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

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horsevad

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

You can live 100% off of raw food and if you have enough you feel very healthy and only miss the taste factor of cooked food, I have spoken to and met people who do this and I have done for long periods. But to have a balanced diet a part of that food needs to be imported for most people who follow raw diets. Vegans, vegetarians and more paleo raw diets and all of them looked healthy, infact alot of people do the diets to cure diseases and health problems, ones that are usually looked at as incurable.

(...)

I assume that by "raw food" you mean plant food, ie "vegan" ?

If so, it is certainly possible to live as a vegan, and still get a balanced diet with all eight essential amino acids. But it cannot be done on a 100% foraged diet at our lattitudes. What you will be missing is the amino acid lysine. The only plants I am aware of, which can grow on our lattitude and produce a usable amount of lysine is spinach, which caries it own set of problems as it contains oxalic acid and the unripe fruits of bean plants. Neither are quite relevant in a foraged context.


I will adjust it to make it more safe, the main thing that has changed my mind is realising that the type of barren landscape the food is limited.

Nice to hear. Be sure to take lots of photographs and record some of your thoughts and analysis on either paper or video form. It could be used as material for publication in one or another form afterwards.

//Kim Horsevad
 

ged

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Jul 16, 2009
4,976
13
In the woods if possible.
... I am not a troll ...

Well I'm not convinced, but just for the record, you have very little idea of what your are proposing to take on. Others have said the same thing to you, and I will just repeat it. You cannot do what you are proposing to do.

I am a skilled survivor. In the past half a century I have spent anything from a few days to a few years living in temporary shelters, so I know what I am talking about. I could not safely do what you are proposing to do. I would probably die. You would almost certainly die. Something similar might be possible, but not what you are proposing, and not with the amount of experience that you have and the little preparation that you have made and/or are planning to make.

... planning for another building has already been passed by the previous owners so it is legal for people to live on the land. ...

What you have proposed is not legal in the UK. I very much doubt that you know what it legal and what is not legal.

For an example, dumping your sewage in a wheelie-bin is illegal. The fact that planning permission has been granted to an owner of a property to build a dwelling on that property may under some circumstances give the owner the right to dwell on the property in a temporary structure while the dwelling is under construction, but it certainly does not give you the right to move in and set up a semi-permanent camp there, even if the owner supposedly gives his permission. The owner cannot change the planning (and many other) regulations to suit himself nor to suit you. It just doesn't work like that.

There has to be another way, one which does not take such risks with your health and safety.

Put some more thought into it.
 
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Urban X

Nomad
Apr 6, 2012
272
0
Thanet, Kent
I 'very' much doubt that you would be considered as a planning risk or in breach of planning law with what you are doing, you would be a 'wild camper' in effect which can be 'technically' illegal but, you are very, very unlikely to be pulled up, especially if the land is 'family' owned as you say. Even if you were to trespass on somebody's land it is not a criminal offence but a civil one, and Scotland is more lenient than most with the right to roam act.

I've 'trespassed' all over Scotland, many times and deliberately as an Urban Explorer and in 5 years of doing so have 'never once' been arrested or cautioned, I have 'never' even been asked to leave a site, I have been invited to take a tour of parts I couldn't reach by interested land owners, and have been asked if I will email my pictures to them, but the Scottish seem to tolerate weirdo's like myself alot more than any other nationality I've come across so far. More info HERE.


Si
 
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Feb 15, 2011
3,860
2
Elsewhere
Im hoping to take a dog with me for protection and for company,possibly some chickens for eggs


Do you have a dog or are you plannning on getting one just for the occassion ?...do you know anything about dogs ?..Just how are you planning to feed it ?.......& the chickens wil need to be fed too if you want eggs & you'll have to protect them from predators..:rolleyes:
 

ged

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Jul 16, 2009
4,976
13
In the woods if possible.
I 'very' much doubt that you would be considered as a planning risk or in breach of planning law with what you are doing, you would be a 'wild camper' in effect which although can be 'technically' illegal, you are very, very unlikely to be pulled up on, especially if the land is 'family' owned as you say. Even if you were to trespass on somebody's land it is not a criminal offence but a civil one, and Scotland is more lenient than most with the right to roam act.

I've 'trespassed' all over Scotland, many times and deliberately as an Urban Explorer and in 5 years of doing so have 'never once' been arrested or cautioned, I have 'never' even been asked to leave a site, I have been invited to take a tour of parts I couldn't reach by interested land owners, and have been asked if I will email my pictures to them, but the Scottish seem to tolerate weirdo's like myself alot more than any other nationality I've come across so far. More info HERE.

