Living 'Wild' for 2-3 months, ideas? tips? etc

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horsevad

Tenderfoot
Oct 22, 2009
92
1
Denmark
Yes sorry, I wish I could re start the thread and have explained things better, I was tired.
The dog is legally my mothers but was the family dog when I was a teen, yes am an animal communicator and have worked with animals previously, dogs, horses, birds, small wildlife. Have grown up around wildlife and farm animals, always had animals, studied them, worked with them, so know the ins and outs. Also have kept chickens in the past and lost none of them to predators.
I would take the animals feed and keep it either inside my sleep area in a seperate container or in an animal/weather proof container outside. I would make sure I never ran out, the chickens would not need much feed though with it coming upto summer so unless I had many which I dont plan on a bag of feed would last a good two months.

I lived alone, moved back in with family due to health problems at the same time I was in contact with a number of eco villages starting up and was going to move to one but due to my health had to leave it at the time, in the meanwhile family decided they wanted to do the same thing, bought land and, the same people I am living with now own the land and asked me if I wanted to go, there was a few of us at first hoping to set up a 'village' but alot have dropped out since and now just three of us. I dont know how long I plan to live there, depends on my experiences, if I cant live the lifestyle and is to hard going will move somewhere more forgiving.

Sorry if my question is a bit naive, but english is not my native language: What does an "animal communicator" do?

Completing the plant based diet with eggs is a very wise choice. Eggs contains all of the important eight essential amino acids. If you have the means of erecting a small greenhouse it would also add substantial resources.

With your lifestyle you have probably already read just about everything Seymour and Angier have ever written, but if you by some chance haven't had the pleasure of reading one of their books I would really recommend at least the following books:

John Seymour:
On My Own Terms (1963). London: Faber & Faber.
Self-Sufficiency (1970). London: Faber & Faber.
Farming for Self-Sufficiency - Independence on a 5-Acre Farm (1973). Schocken Books
The Complete Book of Self-Sufficiency (1976). London: Faber & Faber.
The Self-Sufficient Gardener (1978). London: Dorling Kindersley
Getting It Together - a guide for new settlers (1980). London: Michael Joseph.
The Smallholder (1983). London: Sidgwick & Jackson.
The New Complete Book of Self-Sufficiency (2002). London: Dorling Kindersley.
The Self-Sufficient Life and How to Live It (2003). London: Dorling Kindersley.

Bradford Angier:
How To Build Your Home in The Woods (1952)
Living Off the Country: How to Stay Alive in the Woods (1956)
Free for the Eating (100 Wild Plants, 300 Ways to Use Them) (1967)
How to Stay Alive in the Woods: A Complete Guide to Food, Shelter and Self-Preservation That Makes Starvation in the Wilderness Next to the Impossible: Originally Published As Living Off the Country (1969)
More Free-for-the-Eating Wild Foods (1969)
The Art and Science of Taking to the Woods (1970)
One Acre and Security How to Live Off the Earth Without Ruining it (1972)
Survival with Style (1972)
Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants (1974)

Most have been out of print for decades; I am lucky enough to have my own copies of these books. The libraries should be able to fetch at least the majority of these books for you.

If you are moving from the thought of foraging to a principle of gardening then a whole new set of possibilities open up. (Provided that the chosen location actually have a climate relevant for some level of gardening). A Danish scientist, Mikkel Hindhede, proved already back in the 1930 that - given the correct tools and knowledge - a whole family can be feed by the produce of a garden not bigger than about 1-2 acres (depending on soil type and climatic variations)

This is - by the way - one of the basic reasons that the population size climbed rapidly as the stone-age people learned agriculture. There is a vast difference in required acreage between foraging and gardening/agriculture.

There is a internet-based database over the most used edible plants from all over the world. The web-adress is: http://www.pfaf.org/user/default.aspx
(As always with plant food - check the sources. Authors can (and do) make mistakes.)


//Kim Horsevad
 

ged

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Jul 16, 2009
4,976
13
In the woods if possible.
...I've lived in leaking caravan infested with ants and spiders with no heating for days in the middle of febuary ... no water and then no hotwater, no electricity, having to walk 2-3 miles for food after spending all day walking/running 10miles and riding/training horses...

... i do believe alot of it is down to mental attitude. ...

You're right about the mental attitude, but I'm not sure that your mental attitude is right.

