Seven members from the Victoria Scout Group Rover crew have recently completed their Explorer Belt challenge, with a 180km hike between France, Andorra and Spain.
The Explorer Belt is an international scout award which consists of a minimum of 150km hike spread over 10 days, during which, the rovers are given a number of challenges to complete along the route, such as exploring culture, connecting with locals and enjoying nature.
The journey of the seven Rovers aged 20-22 started from Toulouse in Southern France, after which the crew visited various small towns in the Pyrenees on their way to the microstate of Andorra. During the hike, they passed several villages and towns, explored gorges and streams and even hiked through a tunnel.
The route between the three countries started in France, went through Spain and ended in Andorra, with the Rovers taking a few days of well-earned rest at the end of the trip in Barcelona, Spain.
For some nights during the hike, the Rovers camped in nature and put their survival skills to the test. During camping and the whole hike, the scouts embodied the “Leave No Trace” philosophy and left the camping areas better than they found them.
The Victoria Scout Group explained that the main scope of the journey was to explore and meet with the communities of the Pyrenees regions that surround the area of Pic Carlit, exposing the crew to a mixture of Spanish and French cultures that make up the region of L’Occitane.
This project is partially financed by Agenzija Zghazagh under the BeActive Scheme.
The scouts made use of sustainable transport, primarily trains and buses during the whole trip.
The challenges included experiencing local cuisine, exploring nature and meeting interesting people in these regions. The group also explored changes in culture, since within the areas they travelled, they could see the difference in norms, language, culture, traditions and food between France, Andorra and Catalunia.
The Victoria Scout Group said that the Rovers ended up doing a 17-day hike which covered approximately 200km of hiking with haversacks, and a total elevation gain of around 2.5km.
Photos: Victoria Scout Group