What you say is true. I have had the same experiences that you have had when I have met owners of property on which I have been present without permission. However the OP appears to be proposing something rather different from what you and I have done. OP has specifically mentioned keeping a dog for protection, and the proposed sanitation arrangements are a complete joke. If this is not just a wind-up I believe that we are woefully short of facts, but working with what we have been given there seems to be little support available from the 'family'. The potential for complaints from neighbours has been raised. If the OP were to proceed as outlined I believe there would soon be complaints, followed fairly swiftly by enforcement action (justified, in my opinion) not least on public health grounds.
 

Urban X

Nomad
Apr 6, 2012
272
0
Thanet, Kent
Oh I totally agree Ged if she is to take a dog and the 'wheelie bin' for sanitation purposes. I was merely saying that she would have little or no problems actually camping as such with planning laws. If she were to set up some kind of 'hovel' for want of a better word with a dog which 'could' cause problems with my livestock, and there were human and animal faeces festering in a bloody great bin I would have major issues with it on my land, the growing of plants could be a problem, that I believe would require the landowners permission especially if they were sown directly onto the land and not in pots.

I'd love to do it myself so I do have empathy with Ninaslug but like yourself I have survived on very little with very little in the past, only the knowledge I did have helped me survive and I would have to think long and hard before attempting what she is considering and have spent an equal amount of time actually planning the attempt. With what she's planning at the moment I think it highly unlikely she would survive I think Kim's information while it may be a great post is misleading in this case and is giving her a false sense of security, there are too many assumptions, I'd like to see them both think about it alot more, especially the area she decides to try it in. Because certain plants grow at certain lattitudes does not mean there will be any of them within a usable distance and starvation is a hell of a way to test the body to see if it can cope....

Just my 50p worth.


Si
 

Trojan

Silver Trader
Mar 20, 2009
688
57
The Countryside
How old are you? I do not think this question has been answered?

Throwing my pennies worth in- I would follow every ones advice and do not try it. If you are still keen go on a course and see what it is like!
 

Ninaslug

Member
Apr 26, 2012
14
0
UK
No, you do not empty your poo into some ones bin, what a stupid thing to even think about, what preparations have you made already, or have you just wistfully typed this out after a bit of google fun looking at pictures of stags in the glen and waterfalls,

Hahaha! Im sorry I have got your nerve up. Many compost toilets use an old wheelie bin underneath. Again I should of worded myself better.
I have been to the area I am going twice. On the Isle of Skye, I am moving there anyway getting sick of living where I am and waiting to move, cannot work at the moment. I have been planning/dreaming living self sufficient for a couple of years now and already nearly there.
I've lived in leaking caravan infested with ants and spiders with no heating for days in the middle of febuary(I always wore lots of layers, stayed in one room, drank plenty of hot drinks), 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 dont see huge differences, I also mainly ate raw food at that time and no animal protein whatsoever.
 

Urban X

Nomad
Apr 6, 2012
272
0
Thanet, Kent
Ninaslug, how are you getting to where you will be trying to do this? This makes a big difference in what you are able to take with you, Kim suggested a bag of rice and a bag of oats and thats it, this is NOT enough imho, if you have transport to get there then you can take some more staples (beans, lentils, quinoa, almonds & other nuts).

Having carbs is great for energy and helping to assimilate other foods, but you need a balanced diet and if you're not going to eat meat then you need vegetable protein. You will not be able to forage enough food to survive and that's a given, carby roots or no carby roots. 2kg a day, not too much unless you work out what part of the root is actually worth eating and how many you need to make up 2kg!?!?! Assuming there are any in the area of course.

If you're going to separate the urine and faeces then your compost toilet could work, but one wheelie bin is too small imo, if you don't separate them it most definately won't work it will just become a health hazzard as Ged suggested. You would be better off burying it in small pits. If you are able to take a wheelie bin, which is a bit unsightly imo, but hey, I would suggest using it to keep your food staples in as it is both waterproof and pretty much scavenger proof, inc. insects.

I'd like to see you succeed I really would, I don't think it matters that you're female or what age you are, but you have to forget everything you've done in the past, leaky caravan, etc., that's inconvenient and chilly/cold, a tent in torrential rain and a raging gale is another entity entirely.

You need to find out what flora and fauna are actually prevelent in that area and what times of year they appear, where they are to be found in abundance, where you can camp that will be closest to both those and fresh water, lots & lots of planning, 6 to 8 weeks isn't long enough unless you go honey badger on some serious research. :D


Si
 
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Ninaslug

Member
Apr 26, 2012
14
0
UK
Well I'm not convinced, but just for the record, you have very little idea of what your are proposing to take on. Others have said the same thing to you, and I will just repeat it. You cannot do what you are proposing to do.

I am a skilled survivor. In the past half a century I have spent anything from a few days to a few years living in temporary shelters, so I know what I am talking about. I could not safely do what you are proposing to do. I would probably die. You would almost certainly die. Something similar might be possible, but not what you are proposing, and not with the amount of experience that you have and the little preparation that you have made and/or are planning to make.



What you have proposed is not legal in the UK. I very much doubt that you know what it legal and what is not legal.

