The woodland trust - bushcraft friendly?

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Asa Samuel

Native
May 6, 2009
1,450
1
St Austell.
Hi there,

There is a piece of woodland nearby owned by the woodland trust, it isn't a very large wood and has many footpaths and is very busy with walkers, joggers and cyclists - particularly during the tourist season. It is one of my favourite places to explore and I have seen many potential camping spots which wouldn't intrude on anybody else's enjoyment. I was planning on contacting the woodland trust to see if they would allow me to spend one or two overnighters during the summer but I was also wondering if anybody has dealt with them before and if they are 'bushcraft friendly'? I've seen evidence of a few fires and even the remains of some child-sized lean-to's but the places of these - in particular the fires which were in a clearing where paths converge and had not been cleared in any way - makes me think that they were done without permission.

Thanks in advance for any info/help/advice :)
Asa Samuel.
 

Asa Samuel

Native
May 6, 2009
1,450
1
St Austell.
You could almost guarentee that no permission was sought for those fires.

That's what I thought, there are 4-5 scars on the ground in that one clearing, and some others elsewhere in the forest it's sad really :(
I just hope that this doesn't affect my chances of seeking permission.
 

Shewie

Mod
Mod
Dec 15, 2005
24,259
24
48
Yorkshire
I tried them years ago when I first got into this malarky, I went for all the obvious ones like FC, NT & WT and all of them poo pood any camping requests. If you can hunt down the local ranger/warden for that site then that's probably your best bet.
 

sasquatch

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Jun 15, 2008
2,812
0
47
Northampton
They can't say yes. If common sense is used and your fire is raised on a bimble and you lose sight of the path to the car park when it gets dark I'm sure everything will be fine.
 

Stringmaker

Native
Sep 6, 2010
1,891
1
UK
They can't say yes. If common sense is used and your fire is raised on a bimble and you lose sight of the path to the car park when it gets dark I'm sure everything will be fine.

The presumption will have to be that they say no. Unfortunately, they have to legislate for the lowest common denominator, which is the type of eejits who left those fires without cleaning them up. Obviously you wouldn't do that but they don't know you from Adam.
 

greensurfingbear

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
I'm a ranger for a couple of sites up here in the north east and while officially we don't allow camping due to idiots leaving fire scars and loads of rubbish I am of the opinion if someone sets up after I finish work, and leaves in the morning without any sign they were there....well I'd never know right!
 

Kerne

Maker
Dec 16, 2007
1,766
21
Gloucestershire
I'm a ranger for a couple of sites up here in the north east and while officially we don't allow camping due to idiots leaving fire scars and loads of rubbish I am of the opinion if someone sets up after I finish work, and leaves in the morning without any sign they were there....well I'd never know right!

A victory for common sense! Well said.

A lot of people get het up about regulations but, as has been said, it's all about the lowest common denominator. Act sensibly and know what you're doing and everyone is generally happy. Personally, I don't light fires or erect shelters unless I have specific permission. But a tarp and a BushBuddy/Hobo stove can get you a long way.
 
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