My attitude is not that I can cope with great hardship and infestations of vermin, but that I can and will make myself comfortable, more or less anywhere, and stay that way. It's a whole lot more fun being warm, dry, clean and well fed than being cold, wet, hungry and covered in sores.

From what you say you seem to be reasonably fit, but you've mentioned health problems and that's a little worrying.

I actually like spiders. If you have trouble with creatures of that kind you might need to work on it. :yikes:
 

monkey spanner

Forager
Jul 4, 2010
160
0
kent
I am not a troll, so that person who said they were going to go to China with their thumbs up their **** get trotting!

Ha Ha...not yet.
Look's like the plan has changed from dumping yourself in the wild to staying at the uncle's plot.
OK, I apologise for the flippant remark, the op was a bit vague.
I hope you succeed, if so I'll get the elbow pad's & Vaseline & be off.
 

waynepicknell

New Member
Apr 28, 2012
1
0
kent, United Kingdom
hey just wanted to say you are not the only person in the forum now that is planning such a thing i been planning it for about 2 years now with training and everything else. i got another 2 years of training and finalising planning before i do it mind u and im only going to do 1 month to start with the first time and every time i go add a week onto it depending how it went the last time.
i do wish u the best of luck but one thing i do agree with the others on is how short of time u taking to plan it and just a question how will u get help if u break a leg?? as u wont be able to walk to the bus stop and if u had to travel to use a phone you cant call for help.
again i do wish u the very best of luck hun :)
 

Ninaslug

Member
Apr 26, 2012
14
0
UK
Ha Ha...not yet.
Look's like the plan has changed from dumping yourself in the wild to staying at the uncle's plot.
OK, I apologise for the flippant remark, the op was a bit vague.
I hope you succeed, if so I'll get the elbow pad's & Vaseline & be off.

In the op im sure I mentioned I would be staying on land owned by family
 
Feb 15, 2011
3,860
2
Elsewhere
Dearest Ninaslug,....I'm a little confused & I doubt I'm the only one.....you started off by saying you were plannng to spend 2-3 months living in a tent on some remote scotish isle.& claiming that you had no experience then with each of your further posts you added additional qualifications to counter balance other member's posts & now it appears you have experience, are planning to transform the place into a small holding & obviously have the use of a removals van to transport all the gear you are planning to use...:confused:

I think you should start again,take your time & write a full synopsis of what it is you are actually planning to do,where, when, with what,with whom,how, why & .the full extent of your experience.....then once we have all the facts ( in one post & not fed to us bit by bit all over the thread )you will probably recieve more help & advice rather than disapproval....:).....that's the way I see it anyway...

The dog must be old then if he was a family pet when you were a teenager ?
 

Toddy

Mod
Mod
Jan 21, 2005
38,937
4,570
S. Lanarkshire
You know the best advice that could be given ?
Try it in a field in an area near home.
If you can survive there, with no cheating, no wee additions, no blagging food or fuel from visitors, then have another think about imposing yourself on a Scottish island and it's inhabitants.

But if you can't do it there, why on earth would you think that the supposed remoteness (islands aren't empty, there are people all over, especially on Skye which is considered white settler central) of the Hebrides would make it any better ?

Now if you're flitting (moving van, et al) that's not the same thing as living wild, is it ?
£100 still won't go far. Won't even cover the fuel for the van from England through the central belt let alone up to Skye.

No harm to your endeavours, but we get scunnered sick of folks thinking a couple of weeks prep will make them able to survive anywhere, and then taking themselves off up to Scotland to 'prove' it. :rolleyes:

Toddy
 

birchwood

Nomad
Sep 6, 2011
440
99
Kent
Assuming this is not a wind up......

If you are living in a leaky caravan with no water and no electric I guess your "commune" life is not working where you are let alone living in Scotland.
Living in the wild for 2 /3 months. With people within shouting distance
Dog appears to be old...more likely to need vet care at some point, let alone wormers etc. + 3 months of food.Provide protection from what?
Wont even go into seeds etc,except if you dont fence your veggie garden it will be eaten by rabbits etc .Wire and posts needed etc, ie a few pounds of staples.
Chickens will need a run with a roof so lots of wire and posts + 3 months of food.
Wont go into nipping down the local shop
Assuming you dont own a car the way you are living ....how are you going to buy and take dog,chickens, food,tools,plants and all the other equipment to Scotland .
£100 is not enough for the petrol let alone everything else
What happens after all this work 3 months down the line ? back to the caravan you are so desperate to leave.
 
