Kip on a Slip: Cubs sleep on HMS Belfast

Last Updated on Friday, 16 September 2011 21:39 Written by Administrator Friday, 16 September 2011 21:19

Kip on a Ship: Cubs sleep on HMS Belfast, London

In July the Cubs and Leaders of 1st Bishops Waltham Scout Group, went on an expedition to London to stay overnight on HMS Belfast. This is the tale of this exciting, exhausting and ultimately successful trip.
On a warm Friday afternoon we all met at Winchester station with our packs, and our 35 Cubs and 6 leaders eagerly awaited the arrival of the train. However the trip did not start very well because the train was delayed and when we boarded the train we found that all the seats were taken and there were already passengers standing in the aisles.

Despite this setback we found room on the floor and settled down in two of the carriages and swiftly ate our tea. Fortunately the buffet trolley was stuck next to us and so our leaders made good use of tea and coffee on offer. Speaking to the train staff they had never seen the train so full and they decided the Take That concert in London was to blame for the overfull train.

Fortunately we found seats for all the Cubs as the train travelled towards London and soon we had arrived at Waterloo. With our packs on our backs we headed for the Thames and started the nearly 3 mile trek to HMS Belfast. We took the South Thames Path which was alive with people on the sunny Friday evening and along the way we saw dancers, mime artists, fire jugglers, sand castles, a giant lawn sofa, the Globe theatre, the millennium bridge and the Golden Hind.

Just as we started to flag we spotted HMS Belfast in the distance and the extra impetus of seeing our goal helped us on the final stage of our journey. We were welcomed aboard HMS Belfast by our host for our stay and we were led through the twisty corridors of the WW2 navy cruiser to a metal hatch in the floor. One by one the Cubs carefully descended to the mess deck where our sleeping quarters greeted us. Fortunately we were sleeping on bunk beds installed in the 1950s rather than the original hammocks.

After settling in we clambered out of the mess deck and off the ship to a small grass area next to City Hall. There we ate a snack and played several games before heading back to the ship by 10pm. We drank hot chocolate and watching a DVD before getting ready for bed and the hatches were closed and the lights turned out. There was some chatter before the tiredness of the long journey overcame the excitement of sleeping aboard a navy cruiser.

Next morning we rose early to clamber up two ladders to reach the ship's visitor cafe where we all ate a hearty breakfast.  Descending again we packed our bags and stored them away in a cabin so that we were unencumbered for our tour of HMS Belfast. Unexpectedly a serving type 23 frigate, HMS Portland, was moored alongside HMS Belfast and we spent several hours looking over both ships with serving Navy personnel giving us guided tours around HMS Portland.After a long visit to the gift shop we took our packed lunches and went on the nearby grass again to eat our food and play some more games. We then set off back to Waterloo along an even more crowded South Thames Path. Unfortunately we had one Cub who was poorly and so two of our leaders took him back directly to Waterloo by taxi. The taxi driver was wonderful and despite a busy Saturday afternoon with almost grid-locked roads the taxi driver would not accept any payment or even a tip for the trip.

The rest of the Cubs carried their packs (which felt increasingly heavy) back along the the path to Waterloo, aided by several rest stops for snacks and drinks. We even had a quick visit to the Tate Modern although it was mainly to visit to the toilets.Wearily reaching Waterloo, the train station staff were helpful and guided us to the platform where an earlier train than the one we planned to catch was waiting. The train driver found us to a carriage which had enough seats for all of us although he did comment that we 'had to be quick' as he climbed back into the cab. We quickly boarded the train and collapsed into our seats as the train pulled away from London. The friendly guard on the train joked with us later, when he came to check tickets, that we were responsible for delaying his train. When we reached Winchester the driver helped us count the Cubs out of the train while the guard made sure we were all safely on the platform before he signalled the train to depart.

And that was the end of a very busy, very exciting and memorable trip to London and HMS Belfast for the Cub Scouts of Bishops Waltham.