A welome and a plea for help

[match]

I'd have to stick my oar in too and agree with everyone else here...

A few points about an 'initial trip':

Go somewhere local - somewhere where if everything goes pearshaped you're not more than 10-15 minutes from a phone/a bus/a warm hotel

Check and know your equipment well before you go - sounds daft but before my last camping trip (on Skye, in March, when I knew it would be cold and wet) I waited til the most horrible day here in Edinburgh, then went out in my waterproofs to practice pitching a tent, lighting a stove, cooking food etc in a howling gale and driving rain. Only when you can do it easily in your back garden should you contemplate doing it somewhere unfamiliar.

A lot of people have listed things you should/shouldn't take. All I'll say is make sure you always have access to water and food, and enough clothing/sleeping bags/blankets etc to keep you warm, and enough waterproofing (tent/bivvy bag/basha/jacket) to keep you dry. To a certain extent if your well hydrated, warm, dry and well fed, you can survive anywhere indefinitely. the difficult bit comes when you have to think about what you need to keep the above four things satisfied. A hammock is not much use to you on open moorland

Oh, and if you're coming to Scotland, be prepared for midges. I've met hardened bushcrafters from down South who have run screaming from the highlands after encountering these wee beasties

On the other hand, DO get outside, and DO have fun as much as possible - as has already been said, find others in your area who can show you the ropes - there's no point spending days reading books and struggling to figure out what they mean when an experienced person can show you all manner of useful things in a few minutes....

Most of all, HAVE FUN! Bushcraft is an amazing thing - once you've mastered the basics...

 

[george]

My tuppence worth

Have a look here: www.mountainbothies.org.uk .All across Scotland there are open bothies or mountain huts - generally they are old shepherds cottages or similar that are kept as simple shelters for folk going in to the mountains. almost all of them have a fireplace and there is usually a supply of firewood available within walking distance.

You can plan a route that will see you walking between bothies and practising your bushcraft skills in the evening cooking on the bothy fire.

You wont need to carry a tent and you can keep the stove as a backup, but take the stove!

Parts of Scotland can be incredibly inhospitable not to say downright dangerous for the inexperienced - find out as much info as you can before you go, routes in, escape routes out, what to do if you have a problem, make a plan and stick to it. Don't over extend yourself - don't aim to travel more than 10k or so a day - until you're used to it 10k will be far enough. Dont carry too much kit but make sure that you can be warm and dry at night - you can cope with most things provided you can get a good nights sleep. The midges will be terrible if you're not used to them (can you ever get used to midges?) so be prepared with a headnet and repellent.

I started going to the hills on my own from the age of 14 - I stuck to all the safety rules and still had some hairy moments! Get out and learn and have a whale of a time - just take it slow and learn the rules, leave Knoydart til you know what you're doing.

George

 

[R-J]

i'm gonna have to side with every here dude. start out some where local that you know well - home ground is always a better place to find you've left sommthing behind/get in trouble.

i've messed up a few times in the past years. most notibly trying to walk from newquay(how ever you spell it)-lands end with out properly looking at the maps, or doing any training, or any camping expericane... i think we can all see where i'm going. i managed to find a phone (no signal), and call a mate who came and picked me up (rather wet, dispirited and sorry for my self). my first bushing/camping experiance! could have done better, and i was hacked off for a while and not to proud of myself...

with hindsight (wonderful thing that) it was just the thing i needed to relaise the value of the 7 P's (prior preperation & planning prevents **** poor performance)!

anyway, mini-rant over

like i said, find a place you like, go there a few times, practice untill you can do everything nigh on in your sleep (still trying to get that one). go out and do it when the weathers crap and then u'll have a good test of u're kit/skills.

if you can, find some one who's more experianced and ask all those questions (no matter how dum they seem) you can think up. learn from others mistakes, but dont be afraid to make you owns ones, they're the best stories! lol

 

[Biddlesby]

Thanks very much for all the help. If I do go to Scotland instead of the Lake District, which seems unlikely, I'll certainly look into those Bothies!

This wouldn't be my first camping trip, but it would be my first one near mountains. Still, I'm told the Lake District is more "hills" than the mountains of Scotland which sounds a bit more amenable. Also, looks like taking a stove is a definite yes from what you have all said. Also - I am working under the pretence that it will be constantly raining so that I am (hopefully) at least half pleasantly suprised.

I don't want you all to think that I'm a cocky ******* claiming to be Ray Mears and running off to Ben Nevis in a T-Shirt (not saying that any of you have suggested such a thing).

Thank you all for your time and co-operation, much appreciated .

Another question - getting to there. Trains seem the simplest and most direct option, but are also quite costly. My comrade favours getting the buses. This seems to me to be much cheaper (and more fun!) - but also much more complicated. By Occam's Razor, I fear a disaster happening right from the beginning. At the time, I will have a starting point at Stafford, if that helps.

