Scouts from Purple and Grey Troops meet in the early hours of the morning to catch a train to London!
18 Scouts boarded the 06:57 Virgin Pendalino Service to London Euston before seeing the sights that London has to offer.
The tour of our capital city started off with an exclusive tour of Downing Street with pictures outside the famous black door and an experience of Downing Street security! You never know, some of our Scouts may end up living behind that door one day.
One Scout did ask whether we could “knock on” for our Prime Minister but we thought she would have other things on her mind this week!
Following our one-of-a-kind tour, we headed into London’s bustling South Bank to get our first glimpse of the London Eye and the River Thames! A mooch around the Christmas Markets and a visit to Buckingham Palace quickly passed the time before our surprise 40-minute River Cruise. The Scouts were told interesting facts about the bridges and buildings along the Thames as well as unique view of London’s famous landmarks!
Next on our agenda was the eagerly awaited London Eye experience. Half an hour in our private pod allowed us to see for miles around the city – it was the highlight of the trip for many of the Scouts.
Following our unique view of London from above, we caught the tube to Kings Cross which was full of muggles! Unsurprisingly, the queue to walk straight at the wall between platforms 9 and 10 was quite long!
Following our whistle stop visit to Kings Cross, we jumped back on the underground and headed for the World’s Biggest Toy Store – Hamley’s.
Seven floors of pure child-delight awaited us while over our heads drones flew, lights flashed and magic tricks were being performed in front of out very eyes!
With our money bags now well and truly emptied we headed in search of some food before catching our train back to Preston.
Despite the leaders’ best intentions, the Scouts were in high spirits on the train back while they talked about what we should do next time we come – I guess it’s been a successful trip then!
A massive thanks go to my volunteer colleagues Tim, Vanessa and Josh who helped steer our group around one of the world’s largest cities, navigated trains and even parted the crowds to get us to our next tourist destination!
I have no doubt we’ll be returning again soon! An awesome time was had by all.
For more photos from the Scouts London adventure view our Facebook Album.
