Scouting bond felt across international borders

An adventure through the Scottish Highlands led one 2nd Castle Hill Rover Scout to learn more about himself, his capabilities and leadership under adversity.

Lachlan Chen completed his Baden-Powell Scout Award multi-day Adventurous Journey with three fellow Rover Scouts, hiking the East Highland Way, a 134km trek from Fort William to Aviemore.

He said he chose Scotland for the hike as he wanted to challenge himself with a different environment than the Australian bush.

“I visited Scotland in 2024 and was completely stunned by the landscape,” he said.

“Throughout the whole experience, I was constantly pushing the limits of my comfort zone. From planning a six-day-long hike on the other side of the world six months out to actually making those on-the-spot risk assessments as medical emergencies unfolded.

“It is only afterwards, once the dust settles, that you realise how far you’ve come. From going on my first hike in Scouts, packing six pairs of shorts for a two-day walk, to successfully navigating over 90km of remote terrain in a foreign country, totally self-sufficient.”

Lachlan and his friends – Maylen Holdaway (2nd Castle Hill Rover Unit), Alicia Blanch (Hawkesbury River Rover Unit) and Jayden Thompson (Kings Langley Rover Unit) – needed to make decisions on the fly after Alicia suffered several bouts of heatstroke. They chose to divert from the hike plan to allow more time for Alicia to rest and be checked by a doctor before continuing.

Despite that challenge, Lachlan said it was an extremely rewarding trip, particularly meeting members of the 21st and 82nd Craigalmond Scout Groups.

“On the first night of the hike, we had the fortune to bump into a local Scottish Explorer Group – what we would call Venturer Scouts – camping at a Scout Camp that is along the hike trail,” he said.

“We sheepishly decided to introduce ourselves and ask if we could join them for the night. They were absolutely delighted to meet us and the hospitality they showed us was second to none.

“In that moment, I have never felt the universal bond of Scouting more. No connection prior but instant rapport because we all wore the same fleur-de-lis. Getting to meet the Explorers around the campfire, as well as trading songs and jokes, was nothing short of magical.”

What is one of Lachlan’s top tips for travelling in Scotland?

Listen to the warnings about midges – small insects local to Scotland that are similar to mosquitoes.

“We did not take the warning seriously at all. We brought some repellent cream and called it a day,” he said.

“One morning, we woke up to a swarm of them waiting for us outside our tents. To call that morning packing up chaotic is an understatement. Without exaggeration, you could not stand still for more than five seconds without hundreds of these blood-sucking insects descending upon you.

“We ended up packing all our tents up that morning in five-second intervals, running away from them after unclipping one item in order to avoid the midges. We ended up purchasing face nets in the next town over after that. That store could have charged us hundreds for those face nets – we would have paid them!”

The journey was made possible due to a grant from the Dick and Pip Smith Leadership Through Adventure Fund, which encourages youth members when planning their adventures to set greater challenges and goals to develop increased levels of self-confidence, resilience and leadership capabilities. The money helped Lachlan with booking travel in Scotland, accommodation before and after the trip and specialised hiking gear.

Find out more about the Leadership Through Adventure Fund

He said he applied for the fund because he knew it would be that extra step-up he needed to undertake the challenge of the hike.

“It has been incredibly humbling to have received so much support from the Scouting community to make this trip happen,” he said.

“From my home base leaders, Jason LeGuier and Joshua Overland, both past and present Leaders of mine, to the Dick and Pip Smith Leadership Through Adventure Fund, I’m so grateful for all those that made it happen.

“I hope to now use this experience to make sure other Scouts have similar, just as rewarding, experiences. Whether that is helping the Venturer Scouts in my Group plan their own amazing King’s Scout Award journeys or supporting the promotion of LTAF to the Scouts in the state, I hope I can give back to the community as much as those before me have given to me.”