Thursday July 11th: Arrived at 8 in the morning at London Heathrow airport. After clearing customs and immigration, we took the Underground into London and checked in at Baden-Powell House. Then, to the first Scout Shop in the world, across the street from Buckingham Palace. We then walked to the Palace and waited for the Changing of the Guard.
While we waited (left) Nelson Mandela and his entourage came out of the Palace after visiting the Queen - quite a treat for our Scouts as his motorcade went through the crowd. After the guards changed (it was hard to see because of the crowds, but how could you be in London and miss the Changing of the Guards?), we walked to the Tower of London and took the tour from a very entertaining Yeoman Warder. We ran into a group of Italian Scouts who wanted directions to Baden-Powell House. Lots of hand-waving and map pointing later, they disappeared in the direction of the Underground. Hope they made it - we never saw them again. Our first ride on a double-decker bus to Picadilly Circus and dinner, then walk to Baden-Powell House for the night. 
Guide leader, so Trevor traded a council patch for a local patch (the name was so long, it had to spiral inward in ever-decreasing type size). Then to Conwy, where we walked the medieval city walls and toured Conwy Castle - although largely ruined, it's still impressive. At a gift shop, I bought a stuffed lamb with a confused look on its face, on the theory that a Lost Lamb would attract the Lost and keep us on course. It didn't work. We got a police escort into Sconce Scout Camp that evening. They were having their Backwoods Weekend, and we were invited to take part. We went to the campfire and Joe got to help skin a rabbit for dinner. 
11PM. 
Our Scouts were integrated into a patrol with four Scottish boys from the Greater Glasgow district and the contingent leaders joined the Jamborette staff for the ten day period. To promote the integration, the Scouts were actually forbidden to contact us - Pete and I saw them at most once a day or so, as our paths crossed. I was assigned to the Activity Office, and Peter became "Uncle Pete" to the Morrison Subcamp. The day ended with an opening campfire, with the contingent leaders being presented with leaders' neckerchiefs ("neckies") by Scottish Patrol Leaders. The campfire was set on a hillside near the Castle, and as the campfire got under way we watched the sun leaving the highland hills across the valley - a perfect end to our first day at the Jamborette, and a sign of things to come. .
random thoughts: - Got a Sticker? Each Scout collected stickers in a book, representing each of the activities in which he or she had taken part. Special "White Cockade" (right) and "Gold Cockade" patches were awarded for stickers over a given number.
- Patrol Activities: During the day each patrol took part in several activities. The following just scratches the surface of the activity menu:
- Day-long or half-day hikes into the Highlands, or a "Dawn Patrol"
to watch the sun rise over the Highlands (which was more often than not fogged
out).
- Mountain biking
- Canoeing ("kayaking", we would call it - our "canoes" are "Canadians" to the Scots), sailing and boardsailing on Loch Tummel
- Swimming in the River Tilt at one of Queen Victoria's favorite spots.
- A radio-controlled "treasure hunt"
- Orienteering
- Blacksmithing ("Smiddy") and Backwoods Cooking
- "Master at Arms" - shooting sports
- Abseiling ("Rappelling" in American)
- Visits to Blair Atholl and Pitlochry,
- 1946 games, such as tossing a dual-cone toy on a string, rolling a hoop, and others.
- An introduction to Judo
- An activity involving assembling and racing with a wooden cannon
- The "Blair Experience" appears to have involved trekking through the woods in the company of space-suited staff(?!).
