The 10th Cubs are against...

40 years of Scouting at Rumah Kechil

In September 1969, the 10^th Birkenhead and 2^nd Greasby Scout Groups, jointly purchased the shell of an old quarrymans cottage in Cwm, nestled in the Welsh valleys above the popular beauty spot at Betws-y-coed, to provide a base in Snowdonia for their outdoor activities. The cottage was named ‘Rumah Kechil’, meaning ‘Little House’.

Although the purchase heralded the start of forty memorable years of Scouting at the cottage, our links with North Wales and Cwm go back a lot further. Older members within the Group will remember that in the period just after the Second World War, with petrol rationing still in force, a hut on the top of the Horseshoe Pass was the limit Scouts could cycle to for an activity weekend.

The ‘nearly retired’ members will remember the 1960’s, riding on the trucks in the top quarries, walking through Rhiw Bach with freezing water up to their waists, playing football in the lost village with hiking boots in knee high grass and sitting down by the waterfall, looking down across the valley at the ‘Dog Forest’.

The early 1950’s saw the decline of Rhiw Bach quarry in Cwm and the selling off of the workers cottages by the quarry company. The then Leader of the 10th bought one such cottage at No. 3 Rhos Goch, which he named ‘Gillwell’. This was used for outdoor pursuits by the Scouts and Leaders on a regular basis until 1969, when the shell of Rumah Kechil was purchased.

It was a daunting task at first to make the newly acquired cottage habitable; no water supply in the building (the only tap being at the end of the terrace), no electricity and no sewage connection (the chemical toilet in a slate building behind the cottages outhouse was christened the ‘Unapproachable’).

On the plus side, the cottage did have the aforementioned large outhouse, although in a state of partial collapse with the roof fallen in. The cottage came with a larger than average garden and it was rumoured that the cottage had previously been the residency of a quarry Foreman.

The mammoth task of restoration and improvement of the cottage was undertaken by the Leaders and older Scouts of both Scout Groups. The existing roof windows were felt to be a fire hazard, with no means of escape from the bedrooms through the windows should there be a fire. these original windows were changed to a full width Dormer, which not only provided a possible fire escape route but also allowed additional head room upstairs. This roof work was undertaken in the days before ‘Elf and Safety’, although one of the Leaders did manage to roll off the roof without serious injury we might add. (After 40 years our Leaders can still be seen on the roof periodically during work weekends!)

In 1970, the Groups plumber installed water in the cottage but still no drainage; when you pulled the plug on the sink it emptied into a bucket strategically positioned underneath; at least one member found himself ankle deep in dirty dish water after emptying the bucket back into to sink after pulling the plug. 

The mid ‘70’s saw mains drainage and sewage installed and the cottage had at last become truely habitable.

Since then, Cwm has been enjoyed by hundreds of young people who would never have otherwise experienced the uniqueness of the valley and surrounding area.

Scouting Magazine
June/July 2010.

New friends of ours from California.