Day 1 – July 24th 2025

Today is day 1, which was mostly a travel day starting with an early morning. I flew into Lisbon via Amsterdam to arrive in the mid-afternoon. A short coach transfer and a fight with my tent, and I was pitched and ready to spend the night in Parque Tejo on the outskirts of Lisbon. Currently spending some time getting to know my fellow participants and preparing for an early start again tomorrow.

Day 2 – July 25th 2025

Started with an early morning in order to strike camp before the opening ceremony began at 9. All of the participants, IST and CMT then came together along with the moot organising team and special guests to officially open the camp.

We set off for Serpa, where my path is based, just after lunch, arriving at around 4 in the afternoon.

We arrived too early, and our hosts weren’t ready yet, so we chose to spend some time cooling off in the local swimming pool. We ate dinner slightly later than planned at around 9 before heading down to a local scout group’s hut, which will serve as our base camp for the 5 days we’re on our path. Looking forward to a busy day tomorrow.

Day 3 – July 26th 2025

Started with another early morning to ensure we were up and fed before the worst of the day’s heat hit.

We set off at around 8 on a 16 km hike to a river and back in the incredibly difficult heat (37°). When we arrived at the river, we ate an early lunch and had a swim in some of the calmer areas. We came to the conclusion that with the sun at full force, walking back would prove too dangerous, so we organised a shuttle service using the cars and vans the scout group hosting us had available.

We arrived back at base at around 2:30 and, to our relief, managed to find some shade under a tree. After a while, we were able to gain access to the local pool to go for a cool-off.

This evening, we have just been on a night hike around the town of Serpa to see its scenery from a different perspective.

Day 4 – July 27th 2025

Started with a slightly later morning than yesterday although it did mean that we woke up in the slightly warmer part of the morning.

We visited some museums around Serpa: the castle’s museum; the clock museum; and a museum dedicated to the cante alentejo singing, which is famous in the region and was recognised by UNESCO in 2012.

The afternoon was once again spent cooling off in the pool as temperatures soared to almost 40 degrees

In the evening we decided to share our cultures in the form of cooking a traditional meal from our respective home countries. As we have 2 people from Wales in the British group of the path, we decided to make Welsh cakes. The dishes made by everyone covered a range of courses, from starters to desserts, as well as allowing us to experience the customs of other cultures.

Day 7 – July 29th 2025

Today we left our path in Serpa and made our way to Cortegaça, just outside of Ovar where our main camp is.

The coach journey took just over 7 hours, including rest breaks and lunch, and we arrived at camp around 5pm. We immediately began setting up our tents as we had to leave at around 6 in order to get to the main camp opening ceremony in time.

It was a long but pleasant walk from the camp to the beach the ceremony took place, it ended up taking us almost the full hour assigned to us to get there although most of it was spent stationary in queues.

The ceremony itself was mostly a reflection of our paths as well as a welcome to Ovar and the surrounding area from the mayor of Ovar. It also featured a parade of the flags of all 100+ countries participating at the event, the most diverse in its history. At the end of the ceremony, main camp was officially opened.

After the ceremony we enjoyed an after-party which featured a DJ playing music from all 6 continents. Some music I had heard, some I hadn’t, but it was an amazing chance to further bond with my pathmates, who I am sharing a campsite with, as well as create new friendships with others.

We visited a small fishing village just north of where we are staying called Espinho. In the morning I went to the municipal museum, which is dedicated to their traditional and unique method of fishing. There I learnt about some of the techniques the old fishermen used and how they have been modernised to become more environmentally friendly as the world calls for greener products.

In the afternoon, I visited the oldest bakery in Espinho, AIPAL, where I learnt about how some kinds of bread and pastry are made as well as getting hands-on at making a doughnut called a Bolla de Berlim, similar to a custard doughnut but using a richer custard which also has orange zest in it.

In the evening, me and my path mates went to watch Moot’s Got Talent, which was won by an Italian, before exploring some of the nightlife of the site and doing some trading.

Day 9 – 31st July 2025

Thankfully a lay in in the morning as we remained onsite to check out some of the workshops available to us. I went to a workshop about Pão de ló de Ovar, a traditional cake which is certified, meaning it can only be authentically made in Ovar and it’s surrounding areas. I learnt about the history of the cakes and had a go at making one which came out well. The cakes are cooked so that some of the mixture at the top stays in a liquid form, giving the cakes a topping similar to that of cream.

