West Midlands - Coventry - Bushcraft Weekends

Cyclingrelf

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Jul 15, 2005
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Penzance, Cornwall
I guess kit will need to be something similar to what I suggested last time, which I've more or less copied and pasted below - if you've any more questions about what to bring, or think I've missed anything out, please feel free to check with me:

Kit
Please bring everything you're going to need for overnight camping. I'm assuming most people probably have plenty of experience of this sort of thing, but as a rough guide:

Enough food for 1 breakfast, 2 (hot but quick) midday meals and 1 evening meal. We will not be allowed to hunt/snare on site. (Presumably in case we catch any boy scouts!! ) However, we are allowed to forage. It's just there isn't that much to forage on site...

Cooking and eating utensils. I'd say the minimum would be a Billy can, metal cup, spoon and/or fork, sharp knife, depending on what you're cooking and what you plan to improvise when you get there. Cooking will be over open fires, unless you'd prefer to use a stove of some kind and bring one with you.

A water bottle, at least 1 litre capacity, more would be useful - the water tap is a medium walk from the camping area, and I wouldn't trust the stagnant pools in the area as the woods are surrounded by farmland and there may be chemical contamination.

Sleeping kit, so: sleeping bag, tent or tarp/hammock/bivvy bag, sleeping mat, toothbrush, toothpaste, nightwear (spare socks et.c.), comb et.c.

FruitBatInShades, I'm happy to show you how to put up a hammock now that I have learned. (I was practising at the beginning of the month when I was in Cornwall :)) However, you'll need something to keep the rain off as well - a tarp or hoochie of some kind? Also, a warm sleeping bag and a mat such as thermarest to provide insulation under the sleeping bag where it compresses against the hammock.
Or, if you've got a waterproof bivvy, then you could skip the hammock and just use a sleeping bag, insulatory mat and tarp for shelter (I can show you how to put up a tarp as well)?
Or, you could just build a shelter, as you suggest, so long as you reckon you can dismantle it and make it disappear reasonably easily in the morning - I'd be quite interested to see what you make and how you build it. The owners of the site are OK with us building occasional bivouacks. (Like you say, we couldn't build them all the time, but as a learning exercise, they wouldn't mind...)

Methods for lighting fires

Cutting tools

Tissue paper to help with cleaning pans and personal hygiene, since the water tap is quite a distance from the site. Although, it's not THAT far if you want to wash pans/hands et.c. properly.

First aid kit

Wet weather gear/ warm clothing/ sensible shoes (it will be muddy)

Nylon cord (10m seems to be a reasonable quantity)

Plastic carrier bags - these are always useful - you can pack wet/dirty things in them to keep the rest of your kit dry/clean, use them to carry out non-burnable rubbish...et.c.

I'll bring a toilet roll in a waterproof container with matches - I'm considering digging a toilet nearish to where we camp, as the toilet block is quite a distance if someone wants to take a midnight dump...also a washing up bowl and soap so we can set up a washing hands station...and a parachute if it arrives in time and I've picked one that can be used as a shelter (crosses fingers)
 

Cyclingrelf

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Jul 15, 2005
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Penzance, Cornwall
FruitBatInShades said:
This will br my first moot!

Lol, I've never organised a moot before either (unless you count the weekend in Feb, which ended up being just me and my friend Craig :lmao: ), nor have I been on a BCUK moot, so I don't know if this will be very representative. But it should be fun, and I'm really looking forward to meeting a bunch of people interested in similar stuff to me. :)
 

Cyclingrelf

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Jul 15, 2005
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Penzance, Cornwall
It was great to meet some BCUK folk at last! Thanks for an excellent weekend.

I'm afraid I forgot my camera, so no photographic evidence, but Rough Close is a superb site and we had a very relaxing weekend pottering around in the woods.

