Operation Flare

A triumph for St Nicolas 9th Guildford! They take up the story…

“As we set off into the darkness of the North Downs, we knew we were in for a tough and tiring hike.”

Operation Red Flare is a challenging, competition night-hike organised each March by our neighbouring Scout county GLSW. With the location varying each year, the navigation is always testing, and the incidents require teamwork and a wide range of scouting skills.

“Starting 14th, the route from Boidierhurst to Ranmore and back, seemed to be all exhausting hills and never-ending paths. But we moved quickly in the early stages, and by checkpoint 5 we had caught up and overtaken a lot of teams. Getting back at 2am we were amazed to find we were the first team back. At the prize-giving next morning, we were even more amazed to find out that of the 32 Network and Explorer teams, not only were we the top scoring Explorer Unit, but that we had won the whole competition.”