another 6 hour train journey and we found ourselves in Warsaw with an evening stroll of the old town. Very picturesque. The next day we started the canoe trek and I think I'm not the only one in thinking that 6 hours of reeds is not the most exciting scenery! But it was peaceful all the same and I think everyone felt that they have achieved something by paddling 24km besides sore arms! Looking forward to the community phase next...
Charlotte Mackay

Training Weekend 2 - Part 2!!

As Dan, Charis and I were the first to pull up outside West Morriston hall on the morning of the second part of our training weekend we began to worry if we were in fact at the right place. But no sooner than the thought had crossed our minds more people began to arrive and soon we were all present and keen to get started.
The day began with most of the leaders having a private meeting to discuss the timetable for the day, whilst Jono went ahead and began to sort out our clothing just as the rest of the leaders scheduled that task for later in the day. But no worries as we soon had the clothing sorted and were ready to begin our training.
We then all congregated in the main room in the hall where Ruth went over the itinerary (or itinerarary as she liked to say) for the day. We decided to start with some first aid training, kindly provided by Alan Mcghee, during which we practised CPR, the recovery position and how to deal with various other scenarios, hopefully none of which will become necessary on the trip.
After the first aid we headed down to a local pond to practise some canoeing and have some lunch. Some basic canoeing skills and safety procedures were taught by Jim Macpherson before we all got a shot of paddling in a figure of eight around the pond. The canoeing seemed to go well (no one ended up in the pond anyway) so we all headed back up to the hall to move on to our next item on the list.
We had all brought along our entire rucksacks with all, or most, of our luggage for the trip which we proceeded to unpack and then repack. This activity started with Nancy giving us a quick demonstration, and some tips on how to pack lightly and efficiently. After watching her pull most of her clothing for the whole two weeks out of an incredibly small bag we all set to work unpacking and then repacking our rucksacks in the most space-saving way possible.
It was then time to go over the itinerary for the trip where, for the first time, we heard exactly what we would be doing in Poland. After hearing details about the various things we will be undertaking on the trip we were all very excited and got to work setting up the hall for the parents meeting which was set to finish the day.
Once all the parents had arrived and were seated we went through the itinerary for the trip one more time for the parents with each of us telling them a little bit about what we will be doing in Poland. There was then a brief introduction of all the leaders and venturers, each of us telling the parents who we were and how we had got involved with the trip. A question and answer session marked the end of a very informative and enjoyable day and left us all feeling a new level of excitement for the forthcoming trip.

By Adam Bouglas

Training Weekend 2 - part 1!

Due to the hectic lifestyles of the venturers on the Poland expedition, finding a date that everyone could make for the second training weekend was night on impossible. In the end, a two part weekend was the best solution, with the first part held on the 6th and 7th June and the second part on the 21st. The part 2 report will follow shortly, but for the meantime, here's part 1, kindly written by Sophie and Charlotte Mackay, who are on their travels round Scandinavia as I type! So many thanks too to their Mum for writing up the last minute scribbles :0)

"The first half of the Poland 2008 training weekend saw a very streamlined selection of the team(only 5 ventures) assemble at West Morriston. All was not as it seemed however. For one thing it was not cold wet or muddy and the midges ignored us. In fact the only person to get slightly wet was poor Jessica (and that was in the last 10 minutes) and the closest Charis got to muddy was an impressive splattering of brown paint.

Feeling very civilized with our camping knives and forks and paper plates on the Friday evening we enjoyed burgers and sausages straight off the barbeque. Thanks to Dan, inspired by his ridiculous apron we had DIY kebabs followed by chocolate dipped strawberries. Instruments were then summoned from rucksacs, and the peace disturbed by talent both impressive and completely lacking (in defence of clarinetists it is extremely difficult to transpose music by head torch and candle light.

It could have been an idyllic evening –but the old spirit of BEG dies hard ,and it manifested itself this time in the form of a herd of rampaging imaginary cows. Just as everyone had got snuggled into their sleeping bags, a code one emergency evacuation was announced, and we all trundled out again some of us sporting pretty sleek PJ's. The cows funnily enough turned out to be imaginary- confirming once and for all the precariousness of the average leaders sanity.

Fun over, the next morning it was to work after a quick bit of emotional team bonding courtesy of a ball of wool and some pretty nifty throwing .In the heat of the sun we battled nettles and paint splashes (ohh ehh) clearing an area of land and painting benches . Despite a few stings and paint splashed clothes a great feeling of satisfaction was had, and it all looked good in the end. We finished the morning with a touch of first aid training. Ron's performance as the unconscious dummy was particularly impressive (a career in theatre beckons) our attempts to manoeuvre him into the recovery position less so (a case of just when you thought it could get no worse)

After lunch it was time to get to grips with Polish. Some of us may be forgiven for thinking it was going to be as easy as ABC. Unfortunately, that was where the problems started somewhere between A and B and after C and so on. Still I can now count to 10 in Polish and tell everyone I am Scottish. Ya yestem szkotcom (not totally true as I was born south of the border).

