Great Guide Getaway

The majority of Guides love going away somewhere, and that's why we created the Great Guide Get Away.

Types of Great Guide Get Away:

Guides Get Away on an International Trip

Many Guides were able to enjoy some of the fantastic international trips on offer.

Switzerland - Over 600 Guides enjoyed a winter adventure in Bernese Oberland, Switzerland with an activity programme that included igloo building, a trip to the ice palace at the Jungfraujoch and a day at Our Chalet.

The week ended with a grand finale to celebrate World Thinking Day. Girlguiding UK worked alongside partner company Venture Abroad to ensure this exciting adventure was the trip of a lifetime for all participants.

Italy - A thrilling all-day, Italian alpine white-water rafting experience was the highlight of this Centenary Adventure. Luxury camping was provided on the exclusive site in the Gran Paradiso National Park with a range of activities which included high ropes, kayaking and a cable car excursion to a glacier. This was a truly memorable experience for all 180 Guides who attended.

Sweden - Guides were given the opportunity to stay on the historic Af Chapman – a docked Tall Ship in the heart of Stockholm's harbour - as part of their Get Away. The fantastic location meant the group was within walking distance of Stockholm's best and most famous visitor attractions. The time in Stockholm was followed by a week camping on the Swedish Scout Island, Vässäro, with the unique opportunity to experience island life first-hand.

Mexico - Guides and Senior Section members stayed at Our Cabaña, the WAGGGS World Centre in Cuernevaca, Mexico. Participants had the chance to learn more about WAGGGS, share international friendship and experience the unique culture of Mexico, together with its customs, traditions and history. As well as taking part in the programme at Our Cabaña and helping with a community project, the group enjoyed a number of trips including visits to local towns and a Centenary party.

Gibraltar - An exclusive trip to Gibraltar gave 50 Guides and Senior Section members the opportunity to find out about the fascinating life on the Rock – its food, its culture and its history. The group took a boat trip searching for dolphins and met Barbary Apes.

Guides were also given the chance to cross the border into Spain for a day at the Bahia Water Park and explore some of Gibraltar's most significant attractions.

Guides Get Away To Girlguiding UK Training and Activity Centres

Blackland Farm hosted the Great Green Guide Get Away - a camp with a funky green festival atmosphere. Guides had the opportunity to join professionals in a recycled instrument band, help build a green bothy, enter the scrapheap challenge, enjoy a swishing disc and lots of other exciting environmental activities.

Girlguiding Cymru's activity centre Broneirion offered a day of outdoor adventures for Guides with a range of exciting and different activities, including a challenging assault course, rafting and a treasure hunt.

Foxlease ran a range of exciting Centenary events including 2010 and then, which saw 40 Guides take on the challenge of making their very own music video. Top Dog Film Productions taught the girls everything about making music videos, from costumes and props to lights and cameras. Facing the Future gave Guides from across the UK the opportunity to participate in pampering activities such as aromatherapy, hair styling and manicures, as well as working on how to build self-confidence and body image.

It's Wet, It's Wild enabled Guides to learn the skills required on open water and experience the thrills of sea kayaking along the south coast. This high-adrenaline watersports adventure really stretched the Guides' abilities. During the challenging Motor Mayhem, Guides were given the chance to ride quad bikes and trail bikes. They took part in an off-road safari which enabled them to learn new skills both individually and as a team. They learned the safety requirements and basic skills needed to operate the bikes and had an amazing, if somewhat muddy, adventure!

Great Hautbois House held an Island Hop in July, where 100 Guides took up the challenge to travel by as many means as possible. Transport included a canoe, a steam train, rafts (they had to build them first) and zipwire. The event finished with a Caribbean-style beach party.

ICANDO held five Great Guide Get Aways based on the themes of Spooky Theatre, Easter Media, Westminster, Summer Theatre and Summer Media.

Over 30 Guides attended the Spooky Theatre themed adventure - the highlight was seeing the West End musical Wicked live on stage. The Easter Media weekend saw Guides visit the CBBC TV Studio for an exclusive tour, followed by an Oscar-themed dinner.

Guides on the Westminster Get Away explored the sights and sounds of the capital – with a tour of Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey, and an evening ride on the London Eye.

Celebrating the Centenary in style, Girlguiding Ulster hosted a fantastic celebration camp, YAHOO 2010, at Lorne. The camp was a fun-filled week at this beautiful venue, and packed with lots of new and challenging activities.

Guides had 24 hours to capture Netherurd on film after taking part in a whirlwind event that investigated the past, present and future of Netherurd and its surrounding area over this exciting weekend.

Waddow held a number of exciting events, including some spectacular winter events. Winter Wonderland was held in December amidst a lot of (real) snow! The weekend involved ice skating, snowman building, snowball fights, mocktail making and a midnight film and feast.

Waddow Fever was held in January and was also a very snow-filled weekend. Over 200 Guides and Senior Section members took up the challenge of camping in the three inches of snow, as well as activities including archery, trampolining, low ropes and (lots of) sledging!

Other UK events

Pax Lodge, the WAGGGS World Centre in London, held several Guide Get Aways throughout the year. Guides were treated to a theatre show and were allowed to explore London. For some this included visiting the Girlguiding UK Centenary Maze at Crystal Palace Park, Number 10 Downing Street, the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace and Parliament Square. They also learnt more about global guiding and the other WAGGGS World Centres.

Warwick Castle was taken over by groups of Guides throughout the year. Almost 6,000 Guides from across the UK camped exclusively in the castle grounds and took part in bird of prey shows, live shows and demonstrations.

Around 5,400 Guides went on the Guides Get Away to Alton Towers Adventure. The Guides camped on the lawns of Alton Towers, across the lake from the spooky Alton Towers ruins – a truly spectacular sight. Participants enjoyed exclusive use of the Alton Towers Water Park on-site, followed by an action-packed day of thrills and spills in the theme park.

Guides Get Away to Snowdonia was an amazing opportunity for Guides to become involved in HERYRI, a superb National Trust environmental project in Snowdonia, North Wales. The Guides learned an array of new and interesting skills that were challenging, practical and, most of all, fun.

Arriving by ferry to the fantastic PGL site on the Isle of Wight, 700 Guides took part in activities including climbing, Jacob’s ladder, trapeze, zip-wire, leap of faith and quad biking. The girls spent the evening celebrating on the beach with a BBQ, circus skills, stilt walkers, balloon modellers, team games and a limbo competition. This was followed by a display from some fire-breathers and a disco. To end the night, the Guides watched a spectacular laser show.

Create Your Own Great Guide
Get Away

Guide units and groups from across the UK were encouraged to create their own Get Away Adventures. These included a Get Away to a Lighthouse, a Wild West Get Away and a Beach Get Away.

Girlguiding UK - girls in the lead