Queries about Gypsy Wells

[Man of Tanith]

my permission often has standing water somewhere within it
this was part of it in December

Based on this i intend to make a Gypsy Well up there to ease the weight of my pack when i walk up there.
However the only experience i have with this method of water gathering is from a course attended several years ago and the grey matter ain't what it was (combination of night shifts and sleep deprivation aren't helping either)

I know you have to dig the gypsy well near but not directly next to the water source deep enough to be beneath the water table-this is pretty low up my permission i believe

i know you have to empty and dispose of the first filling of the gypsy well.
i know it has to be filtered and then brought to a rolling boil to remove potential nasty's like Guardia and others i can't spell

questions are

Can Gypsy Wells be left for long periods of time and still used? i only get up the permission about once a month and i dont want to have to construct one each time i go up there-not only would it eat into my time in the woods but it would also slowly but surely cover the area with potential ankle breaking holes when i get up in the dark to answer the call of nature.

If they can be used over a long period of time i assume they need a cover to prevent too much detritus getting into them and damaging them?

What sort of yield can i expect from a Gypsy Well?
would i be advised to still take water in to the camp but perhaps not as much as at present?

Any other advice i might need to know?

Thanks Ladies and Gentlemen
Sam

 

[BOD]

fashion a lid or make the well bell-shaped and plug the top with a rock(s) to avoid things falling in.

You are boiling it anyway and if the source water is fine otherwise you should be okay

 

[Twodogs]

As stated cover it when not in use then empty it so it refills when you first arrive on site hopefully then ready to reuse . Wash your millbank bag a few times to get it running faster , Maybe make up some water catchers to use as a back up
to the well ?

 

[Man of Tanith]

Water catchers? Care to elaborate Cliff? Sounds interesting.
Washing millbank in washing machine without softener will speed up the flow through won't it?
Thanks for the tips gentlemen.
Bell shaped may prove interesting but i can give it a go. Or perhaps knock up some form of lid and weigh it down

 

[Twodogs]

Here one we had on the go at the long gone Swift Valley ,

We did try lining it with verg but it rotted and had to be removed ,

It worked well ( Excuse the pun ) and was used of quite a few meets ,

Neil with his bag out ,

In this case old bags were a lot better I dont know if conditioner would help it just needs to be washed a load of time and air dryed ,

The new bag let no water though

I used to run it though a millbank then straight into a volcano kettle giving us loads of fun with fire during the process ,

Water catchers I use Garys method made up from a sigg bottle it all on his fine site ,

http://www.ravenlore.co.uk/html/water_collector.html

But you could just catch it on a bit of sheeting ,


Thank you Sam for this post it gave me the chance to look back at the fun and simple days of Swift Valley meets

Happy days

Twodogs

 

[Man of Tanith]

Very well come (boom boom) Cliff.
Reckon i can knock somethin up incorporating my guyot bottle as a water catcher.
Those photos definitely help more than the sketches in one the books i was researching gypsy wells in.

 

[boatman]

Surely this sort of Gypsy well is only appropriate near running water? Otherwise it is just another small pond/well dug into the water table and you would actually want to dig it away from standing, stagnant water rather than have that water draining into your well.

 

[Twodogs]

I see what you saying but when in use it refills with fresh-ish water when its left standing it needs emptying so that it refills more than once if need be to freshen it up .


Then theres all the filtering and boiling .

We used the one above loads of times without any problems ,

Twodogs

 

[tiger stacker]

Natural springs are worth finding, my dad showed me one as a boy. The farmer had covered it over with a lid, preventing sheep drowning. Glasgow University labs were used for water purity tests. Test showed it was better than loch katrine.

 

[boatman]

Chalk springs are the best. There was one below the ridge of Cherhill White Horse and Oldbury Hillfort near where I used to live and was the target for some of the long Downland walks. Delicious water but one time I was slurping directly from the spring and looked down the tiny watercourse to see the dead badger lying across it.

 

[Shewie]

What about making a filter up there Sam, something like the pop bottles with charcoal,sand, moss etc layers

 

[Twodogs]

Yep good stuff post up some photos

 

[TinkyPete]

One of the best ways of using Gypsy wells over a long period is to to re-filter the water after a prolonged gap of use, all that means re-bail the water onto the ground surround the well, the soil will then filter it out again and then safe to use a milbank bag or filter then boil, after every bail the soil filters out more nasties and it is also better if you can let the water settle and when taking out water try not to disturb the base of the well. Hope that helps Sam

 

[Man of Tanith]

What about making a filter up there Sam, something like the pop bottles with charcoal,sand, moss etc layers

Not a bad idea that hmmmmmmm

One of the best ways of using Gypsy wells over a long period is to to re-filter the water after a prolonged gap of use, all that means re-bail the water onto the ground surround the well, the soil will then filter it out again and then safe to use a milbank bag or filter then boil, after every bail the soil filters out more nasties and it is also better if you can let the water settle and when taking out water try not to disturb the base of the well. Hope that helps Sam

Yup definately does thanks

 

[MONKEY8MAV]

just watched a documentary on bears and they make and maintain their own gypsy wells

 

[Thoth]

As far as I recall if the ground is saturated the well will fill and refill Sam. In marsh like areas the problem can be more to do with keeping your feet dry as you access the well! You are going to filter and boil it so it only has to be reasonably clear. Cover it with bark if you want to keep a natural look to the area. The one I made was about 10" to 12" round so as to make it easy to bail out with a crusader mug.

 

[Man of Tanith]

As far as I recall if the ground is saturated the well will fill and refill Sam. In marsh like areas the problem can be more to do with keeping your feet dry as you access the well!
I made was about 10" to 12" round so as to make it easy to bail out with a crusader mug.

Both valid and good points!

 

[bikething]

just watched a documentary on bears and they make and maintain their own gypsy wells

interesting - any more details on the documentary?

 

[wicca]

When you've dug the well you could always sink a small container, for instance, a small plastic waste bin or drum in the hole to a few centimetres above ground level. Drill plenty of holes in the bottom and sides to allow it to fill naturally but leave the lid undrilled. That may prevent the well from filling with large debris although you would still need to filter the water obviously. When you leave it would just require the lid to be put on and camouflaged.

If you wanted to be really 'green' you could use a small wicker basket with a solid lid instead of a plastic drum/bin, that would just mean keeping an eye on it for when it deteriorated and needed replacing..

 

[AussieVic]

Try and put a large rock or solid cover on the well.

One problem with uncovered wells is that small critters can fall in and drown, which will contaminate the water;
this also deters other animals from using the well, who may re-introduce guardia etc if allowed to drink !

As already stated, a cover will prevent you falling in too, and help you locate it when you return.