For an example, dumping your sewage in a wheelie-bin is illegal. The fact that planning permission has been granted to an owner of a property to build a dwelling on that property may under some circumstances give the owner the right to dwell on the property in a temporary structure while the dwelling is under construction, but it certainly does not give you the right to move in and set up a semi-permanent camp there, even if the owner supposedly gives his permission. The owner cannot change the planning (and many other) regulations to suit himself nor to suit you. It just doesn't work like that.

There has to be another way, one which does not take such risks with your health and safety.

Put some more thought into it.

I agree with what everyone is saying about food, I will need to have enough basics incase I cant catch anything or find any wild foods. I forgot to state though that this will be part of my research in the following weeks, to find out more about the area. I already know quite abit as im moving there. Permission has been given like you say for a non permanent structure whilst building, building should start taking place in a couple of months.

As I said that was an error, the thing is I already know what I mean inside my head, I have problems sometimes putting everything into words for other people to understand and its not until I read back over it that I realise or if it is read a certain way it sounds wrong , like the wheelie bin thing.

I've slept outdoors with no shelter, walked around in barefeet in winter, im not saying im indestructable but I do alot of things other people pull faces at. As a child I would take the dogs and walk over farmland for good few miles, I ended up in a ditch a couple of times that had muddy sliding banks, I just tied ropes around my middle and got the dogs to pull me out.

Obviously alot of situations you will die in, but i do believe alot of it is down to mental attitude. Im not going to go on 20mile hikes and walk over boggy land or jumping over crevices, that is what I would personally call risky if you are on your own and you do that type of thing.
I would go and get help if anything happened, like I said there is a post office, quite a few houses, a bus. Even if nobody was there right away I wouldnt have to wait long for another person to be within shouting range.

I will make my shelter windproof, I live in a windy area and have to have the chicken runs and greenhouses all tied or anchored down. I will either get some sandbags, turf etc to make the area more sheltered.

I would take food for the dog!! All of the animals would be looked after and well cared for, I have had chickens in the past so understand the ins and outs of chickens. No foxes have been seen in the area but I always keep outdoor animals in housing that is fox proof, the only predators would be birds of prey, possibly mink ,pine martens and then the usuals.
 

NetFrog

Forager
Jul 17, 2011
189
0
Scotland
Sounds fun :)

I've met fruitarians and people whom only eat raw and they seem to do OK. Not foraged raw though. I once knew a lady who believed she could live off fresh air, she was found dead on a hill a few weeks later. :(

Other than that though - it sounds like you are doing it in a fairly urban area, so unless you are nuts then I am assuming if all gets desperate you will just get out of there, this seems to be what you have said anyway.

The chickens idea is really a no go unless you are planning on building them a home as the foxes will get them. As for the plants, unless you are going to be there long enough to see them grow and have space to tend them properly then there is little point, saying that salad can grow pretty thick and fast so if you are happy with the green stuff and don;t mind eating the slugs they attract ;-)

During the timeframe you specified you are not going to get much in the way of shroomz, especially if you are not near decent woodland anyway and in the isolated Scottish region you mentioned there is unlikely to be a great deal of greenery to eat and little in the way of fruit. So seaweed and shellfish are going to be your main food source from foraging unless you get good with catching wabbits. It is a fair hike to and from the beach everyday by the sounds of it so what would the plan be? A bag of seaweed and shellfish and some kind of truss on your back for carrying driftwood? I just spent 3 days on the moray coast and found very little in the way of wood at all.

Go stocked up with lentils, rice etc and you can add your seaweed and shellfish to it. I would just bring a basic medi kit, if you get injured or sick it is time to pack up anyway and phone for help, seeing as it is your family land I can only assume you have someone relatively close you can call.

Rough it for a few weeks and see if you want to carry on :) However if you are planning a little more than just roughing it for a while then some serious thought needs to go into it, some of what you have said about the chickens/compost toilet and solar shower stuff makes it sound more like you want to set up I smallholding of sorts which is not roughing it at all but instead making yourself a happy wee home :)
 
B

bocan

Guest
i'm from a hardcore survival forum and I don't think I've ever seen such an 'out there' post.

@OP - please consider it very carefully. People die from lack of planning on these matters!

Which Hardcore survival forum? :p
 

Ninaslug

Member
Apr 26, 2012
14
0
UK
Do you have a dog or are you plannning on getting one just for the occassion ?...do you know anything about dogs ?..Just how are you planning to feed it ?.......& the chickens wil need to be fed too if you want eggs & you'll have to protect them from predators..:rolleyes:

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.
 

Tengu

Full Member
Jan 10, 2006
12,777
1,510
51
Wiltshire
You have a very funny diet.

Chickens...Well, have you read Frank Fraser Darlings `Island Years`? He had chickens (and a couple of milk goats)

A lot of his experiences might be of use to you....but he was much better prepared.
 

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