'There's a first time for everything', and this weekend certainly was a weekend of firsts, first of many nights away of 2014 and the first nights away as Scouts for many of our young people. As ever it was a packed weekend full of opportunities to make new friends, learn new skills and to have fun.

Scouts spent Friday night playing team games and getting to know each other ready to work together on Saturday morning. After a run to wake everyone up and a tasty sausage sandwich, scouts were ready for the four activities that ran up to lunch.

Scouts learned about using a GPS and working together as they tackled our geocaching challenge to race up Gainford's Spa fountain and find the cache, as well as pancake flipping (we know it's a little before pancake day, but it's good practice!), how to hit the bull on our archery target a few more team challenges indoors. Check out the photos in our gallery and you will see that some of the pancakes did not go entirely to plan, some were barely recognisable as pancakes.

After lunch, avoiding the showers we unpacked our walking boots and headed up to Pierce Bridge for a scenic stroll along the Tees back to Gainford. There was plenty of laughs as scouts found some difficult banks to climb. Scouts took turns to navigate using a good old map this time to keep us on the straight and narrow as we headed along the banks.

Saturday evening challenged the imagination of our young people as we headed to Egglestone Abbey for a wide game in the dark. Scouts worked as patrols to find leaders in the ruins. Those who had never been to the abbey by night were led to the crypt for a fright. Jack and Chris jumped up from the darkness scaring scouts to the amusement of those who'd been there before. There were still more frights as patrols explored the Abbey during the widegame, hunting among the ghoulish shadows for the illusive stick of life, before finding the spy's briefcase.

Back at Gainford HQ, a mystery men arrived to tell ghost stories by candle light. He told of the Hand of Glory and how the ghostly occurrence haunts the Old Spital Inn. As the Hand of Glory struck, silence fell across the room. The candles flickered. The man disappeared as quickly as they arrived (we later found out he was none other than Teesdale's District Leader, John Moore.

Scouts spent Sunday morning pioneering, working together in to build a structure which they could monkey across with impressive results, as well as learning some scouting skills which will hold them in good stead for Easter and Summer Camp. Visit our image gallery to for more photos from the weekend.

Scouts can find out about more opportunities to experience nights away on our camping pages and can look forward to an exciting year of outdoor adventure. If International Adventure is your thing, then there is also the opportunity to France every year with Houghton-Le-Spring District.