Youlbury Scout Activity Centre is one of a number of

The Scout Association The Scout Association is the largest organisation in the Scout Movement in the Scouting in the United Kingdom, United Kingdom. Following the rapid development of the Scouting, Scout Movement from 1907, The Scout Association was formed in 1910 ...

's National Scout Activity Centres in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

and is the oldest permanent Scout campsite in the world (while

Brownsea Island Brownsea Island is the largest of the islands in Poole Harbour in the county of Dorset, England. The island is owned by the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, National Trust with the northern half managed by the Do ...

was the site of the first campsite, it was a private island for many years after). The Centre, which is based near

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

, is open to Scouts from around the world, and offers many activities as well as camping and accommodation in huts.

History

The site was first used as a meeting place and camping field in 1913 when the site owner,

Sir Arthur Evans Sir Arthur John Evans (8 July 1851 – 11 July 1941) was a British archaeologist and pioneer in the study of Aegean civilization in the Bronze Age. The first excavations at the Minoan palace Minoan palaces were massive building complexe ...

, who lived in the Youlbury House in proximity, had a cabin built for a local

Scout patrol A Scout, Boy Scout, Girl Scout or, in some countries, a Pathfinder is a participant in the Scout Movement, usually aged 10–18 years, who engage in learning scoutcraft and outdoor and other special interest activities. Some Scout organization ...

. This building was demolished in the 1980s, but many other of the original buildings still stand. Since then, the site has been developed and expanded to accommodate large gatherings of Scouts, offering activities such as

swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, such as saltwater or freshwater environments, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Swimmers achieve locomotion by coordinating limb and body movements to achieve hydrody ...

archery Archery is the sport, practice, or skill of using a Bow and arrow, bow to shooting, shoot arrows.Paterson ''Encyclopaedia of Archery'' p. 17 The word comes from the Latin ''arcus'', meaning bow. Historically, archery has been used for hunting ...

shooting Shooting is the act or process of discharging a projectile from a ranged weapon (such as a gun, bow, crossbow, slingshot, or blowpipe). Even the acts of launching flame, artillery, darts, harpoons, grenades, rockets, and guided missile ...

climbing Climbing is the activity of using one's hands, feet, or other parts of the body to ascend a steep topographical object that can range from the world's tallest mountains (e.g. the eight thousanders) to small boulders. Climbing is done for locom ...

, and more.

Milestones

;Milestones * 1913 - the log cabin for the Scouts is built * 1919 -

Gilwell Park Gilwell Park is The Scout Association's principal camp site and Scout Activity Centre, activity centre in the United Kingdom. It is a site, located in Essex in the Sewardstonebury area of Waltham Abbey within Epping Forest near the border with ...

, a centre for Scoutmaster training is founded * 1925 -

Baden-Powell Lieutenant-General Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell, ( ; 22 February 1857 – 8 January 1941) was a British Army officer, writer, founder of The Boy Scouts Association and its first Chief Scout, and founder, with ...

approaches the landowner to use Youlbury as another training centre * 1939 - Gilwell Park is commandeered by the

Army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

, and the ''Scout Movement'' move their headquarters to Youlbury * 1941 - Sir Arthur Evans dies, leaving instructions that site be sold to the ''Scout Movement'' for a "reasonable price" * 1946 - Headquarters returns to Gilwell Park * 2013 - Youlbury celebrates its centenary as a scout camp site

Location

Youlbury is situated in a wooded area just north of Boars Hill, about 5 miles west of Oxford.

Facilities

Campsites

Youlbury has a large number of fields and sites spread around the woodland. Each camping area has designated fire circles, and have shared toilet and washing facilities.

Indoor accommodation

There are a number of buildings with varying facilities available on the site. This provides for the younger sections who require alternative indoor accommodation when camping, and also for training purposes. * ''The Small Clearing Tented Village'' - Small Lawn Tented Village is a tented village with cooking facilities * ''The Forth Clearing Tented Village'' - Forth Clearing Tented Village is an outdoor lodging with cooking facilities * ''The Lawn Hut'' - was originally a

Croquet Croquet ( or ) is a sport which involves hitting wooden, plastic, or composite balls with a mallet through hoops (often called Wicket, "wickets" in the United States) embedded in a grass playing court. Variations In all forms of croquet, in ...

pavilion and was the building which the Scouts had asked to be allowed to use before having the log cabin built. It has a kitchen and main hall, but no beds * ''Camp Headquarters Building'' - Staff accommodation. No access to members of the public * ''The Gulf Building'' - Removed in 2019 * ''The Brazier Building'' - Planned for demolition in 2025 * ''The Training Centre'' - This is now the kitchen for the Catering Barn * ''The Activity Barn'' - Now the Catering Barn is a place to feed campers should they wish. * ''Bear's Den'' - Replaced the old den and museum in 2013. Sleeps fifty in ensuite rooms * ''The Centenary Lodge'' - a building that sleeps 36, large kitchen, main room, boot room with wash/dry facilities, en suites on every room, and a large decking area to the rear.

Activities

The site offers a number of activities on or near site, all properly supervised: * Climbing and Abseiling * Go-Karts * Air Rifle Shooting (Indoor Range) * Assault Course * Archery * Pioneering * Orienteering * Aerial Trek * 3G Swing * Jacobs Ladder * Crate Stacking Sailing is also available nearby, and there is the CuriOXity Science Centre in Oxford, and a rural farm museum nearby.

Staff

The site is overseen by a Centre Manager, who manages a small permanent staff who maintain the site and supervise the various activities. Over the summer months, as the site is much busier, volunteers are recruited from nearby Scout and Guide Groups and from international members of

Scouting Scouting or the Scout Movement is a youth social movement, movement which became popularly established in the first decade of the twentieth century. It follows the Scout method of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activi ...

or Guiding.

References

External links

* {{Official, https://www.scoutadventures.org.uk/centre/youlbury
Official Website of The Scout Association
Scout Activity Centres of The Scout Association Vale of White Horse 1913 establishments in England