It was an idea that came about after a presentation seen at Gilwell Park leaders' reunion last year of a camp that brings together different countries and Scouting styles. The thought was mulled over and it was decided to go for it - even though it would take many months of preparation. We wanted to go to Poland... but how do we get there? A tad too far to walk and none of our cars were up to the task, we decided to check out a few travel agents. When the flight prices started a little high, we checked the trains and the coaches. We finally opted to travel by Eurolines coaches, although cheaper, at just £95 per person, it was also an experience in itself - a 30 hour coach trip through Europe. By May, the travel arrangements had been made, insurance organised, jabs done, paperwork completed - and just two months until we were on our way. We were off to Poland! No stopping us now! Unfortunately there is not enough space to tell of everything that we experienced during our trip, so we have chosen a few highlights, although there are many more to be shared. The concentration camp of Majdanek, which was in operation during World War II, was our first - and probably most shocking - trip away from camp. At our arrival at Majdanek, we were treated to an old, but nonetheless disturbing, film of life at the concentration camp. Some scenes, which showed piles of human skulls and the traumatised faces of harshly beaten men without hope, gave is a small idea of the horrors of the time. Another strong impression was that of an old camp building, seemingly normal from the outside, but the inside was filled with shoes from the prisoners, which were intended to be sold in Germany. It had gone midnight, but instead of preparing for sleep, we were getting ready to go out. Yes, one of our number, who shall remain nameless, had had the bright idea of having a night hike through the woods. So, on a night hike we were going. Codvitch, one of our guides, armed with a rope led us off into the forest. We had already done this part of the walk once before, and knew what was in store, but we had only experienced it by the light of day. Within a few moments, the rope was needed: so that we could swing across a river. A path through the nettles on the opposite bank had already been cleared by our earlier expedition, and once we were all across, slightly wet for our troubles, we set off again. The rope was left, for later collection, and we carried on through the brambles. More rivers, although easier to navigate, as fallen trees allowed us to clamber across and carry on. But by 2am, we were only halfway round and already growing tired, so a decision had to be made - what would be the quickest way back to camp? And so it was that camp security saw 12 figures wading along the river at three in the morning, happily chatting about nothing in particular, and helping each other over obstacles in the water. After a quick shower, most of us had found our way to our beds by 4am, dreading the wake up call for gymnastics, in just three hours time. Most of the following day went quickly enough, sleeping off lost hours from the previous night. But, by 5pm, we had set off on another hike, on our only camp away from the site. We walked for a few hours in the hot sun. It wasn't far, but felt further due to the heat and our last night's walk. The extra equipment that we had to carry - tents, sleeping bags, and food, didn't really help. Codvitch led us down to the local lake, indicating a small island in the middle - that was where we would be sleeping. We waded through the waist-deep waters with our packs above our heads before scrambling onto the muddy banks of the island, and painfully - for some bare-foot - over stinging nettles. The camp itself was a simple one - we collected wood for the fire and cooked our food. The only disturbance to our sleep was a brief thunderstorm...