The Scandinavian '10/10,000' Expedition

Educational Safety Research across Sweden, Norway & Finland

.....undertaking a 10,000 kms / 6,000 miles overland journey

LONDON-MALMO-HELSINKI-MURMANSK-NORTHCAPE-LOFOTEN-MALMO-LONDON

In the Spring of 2002, I travelled solo, overland, 10,000 kms up, across, and through Norway, Finland, and Sweden. However, long before this, the setting-up of interviews, work placements, observations, library, and emergency-services data collection was a very long and quite arduous paperchase, and very phone-and-e-mail-intensive. Throughout the journey however in addition to the reasons for being in mainland Scandinavia, there was the overlanding to do - the driving and the 'living' day-to-day, all of course, solo.

I had to contend with winter conditions, driving at over 1400m, avalanches, flood-eroded 'roads', closed passes, severe weather with winds at hurricane force on four separate occasions, remoteness: in the far north one car every 220kms, and poor radio/phone communication. These were then just the daily norm. It wasn't a problem; I am a professional survival instructor and run my own outdoor training school. But I had to be at places on-time, and willing to spend hours or days gathering information, wherever, whenever, and with a great variety of individuals, so slick organisation was needed.

I departed the UK at the beginning of April and returned during the first week of June. I was driving a three-month old Land Rover Defender 90 Td5 CSW, with 250kg of equipment, ferrying across to Kristiansand in southern Norway, and then working my way up-country to Finnmark, across to Finland, south to the Swedish border at the head of the Gulf of Bothnia, and thence south-west back to central Norway and returning to Kristiansand. That was the plan anyway.

The range of my interviews was considerable: the 'Direktor of Education for Vest Agder' in southern Norway, Chief Instructors of private guiding companies; outdoor pursuits centre bosses, school teachers, safety specialists in municipalities; outdoor pursuits  teachers in schools, rescue team leaders, youth hostel wardens and staff, and many more.

An over-riding conclusion seemed to be that adults need more training as early in their professional life as possible - even in Scandinavia, which of course has its own growing urban areas where some of the teachers, and youth leaders have not grown up 'with nature'.  That was a surprise to me. A common theme though across the region was that youth are, where at all possible - and that therefore applies to 99% of them -  'out' as much as possible. It was not unusual to find that most schools devote a whole day per week to learning outdoors, using knives from as young as 8 years, lighting fires every week to cook their own food, and study the natural world, whether that be plants, animals, rocks, water, or weather. In Norway this right to outdoor education on the timetable is enshrined in law. (We have a long way to go in this country, but we have made a start; more impetus is needed though.)

Thus the pupils' - and youth in general - are very fluent with, and at home in, the outdoors - in all seasons. This has a marked positive effect upon behaviour.

My research was not complete until the information collected had been collated, analysed, and conclusions drawn; and the findings formally written up for the Trust. This took a long time! In December 2003 at The Guildhall in London I was awarded the Trust's Silver Medallion for the research, by HRH The Duke of Kent."

2010 will see the second phase of the research, undertaking a route north from near Malmo in the south of Sweden going north again. We hope to visit 30 new outdoor recreation centres, schools, and govt offices.

Training and preparation were undertaken during the Spring of 2009 with a shake-down exped with the new Defender, up to the North West Highlands of Scotland - probably the best training ground for a 10,000 kms bash. Even on the training run we (Logistics head-honcho Mark and myself) did 3,500 kms. to test out new in-vehicle equipment, and hone our skills; the '10/10,000' exped wont be solo this time but will accommodate various specialists and Hunter Instructors en-route for three/four days at a time.

If you want to be part of this expedition: planning and preparation, or learning about the nature of the country, or even spending a few days with us en-route, then let us know at the usual e-mail address: huntertraining@hotmail.com