May 6, 2010
123
0
uk
www.coastalsurvival.com
Hi

Interesting thread, plenty of advise given! Loads mentioned about food. Bit more free advise; most people have never lived in a self sufficient environment for a sustained period of time, nor do they have the instinctual understanding of nature, common sense and the ability improvise, adapt and over come. Many people can only surmise what they think they would do, from their armchair and keyboard.
Just because you intend on living in a remote location, doesn't mean you cant take advantage of as much modern kit as you can get there, nature will provide everything else, in that I am confident! Use all available resources, stay positive, open minded and free thinking as you connect with your environment.

Just remember the basics - Shelter - Fire - Water - Food. Understand, experience and master these and you will be rewarded with the self liberating empowerment, of self confidence in nature! Don't be scared of the dark!

I would happily give you some first hand advise if needed (personally contact me) - hopefully some other members will vouch for my knowledge and experience, (as I'm sure Iv taught a few of them) and reassure you that I'm defiantly not a arm chair survivalist!

Fraser
 

youngbushcrafter

Tenderfoot
Jun 16, 2011
97
0
Scotland
Haha, as others have said, you REALLY need to think this over:
£100 is not going to be enough for everything that you need, a good tent that will not leak, and stay good for the two months will cosh far more than your budget
You cant just throw some seeds on the grass and hey-presto, you have carrots, potatoes etc
What you should be asking for is a list of things that you are looking at in the wrong way and what you need to think about
I do admire you but, remember, it could be a mile from a house, but you could die out there
 

swyn

Life Member
Nov 24, 2004
1,159
227
Eastwards!
I think you should have a bl**dy good go at this and at 23 what's to stop you. The weather is 'improving' along with daylight hours so you won't be heading into winter unprepared.
What has been said about trying something a little closer to home is a good bit of advise. You don't have to do this for a long time. Major expeditions do 'testing', even today, with all that high tec stuff:). Mr Fenna will vouch for that. This will also help you wittle down un-necessary equipment. As to the dog, they can survive well on not much, just watch for the wild part to come out. They do need feeding though as their little bit of doggy clockwork simply and suddenly stops.(this makes interesting reading in Shackletons writing, then of course they were eaten!!) In a way that may be interesting to watch and may work positively for you (the hunting ability improves dramatically) but beware of the negative side which may get you into trouble with the local game keeper/farmer. There is a risk as they have a perfect right to bear arms.....'nuff said!
I have some friends (Toddy knows who I mean) who live totally 'off grid' they are further South and East of where I gather your paddock lies. They are yurt dwellers and have raised two daughters this way with home ed etc. Today their income is steady and their 'talents' are now much in demand which is a real joy to me. They have pulled off a difficult lifestyle choice and made it work. As has been mentioned a nomadic style is more suited but in my opinion probably impossible in the UK.
I think my only piece of advise would be to look at the rainfall in other areas and see if you could be in a 'rain shadow' area. This would help in no small way. I work in an area with a yearly avearge of 25" and live in an area with 15" It's a BIG difference, particularly right now! And I hate mud!
:D:D:D:D
Swyn.
 
Feb 15, 2011
3,860
2
Elsewhere
As to the dog, they can survive well on not much, just watch for the wild part to come out. They do need feeding though


I'm sure an old family pet used to home living & regular meals will do just fine on a few blades of grass once he's out on the hills........:rolleyes: After all as any one will tell you, surviving is much better than thriving.
 

Tengu

Full Member
Jan 10, 2006
12,780
1,517
51
Wiltshire
I hate very much to be cynical (Im one of those Aspergic soup types and am well used to doing crazy stuff...like living a relativley normal life.)

But the OP seems to have high expectations of life like eating poorly, and living without the basics.

(Where were their parents in all this?)

I come to the assumptions that they are either desparatley poor, think living that way is somehow normal (And its `certainly` not Bushcraft...remember Nessmuks and Kepharts words on roughing it.) or are on an ascetic bender.

They claim to be an `animal communicator`...I am, of course, too high and mighty to deign to speak to lesser beasts, but I suspect that the animals like to be warm, well fed and cared for.

(Has the OP discussed this matter with their dog? Most dogs I know want to slob out in front of the telly in a warm room with a belly full of fancy meat by product, they might `chase` things, yes, but I suspect that your average modern dog would rather have it on a plate than hunt it.)

(Im trying to remember who wrote a book called `The Idlers Companion` One of the people in that lived in a cave in Scotland. However they did do a bit of work for basics, and anyhow, the books about poaching so I wont reccomend it.)