I made some Charcotton with FruitBatInShades' help, and most people were interested in learning some knots for putting up tarps. I taught them the Evenk reindeer hitch, tension knot and guy line knot. We had a double hootchie for a day shelter with a permanent star fire underneath to keep the kettle hot. We also practised the bowdrill, but I had to stop as winding the spindle into the bow was hurting my axe wound too much. CVTWoodlife got really close to getting an ember, but in the end none of us succeeded. I guess it's all good practice and will have built up our muscles for next time!

Fae Eyes was pleased because she got to use all the new kit she bought. She won't look quite such a green horn at the Woodlore Birch Bark course now!!

I'm really looking forward to the next meet! :)
 
May 10, 2005
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Shropshire, UK
Here are some photos I took on crap camera phone. Sorry I didn't get any of the guys but they didn't stay till the morning. I learnt to tie some knots which I have now completely forgotten!
Great to meet everyone, I had a good time and spent my first night in a hammock! Comfy, but bad for the back.

bush1.jpg


Bush2.jpg

Bush3.jpg
 

Cyclingrelf

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Jul 15, 2005
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Penzance, Cornwall
lol - I even LOOK worse for wear. I might keep that photo as a terrible warning should I ever be tempted to sit around a fire late into the night drinking sloe gin and CVTWoodlife's delicious home-brew at any point in the future...

Thanks for posting the photos, FruitBat! :)
 

Juantwothree

New Member
Apr 1, 2006
3
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Warwickshire
The Coventry moot was really nice to be able to attend with Cycling Relf ,Singe Blister, Fruitbat in Shades,Faeeyes and my friend CVTWoodlife. Shame I could not make it for the whole duration although i am grateful to you all as I felt I learnt alot and as ever its great to be around a fire with like minded folk.

The site i thought was ideal and showed signs of being a relative of ancient woodland, part of the arden forest once upon at time i suppose. Just right for practicing the old skills.

I look fwd to the next one , i will be happy to help organize it if you want some help,and will look fwd to practicing fire bow drill again and knots (the evenk one is a beaut). Presuming everybody is still up for another moot there i will get some stuff prepared for having a forage and plant id session sorted.

Did we say June for another.... :)

Thanks again Juan23
 

Cyclingrelf

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Jul 15, 2005
1,185
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Penzance, Cornwall
Juan23, great to hear from you! I'd definitely be up for another meet up in June, and a foraging/plant uses sort of one sounds an excellent plan. So, yes please! Feel free to organise. I'm on holiday at the moment (Birch Bark course next week), but I'll contact you when I get back.

My parachute has arrived now, so plenty of cover if you'd like me to set up a day camp again.
 

Juantwothree

New Member
Apr 1, 2006
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Warwickshire
Hi there Cyclingrelf, good news about the parachute look forward to sitting under it, do have a good time on the birch bark course :)

If you want to set up daycamp again that would be tops you chose a good spot.

I can organize something for the forage/plant ident activity I plan to run hopefully with cvtenviros expertise aswell, and we could start looking at some dates how about the 3rd, 4th or 17th, 18th June for a meet up at rough close again.

No probs will do my best to organize this time .

If fruitbatinshades , fayeeyes, and dope forgot Relfy?,see this what do ya reckon. Coming again is that weekend any good ?
 

Rob Tangtent

Tenderfoot
Feb 20, 2009
81
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30
Warwickshire
ah you guys look like you had so much fun, i wish there was a meet for younger people. im in leamington aswell and id love to spend a weekend practising some bushcraft skills
there ought to be one in rough close for 13-18 yrs ish.
i guess i should just join the scouts but im really reluctant!
dont like the idear of having a uniform and that sort of thing
 

Andy2112

On a new journey
Jan 4, 2007
1,874
0
West Midlands
ah you guys look like you had so much fun, i wish there was a meet for younger people. im in leamington aswell and id love to spend a weekend practising some bushcraft skills
there ought to be one in rough close for 13-18 yrs ish.
i guess i should just join the scouts but im really reluctant!
dont like the idear of having a uniform and that sort of thing

Rob, PM Decorum on here as he sorts the Midlands Meets out. He may be able to give you more information regarding the age group you want to bring.

Andy
 

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