GOING back to basics, the theme for this year s summer camp for 1st Sidmouth Scouts and Explorer Scouts is proving popular with the 35 girls and boys taking part.

GOING back to basics, the theme for this year's summer camp for 1st Sidmouth Scouts and Explorer Scouts is proving popular with the 35 girls and boys taking part.

Here they are pictured building camp ovens to use for cooking their meal.

Alison Rush, assistant leader to her husband Nick who is scout leader, said the Back to Basics camp had been getting to grips with traditional crafts, such as making coracles to sail off the beach, knot tying, fire lighting, climbing, and stargazing, which the group did last night at the Norman Lockyer Observatory, sited near the activities field used by the scouts for camp.

Alison said: "It is a nice local camp with local facilities which the kids don't normally use because they are too busy on their computer games.

"We have taken their mobiles off them and left the 21st century behind."

The scouts will also visit Thorn Golf Club on Friday and on Tuesday caught the coastal hopper cruise boat to Exmouth, returning by bus.

Others helping with the camp are Louis Hanson, Rob Bradford, Explorer leader and Barry and Michelle Morton.

* See next week's Sidmouth Herald for more pictures of the Sidmouth camp.