MuckingAboutOnTheRiver

There are some times that stick in the memory. This weekend was one such time. I have to admit that I was never much of a boy scout, in fact I think I lasted just one or two weeks. I fancied myself in the uniform as a little boy but when I joined up I only lasted for two weeks as the trousers itched terribly around my delicate thighs. Of course I left the group immediately.

Decades later I was invited by my in-laws to help out on the weekend with a scout troop that they were taking on a boat down the river. It was a big narrow boat that looked pretty wide and was 65 feet long. We met on the River Stour near Harlow, a town near the border of two fairly local counties, Hertfordshire and Essex.

We were lucky as it was a day of mild temperature and no rain. We arrived at around 9 o’clock and mucked in as the scout leaders carefully prepared the boat. A short time later we were joined by 7 scouts on the capacious well fitted out boat originally put together by Red Watch fire crew.

I want to make a few points about our time on the rivers Stour and Lee. There are magical places in England that gently seduce you on this stretch of water, with images that Constable would have enjoyed to paint and which are engraved behind my eyes. It could not be more beautiful or succulent, this England of ours on days such as these.

I have never steered a boat like this before but was soon being instructed how to do so, although I admit to wanting someone with the requisite skills to be in charge when the boat traveled into locks with just inches to spare on either side.

It was great fun also learning to operate those locks and sling the ropes to the rest of the team to secure us as necessary. It was great watching the world passing us by in super slow motion, forcing us to relax and appreciate our surroundings.

It’s wonderful to greet your fellow travelers on the side of the river and to wave to the children walking along the towpath. The scout leaders were terrific with their young teenage charges, nurturing, leading but not bullying.

But above all, and most impressive were the seven young teenagers. They were polite, willing to learn, quick to listen to instruction, charming and intelligent. They disprove the generally held theory that our youngsters are a lost cause; they restored my faith in the future possibilities of our country.