Cub scouts from Orwell took on a late-night mission at the weekend when they joined a county hiking challenge.

Two teams from 1st Orwell Cub Scouts represented the Royston district at the Hertfordshire Cub Scout Challenge 2014, held in Hemel Hempstead.

Both hiking teams had to complete an eight mile circular route in Hemel Hempstead. The hike did not start until 6.30pm when it was already starting to get dark.

A spokesman for the group said: “Every mile they stopped walking to complete an additional challenge which enabled them to achieve their communication badge by the end of the night. This included Morse code, flag signals, encrypting codes and anagrams.

“Our teams completed the challenges just before midnight. On their return to camp they were rewarded with hot drinks and plenty of biscuits before bed.”

In total, 600 cubs and 200 scouts from around the county attended the event.