We finished with a briefing about kit lists ,it seems to get longer every time. The tents were de-assembled and the camp swept for litter . All in all I would say it was a really enjoyable half a weekend, and I think I can speak for every one when I say we are all really looking forward to the trip."

Sophie Mackay

Training Weekend 1 Report

Read on for the fab report on the training weekend by Robbie and Jess ...

"BEG Training Weekend 18th-21st April 2008

Well, what can we say? The weekend started as it meant to go on. It was freezing. We were in the wilderness. There were no showers (greasy hair, Jessica!). But also, there was good company and lot’s to be done!

We started with the usual team building: a good game of Guess-Who to break the ice, featuring Brad Pitt (Jono), HRH the Queen (Ruth, obv) and Jordan (Sara). Then began the serious stuff – route plans! All went well apart from the fact Jessica, Hannah and Robbie forgot how to use a ruler. Duh! We then all kipped down on the wonderful floor of Cappercleuch Hall and did our best to sleep through the snoring.

The day began at 7.00 am with long queues for the sophisticated washing facilities and bacon rolls. After rigorous purging of our rucksack content, Ruth joined us again after a night’s recuperation (she went home after feeling too fluey to stand sleeping on the floor) and we set off on our adventure into the wild!

We walked…and walked…and walked…and walked…and yeah, you guessed it, we walked some more…then, out of the mist, strode our saviour, bearing biscuits and a Thermos…Dan! So we sat down and had a cuppa.

We then continued to walk for the rest of the day. Aided only by Ailsa’s extraordinary singing talent, we soldiered on until Traquair appeared on the horizon.

We made camp in a field at Damhead Farm among the sheep. We put up our tents without too much mishap (apart from the rip – sorry guys!), dug the toilet pit and put up its tent (once we’d figured out what pole went where) and cooked our tea. We were joined later on at the campfire by Les and Kris and his family who taught us some essential Polish, for example beer, biscuits and potato. After a feast of toasted marshmallows we departed to our tents where we tried to sleep despite the cold and the tent-prodding (yeah, we know it was you, Chuck!)

The next day, we continued up into the forests and hills of the Southern Upland Way. We threw some cheese to the fairies at the Cheese Well and spied the Point of Resolution, where we swore never to walk so far again.

Covered in blisters and begging for mercy, we made it to the top of the Three Brethren thanks to Jessica’s life-saving I-Spy game, which continued all the way to Yair despite Ron’s attempts to befuddle us with his smarmy intellectualism (so what if we don’t know our hills!). Then, just as Aimee was about to kill us I-Spyers and we were all dying of exhaustion, the canoe-shed surfaced before us. We collapsed onto the grass crying with joy…and pain. Nevertheless, we recuperated slightly with tea and cookies and had a quick brief down before we all headed home…to our nice, warm, comfy beds and hot, clean showers!

Oh and by the way, we did actually enjoy ourselves. Yes, it was painful and cold in parts but nothing could beat the sense of achievement we felt at having completed the 21 mile trek. Together. As a team. Go guys! We are the champions! *thumbs up, cheesy grin, twinkle on the teeth*"

Robbie Hopper and Jessica Macdonald

Training Weekend 1

The first full Poland 2008 training weekend was held from 18th-20th April and saw the group walking the southern upland way from St Mary's Loch to Yair. Although it may have left a few folk with blisters and quite a lot of muddy clothes, hopefully it also has a lasting sense of achievement from carrying packs and completing a long and challenging walk :-) Once everyone has had a few good nights sleep, a training weekend report and photos of the weekend will appear up on the website.

Training Day 1

The first Poland 2008 leader and venturer training day was held on Sunday 24th Feb at Lindean village hall. We were again fortunate with the weather, and Charis has prepared a report for the day. Read on to find out more....

"It was a cool, fresh morning when we first arrived at Lindean Village Hall.Little did we know what was in store for us...

First of all, we were all introduced to Claire, a Leader on the Zambiaexpedition, who taught us a few icebreaker games. You wouldn't have thoughtcatching a ball was half as difficult as we made it out to be. However, wedid manage to untangle ourselves from a 14-person knot. Maybe just a bitmore agile than coordinated!

