A troop of Scouts have set off on the trip of a lifetime to the Canadian wilderness after generating more than £40,000.
The 60 youngsters from Banchory flew from Aberdeen International Airport yesterday for the two-week trip to Canada following years of fundraising.
They are flying via Reykjavik, Iceland, before making their way to a number of locations across the country exploring the great outdoors and the country’s natural wonders.
They will visit Brampton, Canada’s Wonderland Amusement Park, Niagra Falls and the Haliburton Scout Reserve in Ontario – where they will spend the bulk of the visit.
Ten scout leaders are overseeing the trip to “the true north”.
Activities include tree top trekking, canoeing, kayaking, riflery, archery, abseiling, sailing, climbing, snorkelling, hiking and learning survival skills.
The scouts – aged between 10 and 15 – successfully issued a last minute plea to residents in Banchory for kilts so they could make the journey in full Scots attire.
Scout leader, Mike Wilson, said: “It really was a big fundraising effort from the whole community, various events have been held over the last couple of years.
“The scouts themselves were involved with a calendar, taking their own photos. We’d like to thank the local community.
“It’s quite a distance for them to go. They really get the experience of both wildlife and the great outdoors.
“As you can imagine to take 70 people on a journey that distance takes a lot of effort from the scout leaders and the scouts themselves, and there was a huge effort from the local community.”
Banchory Scouts have visits Canada on a number of occasions throughout the years, the first time in 1980.