- Tour the Castle: Each patrol got a chance to tour Blair Castle. The castle, first built
in the 13th century, and converted to a Georgian mansion in 1746, was the last castle in the British Isles to be besieged (during the 1745 uprising of the highland clans led by Bonnie Prince Charlie). To add to the irony of the 1745 siege, the officer of the King holding the castle was a Scot himself, and the Highland general besieging the castle
was the brother of the Duke of Atholl. After taking the tour once, I was offered the chance to become a tour guide, which I jumped at. Lots of frantic reading and boning up on Scottish History later, I soloed with my first group - a patrol of Scottish and Austrian Scouts. The language barrier was evident at first, but the Scots soon got used to my American English... (It was confusing for a couple from New Jersey, who attached themselves to the tour and afterward asked me why the Castle would hire American guides in Boy Scout uniform?) - The Country Fair: Each contingent had a booth at which it presented something typical of its area's culture or crafts on Saturday morning. Half of the contingent were provided with "Atholls" to spend at the booths, while the other half work the booth "selling" their wares for Atholls. Then, the first group manned the booth while the second group went out to spend the Atholls they earned. The B-P Council contingent taught the visitors and Scouts to make "Dream
Catchers", a device common to most Native American tribes. We brought the materials (yarn, beads, etc) with us, except for twigs to use as frames, which we collected in the forest surrounding the campsite. Over 100 Dream Catchers were made - necessitating three increasingly frantic twig-gathering trips on my part. Other American groups made doughnuts or corn fritters, and other groups presented games or dances, and so on. - Evening Activities: Every evening there were special activities for pairs of Scouts - one Scot with one international Scout. There were special hikes, blacksmithing, outdoor cooking, special games, archery, scavenger hunts, and so on. Contingent leaders contributed additional activities on the last night - there was a patch-trading treasure hunt, I ran a story-telling festival, Pete helped on a hike to Bruar Falls, and at least one of the Scouts took part in an Austrian folk-sing.
- Ceilidh: Scouts and staff had opportunities to take part in a Scottish
Ceilidh ("Kay-lee") or dance
party (albeit on different nights). - Shorts and Shades Party: One night, the rock group "Mirage" performed for Scouts and staff at the Kross (the huge activity tent). Strangely enough, the group at the Staff Club that night was mostly grey, bald, or both (present company included).
- Folkfest: Scouts and staff from Scotland and a number of international contingents performed one night at a folkfest. Highlights included a Highland Fling by a Scout from Fife, accordion and violin performances of Scottish music by various Scottish Scouts, and a rather odd performance of "Itsy-Bitsy Teeny-Weeny Yellow Polka-Dot Bikini" featuring a (male) contingent leader in the starring role. The Japanese contingent performed a folk dance, and two Mongolian Scouts sang a song from their country. The Swedes performed a medley of Christmas music (?), and a Maltese leader entertained with his bagpipes (John Denver as rendered on the bagpipe is an experience not to be missed. Or repeated).
- Got a kilt? Two of our Scouts managed to trade American uniform parts for kilts and other Scottish Scout paraphernalia. Andrew holds the record, getting a complete Scottish dress uniform, kilt and all.
- Food: Not bad, if you approach it with an open mind (and don't ask what's in it). We had a
Burns Supper one night featuring Haggis, Bashed Neeps and Tatties (the latter two being diced turnips and
mashed potatoes). A large Haggis was piped in by bagpipes and ceremoniously sliced to a Robert Burns poem "Address to a Haggis". Each participant got his/her own haggis which was, surprisingly, very tasty. Our evening meal with a
Scottish/Japanese Patrol was interesting, as an opportunity for those of us on the staff to meet some of the Scottish Scouts (the Japanese boys did not speak much English). I don't suppose I will ever become a fan of British Sausage, a concoction closely resembling mashed cardboard, or Grosvenor Pie (aka "Long Pork Loaf" - a poor choice of words, considering "Long Pork" is what cannibals call their favorite dish). The American Scouts became addicted to "IRN-BRU", (pronounced "iron brew"), a Scottish drink approximating a combination of fizzy Gatorade and Scope mouthwash in taste (eccch) and nothing on earth in color (I think it glows in the dark, or should). - I was impressed by the attitude of the entire staff at the Jamborette. Without exception, the Scots I met were warm and friendly and ready to help in any way they could. In some ways, I suspect that the
international contingent leaders are assigned to work positions as a courtesy rather than through need, but the Scottish staff I worked with seemed to welcome whatever help I offered.
The day ended with the closing campfire. As the campfire ended, each Scout lit a candle, starting with torches lit from the campfire by the subcamp uncles, until
the entire campfire slope was covered with light. The camp sang "Auld Lang Syne" and the Atholl Hymn (the chorus from which begins this web page). As the camp finished the last chorus of the hymn, the Scouts blew out their candles, starting from one side of the group and progressing across in a spectacular effect. All were more than just a little sad as we made our way back to our tents.