Next, we had Pat put us through our paces with a circuit involvingactivities such as step-ups, cross-running and skipping. I hope I'm notalone in saying the one-legged ball manoeuvring was a lot harder than itlooked.

Rob taught us about all the various pieces of equipment we'd need on ourexpedition and took us through the 2 season vs 3 season, roll mat vsthermarest conundrums. I hope there's a packing masterclass in our future, Ihave a feeling us Venturers will need it.

After lunch, (tasty soup Dan!) we each shouldered our rucksacks and set off,with more than a little trepidation. As BEG events usually involve a lot of mud, a lot of water or a lot of both and Jim had happily given out a fewbuoyancy aids, you can understand our worry. Turned out we needn't havefretted...that much. Our task was to get an injured Jono back safely on ahome-made stretcher. Everything was going fine until we came across anelectrified barrier, surrounded on three sides by lasers, (they do like tomake it easy for us, don't they?). Apart from the stretcher almost goingvertical at one point, we all made it across successfully and headed back tothe hall.

Aimee and Rachel (lifesavers!) ran on ahead and put the kettle on so we allhad time to enjoy a cup of tea before starting to put up our tents. Thesewere the ones we will be using when we're in Poland so it was good tofamiliarise ourselves with them.

Finally came the planning of our expedition, allocating people to activitiesand pulling up a rough sketch of the timetable. It looks amazing, anafternoon in Berlin, canoeing in the north-east, working near Warsaw,visiting Auschwitz and the famous salt mines near Krakow, hiking in themountains to the south... For me, the summer can't come quickly enough!

Charis Wallum"

We also decided that a few more venturers would help improve the group dynamic so some active recruitment is being carried out this week for up to 4 more venturers, so that by the first full training weekend on 18th - 20th April we'll have the whole team assembled.

And probably the most exciting bit of news... the ferry has been booked for our outward travel! and we can add additional places as our number expands. This definitely makes it feel a lot more real, and I hope everyone else is as excited as me!

Cheers - photos and venturer profiles to appear shortly on the site

Ruth

Venturer Selection Day

Just a very quick wee update...

Sunday 2oth Jan saw the Poland 2008 Venturer Selection day taking place at West Morriston.

The weather was dry which was a definite improvement on the leader selection day where we were all treated to some sideways sleet.

The day contained a number of challenges which saw the prospective venturers putting up tents blindfolded, scavenging around the edges of the pond for the hidden ingredients for lunch (we never did manage to find the tinned pears... sweetcorn... smoked sausage!), cooking 'Ready Steady Cook' style on trangias, building bivvies (which weren't as waterproof as first thought...) and more. Despite getting pretty chilly and more than a little bit wet, all the participants were still smiling at the end of the day and I'm sure everyone enjoyed a good night's sleep when they got home!

Next post to follow very shortly, along with photos of both leader and venturer selection days on the Poland website.

Leaders and Venturers Wanted

Fancy doing something different with your summer holidays in 2008? I'm now looking for venturers (young people aged 16-25) and leaders to get involved with the Borders Exploration Group Poland 2008 Expedition. If you want to find out more, have a look at the Poland section of the main BEG website (which you may well already be visiting if you are viewing this!) and if you've got any questions or would like an application form, then please feel free to get in touch - I'd love to hear from you!

Desperately Seeking a Training Team!!

In order to get Poland 2008 up and running I'm looking for a few brave souls to get on board and volunteer to be part of the expedition training team. It will involve mud (as everything associated with BEG seems to do at some point), it will involve some hard work (hopefully not too hard!), and no doubt some moments of insanity along the way. But hopefully it will also be fun, rewarding and lots of laughs. And as if that isn't enough, I promise copious amounts of homebaking at all meetings and training events, so if for not other reason, do it for the cake!

On a more serious note though, every successful expedition has a committed training team behind it, and I want to make Poland a great expedition, so I need you guys out there to help by choosing to give up a wee bit of your time to help make Poland 2008 a fantastic experience for everyone involved - venturers, leaders, training team and the wider BEG community.

Even if you've only got a little time to offer but want to get involved the let me know!!! I can guarantee there will be things for everyone to do and we'll make every effort to fit in with what I know are very hectic schedules for most BEG members already.

If you want to have a chat about it, then give me a ring, drop me an email or write something on the Poland 2008 website wall, but most importantly, do it soon!

Looking forward to hearing from you

Ruth

Welcome

This is the first post on the brand new news blog for the Borders Exploration Group expedition to Poland in 2008. Feel free to make comments below. Currently we want people to get involved as part of the training team and soon we will be looking for anyone who is interested in becoming a leader or venturer. For more information please email Ruth Norman.