"Virtually everyone I knew was blown away by the place...it was superb. You could go 200 yards and you may as well be on the other side of the moon...it was just incredible. It was infectious."
The memory of Phil Rigby remains vivid as he recalls his times at a hideaway which was the source of adventure for generations.
His words are spoken over an old 8mm film shot in and around Middlewood Camp during the 1960s.
Phil was the warden at the camp for 20 years, including the last camp when it closed in 2016.
In the footage lads are playing cricket in an opening, climbing trees, marching in uniform on a road, and walking through sunlit woodland.
The woods are dotted with tents in a haven where the outdoors and imaginations were the key ingredients of a healthy childhood.
Mike Dunn, a former scout recalls in the film, how he couldn't stay away from the retreat off Leigh Road in Worsley.
"I would often go out to my scout meeting on a Friday night, and my mum said If I hadn't turned up by about half past eleven, they just locked up, and they didn't expect to see me until Sunday...virtually every weekend it became part of my life - everything revolved around Middlewood. "
Another regular at the camp, Dave Rigby says:"It wasn't about scouting it was about Middlewood, the space, the place, and the opportunity."
Now a new exhibition will trace 73 years of scouting at the site.
Fittingly it will be shown at RHS Bridgewater. The camp had to close to make way for the 154-acre gardens.
It was set up in the vast grounds of Worsley New Hall and was used by scout groups throughout the north west.
Visitors to the gardens have commented on their childhood memories at the location which triggered the idea of exploring its history.
A social media appeal launched by the RHS in autumn 2021 resulted in hundreds of submissions - comments, letters, photographs and film.
The exhibition, which opened on Friday (February 18th) and runs until May 22nd tells the story of Middlewood Scout Camp, through the memories, featuring photography, films and personal stories.
Phil Rigby, having grown up in nearby Worsley, shared just how significant it had been to him.
"I was just besotted with the place, I thought this was just tremendous, you know, and that started what turned out to be a very long scouting career. There's a generation that would come and tell you that they were the best days of our lives."
Caring for the site for 20 years until its closure in 2016, Phil had a huge impact on thousands of young visitors and the exhibition is a chance to recognize his contribution alongside others.
As well as being a nostalgic look at the past, the exhibition features the team who are creating the next generation of Scout camp at nearby Hollinwood in Boothstown.
Based on a 30-acre woodland site on Chat Moss, Hollinwood Scout Camp is the focus of a £250K fundraising campaign - to build the first stage of essential facilities,
Steve Butterworth, Hollinwood Scout Camp Warden said: "There has been a scout campsite in Salford for nearly 100 years. Middlewood was important not just because of the place but the space and the opportunities it offered.
"We want the new camp to inspire young people to get outdoors and learn skills for life as we did."
RHS Bridgewater will be celebrating the Scouting movement past and present. In March (Sat 12 and Sun 13 March) families are invited for a special weekend of outdoor activities. More details will be announced nearer the time.