Sorry for being such a downer, Im just cranky from having to listen to a natural dieted friend talk about the tablets their doctor proscribed for their anemia. (Something to think about when being female, and yes, I am of the Unfair Sex...You need lots of Iron. I eat black pudding, but hey, thats just me being a gourmand, eh?)
 

ged

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Jul 16, 2009
4,976
13
In the woods if possible.
... I suspect that your average modern dog would rather have it on a plate than hunt it. ...

If I open the back door a couple of inches and whisper "squirrel", the two slobs lying in the porch will vanish from their beds (they've asked me to say thank you, by the way, for those lovely blankets) and they'll be under the bird table before I've finished the last phoneme.

If a healthy dog doesn't chase things, it probably isn't hungry enough.
 

Tengu

Full Member
Jan 10, 2006
12,780
1,517
51
Wiltshire
Hungry is a normal state in dogs.

(Same as me, much to the consternation of my relatives who think I am fat)
 

Oblio13

Settler
Sep 24, 2008
703
2
67
New Hampshire
oblio13.blogspot.com
I lived in a tent for most of a year when I was building my house, and remember it (mostly) fondly. If you have a tent that breathes (i.e., not nylon) and that you can stand up in, with a woodstove and a raised bed, it's just as comfortable as a house's bedroom. Maybe cut some hazel, scrounge some canvas and make a bender tent.

There are tent villages springing up all around the US because of the economic situation. I started a thread about one some time ago. Here's a pic of a fellow I visit occasionally, he's been living here for ten years, spends his days fishing and dumpster-diving.

MarkTheHobo.jpg
 

Toddy

Mod
Mod
Jan 21, 2005
38,937
4,570
S. Lanarkshire
No offence Oblio, but that site looks dry, and calm.

Skye is sodden wet, generally overcast much of the year and takes on the winds from the Atlantic ocean. It's relatively treeless too.

I have worked on Skye, visited it often, have friends and colleagues who live and work on the island. It's beautiful, it's challenging, the weather is incredibly changeable.
Because it's connected to the mainland by the bridge it's also tourist central, well, that and Mull.
It's expensive to buy anything on the island, and yet there's a never ending stream of visitors frantically buying wellies, cagoules, heavy wool pullovers, gloves, socks and hats, and midgie nets, all Summer long.
It's name actually means 'misty isle'. Eilean a' Cheò, "Isle of the mist".

Look down the bottom of this page
http://www.myweather2.com/activity/climate-profile.aspx?id=76736

Skye averages 19 wet days a month, in Summer !!
It's not a warm, dry, climate, and certainly not for someone who originally claimed to be going to 'live wild' :rolleyes:
That's a very different thing from living next to a building site incidentally.
The average wind speed is above 15kmph, again in Summer, in Autumn and Winter, it's higher.......that's a lot of fun under a tarp/ tent/ or in a caravan.

There is a very good book on the botany of Skye; it even gives known localities for individual species. The Botanist in Skye and adjacent islands. Costs about £15 iirc.

http://www.plant-identification.co.uk/skye/book.htm

A yurt and a stove inside though, now that would work if you can arrange dry footing :D

cheers,
Toddy
 

horsevad

Tenderfoot
Oct 22, 2009
92
1
Denmark
(...)

The average wind speed is above 15kmph, again in Summer, in Autumn and Winter, it's higher.......that's a lot of fun under a tarp/ tent/ or in a caravan.

(...)

A tarp can actually be rigged to cope with such weather. As a test of the principle of a cheap tarp and rigging with the tarp knot I rigged a tarp shelter at a particular windy spot on my piece of land last fall. This winter was very windy - including three Beaufort 11 storms. The tarp shelter survived unharmed until I disassembled it last weekend.

One won't get much sleep under a tarp in such weather though, the constant noise and rattle from the tarp is sure to keep one awake.

And by the way, your thoughtful, intelligent and insightful postings were more or less the reason I joined this forum, so please don't percieve my disagreement on the point of tarps as any kind of criticism.


(...)

There is a very good book on the botany of Skye; it even gives known localities for individual species. The Botanist in Skye and adjacent islands. Costs about £15 iirc.

http://www.plant-identification.co.uk/skye/book.htm

(...)

Thank you for this tip. Even though I don't think I will ever visit Skye I will be ordering a copy of the book as soon as the post office opens. There is just something delightful about a good field reference!

//Kim Horsevad
 

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