Scout and about the county

If a troop of teenagers is spotted wandering the Cork wilderness over the coming days, the public need not be alarmed – they know exactly what they’re doing.

Four teams of British scouts aged between 16 and 18 hope to pass through Cork this week as part of an epic race across Ireland.

During their gruelling 10 day journey, which begins in Dublin and ends in Tralee, the scouts will travel a minimum of 50 hours by foot, cycle, horse, canoe, boat, or dinghy.

Their route will see them zig-zag the Emerald Isle, heading from Dublin over to Limerick, back across to Kilkenny, down to Waterford, all the way through Cork county from east to west, and on to Tralee.

Because of Cork’s size and their planned route through the county, it is likely that the scouts will spend more time on Leeside than in any other county.

All aspects of the expedition, including overnight stops, food, cooking, transport, and budget, were planned entirely by the teenaged scouts.

If successful, the trek, known as the EB2Ireland, will see the teams complete the Explorer Belt Award, one of the highest and most challenging awards in scouting.

To successfully complete the Explorer Belt Award, the scouts from Maidenhead in England will be expected to demonstrate competence across a number of skills while gaining a real understanding of a different country, its culture, and way of life.

Along the way teams will be required to keep logbooks detailing their experiences and must each complete a major project.

The four projects focus on the Irish language, Gaelic sports, myths and legends, and Irish youth culture.

In order to cover the costs of the trip, the teams have raised funds by running stalls at local fairs, making sweets and cakes, and marshalling sports events.