In the evening, we had a campfire, unfortunately fire-free because there is currently a law in force banning any kind of fire or flame from at-risk areas (like dry forests). Nevertheless, we all had fun, and it was another great opportunity to share something from our respective cultures.

Day 10 – 1st August 2025

Another slow day today as we wind down to strike camp early in the morning tomorrow.

This morning, I went down to the local beach. There were meant to be activities running but unfortunately they were cancelled due to the rough conditions and bizarrely heavy fog (less than 50 metres of visibility). Nevertheless we stayed down at the beach and just chilled with the ocean breeze for a bit, a nice change from the inferno that was Serpa.

In the afternoon, I wandered round the site and did some trading, managing to pick up a few more badges for the collection as well as a Chilean necker. I then went and joined the UK contingent’s ceilidh (a ceilidh is a traditional Irish/Scottish gathering featuring singing, dancing and folklore telling).

This evening has mostly been spent packing up odd bits I no longer need to make take down easier tomorrow.

Looking forward to a lovely day in Porto tomorrow.

Day 11 – August 2nd 2025

As the saying goes all good things must come to an end and unfortunately today was that time for my moot journey.

It was an early morning to strike camp and be out of the main gate in order to catch a train into Porto. Once we arrived in Porto, we walked to the Super Bock arena, where the closing ceremony was held, to drop our bags. After that, we were free to explore the city and do some of the activities moot had put on for us.

I chose to visit a wine cellar, which is used exclusively for the famous port. I learnt about its history, how it’s made and how it’s properly stored to be aged.

I then joined back up with my path mates and we headed to the city’s cathedral, a beautiful building to walk around, but unfortunately the inside was closed to the public.

We made a slow amble back to the arena and got there just in time to see the beginning of the pre act band a few minutes later than expected.

Just before the closing ceremony began, we all moved round towards the front of the stage for a better view.

Unfortunately UK contingent members were asked to leave before the closing ceremony finished so I never saw the end, but I did still get a chance to say goodbye to all my amazing part mates from this adventure.

From the ceremony, we got straight onto night busses to Madrid, which arrived at about 5:30 this morning.

Post event in Madrid

I feel like it’s important to speak about the post event given it’s an experience that the UK offers with lots of its international events.

Yesterday began at around midday due to the fact we had arrived in the early hours of the morning and all wanted to be rested and ready before the day began.

In the afternoon we had a coach tour of Madrid completing a circuit round the city and stopping at various points of interest such as the old recreation grounds of the royal family and the bull fighting arena. During this time, we learnt some more about the history of Spain and Madrid, although there isn’t much history about Madrid as a capital given it was only made so in 1561.

In the evening we were given some free time to explore the city and grab food, so a group of us went for tapas and took a walk around the local park.

We were still knackered from the coach journey so an early night for all.

Today we woke up at a much more reasonable hour (about 7am).

In the morning we had a walking tour of the Old town, which is where most of Madrid’s history before it became the Spanish capital is. There are two main sets of walls in the old town: the Christian walls, which date to around 1200; and the Muslim walls, which are much smaller and date to around 800.

In the afternoon a group of us went for a tour of Estadio Santiago Bernebau- the stadium of football club Real Madrid FC, arguably the best team currently in the world. The tour was short and sweet but still managed to cover the entirety of the club’s steeped history as well as the stadium itself, and how it has evolved to keep up with modern standards.

In the evening, we had the UK contingent post event celebration, a dinner where we reflected on an amazing last two weeks and looked forward to an exciting future in scouting.

I fly home tomorrow morning with the aim of hopefully being back in Birmingham in the late afternoon.

Lastly, I would like to wholeheartedly recommend the moot to everyone. It had been a truly amazing and unforgettable experience, and I have made friends for life from across the globe. The next moot is in Taiwan in 2029, meaning that almost all current explorers would be eligible to go provided you stay in scouting and join network or take on a leadership role. I will be eligible (just) and I know I will certainly apply to do it again.

Thank you for following my journey!