Hill Walkers, Ramblers, Mountain Bikers, and Park Rangers thought they had gone back in time 1800 years last Saturday at Bonaly Country Park just to the South of Edinburgh. There, on the hill-side track, and in a nearby stone circle, were 10 Roman Legionaries, apparently from the Sixth Legion, last seen in Scotland in around 210 AD. And coming over a nearby hill, with bag-pipes playing and swords waving, were around 30 small Pict Warriors! Quite a large crowd gathered to see the encounter, which featured commands shouted in Latin, sword charges, and Picts melting into the scenery faster than the heavily armoured Romans could chase them. Only when one of the 'Picts' was captured, was the truth revealed. The spectators hadn't gone back in time, and it wasn't a movie set, but a Cub Scout Camp!

Kevin Parker, Assistant Leader of the 28th Blackford Cub Scouts explained: 'Each year we bring our Cubs to Bonaly Scout Camp for a Weekend Camp. For many of our boys (aged 8-10.5) its their first time away from home not just the first time camping. Each year we have a theme for camp, and this year I was inspired by the Movies 'Centurion' and 'Eagle' which tell about the Romans coming to Scotland and the loss of the Eagle of the 9th Legion. So we got all our Cubs to dress up as Picts and went on a walk to the Iron Age HIll Fort near Clubbiedean Reservoir. Most years we'd have a few Scout Leaders pretending to be Romans to chase the Cubs on the way back and make the walk more interesting. However, I came across the Website of Scotland's own Roman Re-enactment Group the Antonine Guard, and thought how cool it would be to have real Romans!'

Arran Johnstone, Centurion of the Antonine Guard, said 'Several of our Roman soldiers had been Cubs and we jumped at the chance to help out at Camp. We represent the 6th Legion which came to Scotland to replace the 9th so the event was historically accurate as well as a lot of fun. Our group got a real feel for what it must have been like for a Roman soldier trying to spot the fast and shadowy Picts in the wilds of Scotland. The moment when they all appeared over the hill-side was quite magical!' According to various spectators the look on the 'Picts' faces when they realised there were 'Real Romans' facing them was quite magical as well...

A Park Ranger was heard to say 'this was the most imaginative use of the Country Park he'd seen'.

After capturing more of the 'Picts' the Romans marched to nearby Bonaly Scout Camp. After lunch, they carried out an afternoon of further activities with the Cubs, including Archery, Roman Drilling, Woodland Ambushes, and 'get past the sentry'. Despite their heavy armour and the heat of the day, the Romans stayed cheerful throughout, and were profusely thanked by the Cubs and all their leaders. 'We'd do this again,' said Arran Johnstone, 'although we can quite see why the Romans struggled to secure the HIlls and Forests of Caledonia!'

Notes: 

Bonaly Camp, which celebrates its 80th Year as a Scout site in 2011, is open for use by Scouts, Guides, Duke of Edinburgh and other Youth Groups for camping and has a range of team-building activities for adult groups.

More about the Antonine Guard can be found at 

Tags: bonaly cubs blackford romans