Camp Log written by Brian Walsh.
Camp '03 was held from the 4th to the 9th of August 2003.

Above: Billy and the lads put the finishing touches to the campsite.

Day 1 - Monday 4th August:  We met at the den at the school at 11am, putting our gear into Billy's trailer and then heading for Faithlegg on our bikes.  We cycled out the Faithlegg road and kept to tradition by stopping as usual at the Halfway House shop.  When we arrived at Faithlegg we unloaded our gear and began working on the site.  The sun was very hot so work was slow on the tents and gadgets.  In fact it took us the whole day to pitch two tents, the store, the shelter and build a fire - our slowest time ever!  That evening we had pizza and chips for dinner which went down well with everyone.  When it got dark we played a quick game of manhunt before having supper and going to bed.

Above: Too much sun and heat don't make good campsite building conditions.

Day 2 - Tuesday 5th August: We got up early the next morning, had our breakfast and started to finish off the site which included the gate, the dresser and the table.  After lunch we cycled to Cheekpoint to the shop.  We stayed down in the village for about a half hour, sitting on the harbour wall eating our ice-cream and drinking our drinks.  When we got back we went exploring the woods for a while before dinner.  Dinner consisted of sweet and sour chicken with rice and plenty of drinks.  That evening we went back down to the woods and built a few swings and dams.  When it was dark we played espionage.  We split into two teams, one team guarded the flag while the other had to get to it without being caught.  After the game we had drinks and biscuits and went to bed.

Above: Cormac Kavanagh and Ian Grant at the campsite in Faithlegg.

Day 3 - Wednesday 6th August:  We had a much needed lie in until about 11.00am and then played volley ball until lunch.  After lunch we put our gear in the den and cycled into the bowling alley in Ardkeen.  We all got there on time with the exception of one individual who took a wrong turn and was a bit late.  We spent an hour bowling which was great fun.  After the bowling we stayed in the Leisure zone and played the arcade games and American pool for another hour.  After that we headed into town to go to McDonalds for dinner and then to the cinema to see Terminator 3.  The film was great and afterwards we got lifts back to Faithlegg in the leader's cars.  We played another game of manhunt, had supper and went to bed.

Above: Eoin Kelly of the 7th crosses the Monkey Bridge and Below: Kenneth Rouse ASL and two swans take a dip in the Pill river.

Day 4 - Thursday 7th August: We got up late gain today and after a leisurely breakfast, we played rounders and went swimming before lunch.  After lunch we built a Monkey Bridge and an Abington Spring Bridge.  The sun was very hot again today and a few of us got sunburnt in spite of wearing sun block.  When we were finished the bridges, we went swimming down at the stream again.  After dinner we went to the shops and played volleyball and rounders when it was bright and manhunt and espionage when it got dark.  We had supper and went to bed at around 12.30.

Above: Swimming in the crystal clear waters of the Pill river and Below: The first brave soul to cross the Abington Spring Bridge.

Day 5 - Friday 8th August 2003: After breakfast we built a "scrapheap challenge" style raft using barrels, pallets, wood and rope lying around the place.  That took the whole morning to get right and after lunch we put it to the test in our inlet type thing.  We got most of the patrol onto it, although a few were too scared to try it out.  We paddled around the place, pushing each other off and having a splash fight.  We spent the whole afternoon out on the water and were starving by the time dinner came.  After dinner we took apart the raft and had a campfire.  A few members of the 3rd joined us for the last night.  The campfire was brilliant and we sang all the old songs and a few new ones which we made up there and then.  It was too late to play any games after the campfire so we just had supper and went to bed.

Above: Canoeing with half an oar in the Pill river and Below: Robert Windle on the left prepares for snorkelling while Ciaran Kelly calms the hound on the right.

Day 6 - Saturday 9th August 2003: We got up, had breakfast and then started taking apart the site. When the site was down and the timber was wrapped up and away we loaded up our gear on the trailer and broke camp.  We left Faithlegg on the bikes and cycled back to the town to be collected by our parents.  We weren't going to have much of a break however as there was a lot of training coming up for the Melvin.

Above: The elite raft building team led by Maurice Kavanagh and Brian Walsh and Below: John Burke puts the Monkey Bridge to its toughest test.

Above: A view of the campsite in Faithlegg.

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