Tullis B came 6th which is brilliant!

Tullis A Team came First, winning for the second year in a row, an extraordinary achievement!!!

There were 70 teams entered, of which 58 made it to camp-site and 52 finished (I think - these are not official but are based on calculations made during the weekend over our checkpoints. The full details will be released in the full report in a few weeks so I stand to be corrected).

All bar one of our teams made it in to the finish. Sadly the 1st Crowborough Southon Hitch Hikers didn’t make it in to camp-site in time Saturday night so were withdrawn. They did however ‘chart’ in 34th.

In terms of the full results:

Scouts

34th - 1st Crowborough Southon Hitch Hikers 21st - 4th Uckfield Phoenix (Novice team) 15th - 1st Buxted Foxes (Nee Stags) (Novice team) 12th - Gromxted (A combined Buxted/ Groombridge team) 10th 1st Crowborough Southon C 8th - 4th Uckfield Alpha A (Novice team) 4th - 4th Uckfield Alpha B / 1st Crowborough Southon B 1st - 1st Buxted Eagles / 1st Groombridge

Yes, quite right we WON!!! Not just once but twice! I think this is the first time one district has managed a joint first place and I am also pretty sure this is the first time either Buxted or Groombridge have won either! I thought it was both very fitting and a great touch for the Groombridge team to dedicate this win to Adrian, who is stepping down as a Groombridge scout leader at the end of the summer term. Quite a gift guys!

 Explorers

11th - 272 C

9th - 272 A

6th - Tullis B

2nd - 272 Forks

1st - Tullis A

 Yes, that is true, we WON and came in second here too!!! I think this might also be a first, doing the double with Scouts and Explorers! I have seen it on social media but I will echo it here. While the Overland is a team ‘game’ with no one part bigger than any other, there is a need to make a special mention to an amazing achievement. In Scouting life, you can only have 6 shots are walking the Overland Hike. I know Albert is looking at possibly making a badge to celebrate anyone who manages to complete 6 hikes. That in it’s self is quite an achievement but we have a number of Explorers past and present who have done this and very well done to them all. However, we have one Explorer who not only has completed 6 hikes but has been placed in teams in the top three 6 times! Archer Woods has 6 pennants, which is an incredible achievement. He has also completed a double by being part of last year’s winning team and this year’s too!

 What more can be be said? Well there are so many positives that I could wax lyrical about, from the spirt and determination shown by the 'Hitch Hikers', even though they didn’t make it in. They will be back next year and I am sure will complete. Phoenix, a novice team, finishing their first hike, where 2 weeks ago at our practice hike weekend they didn’t complete day 1 in the allotted time. They have come a huge way and are potential stars of the future. The Buxted all girls team (Those involved with the practice hikes would know them as the Stags. Due to a momentary slip, they became Foxes for the weekend!) were amazing with a fantastic 15th. They had moments of navigational challenge but made it in to campsite with 8 minutes to spare. Great courage shown by them. The last team I will make mention of directly is Gromxted, the combined team of 2 Scouts from Buxted and 2 from Groombridge. They walked together for the first time 2 weeks ago at the training weekend and literally from minute 1 hit it off. They gelled as a team and showed amazing team spirit. Their well deserved 12th reflects this. As for the rest, well their results speak for themselves.

 On the Explorer front, I have to once again go on record as both congratulating and thanking the amazing Explorers of Ashdown. Not only did they do amazingly well in the competition (All teams in the top 11 - out of thirty odd teams, I mean, really!!!) but both Tullis and 272 spend a huge amount of time helping and supporting other teams. They spent an hour on top of the Downs over our practice weekend directing teams to a checkpoint, booking teams in at campsite when we had insufficient leaders to manage it ourselves, helping to set out the camping ‘grids' at campsite and these are the things we leaders see. Up on ‘the hill’ the things we don’t see include subtle things such as; it was no accident that the Buxted Foxes made it in to campsite with 8 minutes to spare. Tullis ‘picked them up’ on the second half of the hike route and helped them a long, having to ‘drop’ them when they had a problem with their hike card at a checkpoint but knowing that 272 were not far away. 272 then ‘picked them up’ and ensured they made it in. Don’t get me wrong, not even Explorers can make silk purses from sow’s ears, you have to have a capable team to even keep with them but their presence and oversight adds confidence and keen ease the map reading burden. These are the Demi-Gods that the Scouts look up to. What makes me even happier is that I now see this amazing attitude and behaviour moving from generation to generation as ex Scouts become Explorers and give back to the next generation fo Scouts.

 None of this would be possible without the amazing leaders of Ashdown. Thank you so much for all you have done this year, both in practice and helping with checkpoints. Your hard work and efforts have been rewarded - in spades! I hope you have had some fun in the process. It is not supposed to be any less fun for leaders as Scouts and Explorers!

Thanks to Buxted for the loan of their kit and trailer and most importantly to Mark Thompson and his team from Mayfield for their amazing hard work catering for us all. I stand by my bold claims that we have the best catering any where on the Downs!

 I have said for about 3 years now that I don’t believe Ashdown can do any better and year on year I have been proven wrong. This year, they have smashed out of the park and I don’t think we can go any better! There is a school of thought that says I should stand down now and leave on the most amazing high.

 Thank you to everyone for making this my most memorable Overland year ever and to anyone who saw me at the end, that was obviously just some dirt in my eye!