 

[Spacemonkey]

The shop that Andy mentions for the MOD filter is http://www.sofmilitary.co.uk/military/index.htm They do the whole '58 bottle range. The metal crusader mug fits under the bottle, the cooker fits under that. It's a great compact backup cooker set. They do a great range of minimalist camping gear. The rucksacks here: http://www.sofmilitary.co.uk/military/products.asp?pg=292&offset=6 are a great budget pack ("Forces" brand aka Highlander). I use the 33 litre one everyday on my bike, and also as a day sack. I can get all my gear in there without a problem for a weekend, and maybe a week, but the 44 litre could provide more scope for the future and longer trips/bigger equipment. The sacks have a built in waterproof cover in the top pocket that just pulls out if it rains. Your local surplus store should flog ex army goretex gear-jackets about £30 strides a little less. They are in DPM cammo, of course, but great kit none the less. US Amry ponchos are useful as basha shelters, emergency bivvi bags, or just as a waterproof. They fold up very small, very lightweight and SOF knock them out at £15. two popper together to make a larger shelter. If it's a quick heavy shower, then chuck it on over you and your kit and just crouch down to keep everything dry. SOF are a great company to deal with and have a good range with very good prices compared to many other such companies. And no, I don't work for them....

Anyway, I hope you have a great time where ever you go. Keep it up! Dartmoor is a little closer and there are some great woods anround Burrator resevoir. March out of Princetown, and it's a great quickie day hike/overnight stop and back for lunch in the pub, and very hard to get lost! Water is plentiful, as is wood, in the forest bit. There are also plenty of people around if you need help, yet quiet enough if you want to avoid them. Great place for a first trip.

 

[stotRE]

Hi Biddlesby
Have a look at easyjet or ryanair as there cheaper than the train and a lot quicker.
Good luck

 

[moko]

Spacemonkey has something here. Its not that your idea is wrong, just the location. Dartmoor is a great location as is the New Forest which is probably one of the finest woodland areas in the UK. Ok, so having open fires might be a bit of a problem (its very difficult to have open fires anywhere in the UK) and both locations can get a little bussy but get yourself 200 yards away from the road and you will be alone. Also, they are easy to get to and you can walk straight out into the 'wilderness' from the train station.The weather is likely to be better and they are excellent locations for working on your navigation, foraging, shelter building and tool making skills etc. If you feel the need there are a variety of camping facilities to choose from or if you are good at keeping your head down, free camp. Dartmoor, Exmoor, Newforest have good populations of deer and other animals and a shed load of plant life.
Hope this is of some help.

 

[bambodoggy]

I don't want you all to think that I'm a cocky ******* claiming to be Ray Mears and running off to Ben Nevis in a T-Shirt (not saying that any of you have suggested such a thing).

None of us thinks that Mate, you are by your own admission in-experienced as we all were (and some are) but you do have a good head on your shoulders, you bothered to ask before you went and I can see from your follow ups you have taken onboard the advice you have been given, I know plenty that would have carried on regardless. Wish other 16 year olds were as responsible as you

The Lakes are stunning as is Dartmoor and the New Forest but as is said below you will have issues lighting fires there (and most other places in the UK), discretion is the name of the game, if you are sensible and leave no trace of yourself you will have fun.
Personally if I was you, I'd forget about running off round the country looking for a "wilderness place", and just go into Thetford forest which is local to you.... or maybe just a little way away and try Sherwood Forest (I prefer Thetford myself). That way you can cut down on time wasted on Public transport and spend extra time making your leaf shelter that bit more water tight...and getting your first bow drill to make smoke

Whatever you decide.... stay safe and have fun Matey....and tell us all about it when you get back.

Bam.

 

[Biddlesby]

Lol . I tried to make some fire in English lesson with a pencil and a rubber. A futile attempt - but it got a bit warm!

Isn't Dartmoor where all those warewolf films were located? I'd better bring myself some silver bullets if I camp there.

What are the restrictions on camping overnight in Thetford? I presume lighting a fire there is a no-no.

Thanks again for all your helpful help and words of encouragement. Rest assured I will tell everybody how it went .

 

[Doc]

I endorse Match and George's posts entirely. Their advice is very sound. They know the country.

You need to 'shake down the outfit' and check that the boots are comfy, the waterproofs are waterproof, the stove is working, the sleeping bag is warm enough, etc etc before you go. Be well prepared for serious rain and midgies.

I hesitate to recommend it as it is really quite remote, but one option is to take the train to Corrour station ( it is in the middle of nowhere and has no road access) and booking a night or two at Corrour Youth Hostel to start with. Lots of opportunities for wild camping/fishing around there. Also a number of bothies in the area. Resupply is impossible - you must carry everything in. And rubbish out, of course. You would need good navigation skills in this area.

Aviemore is also train accessible with great low level routes and an excellent bothy (with fireplace) at Ryvoan. Crianlarich and Tyndrum have stations and goood mountain/forest areas nearby. Get OS maps from the library.

Many (probably most) hillwalkers drink untreated water from upland burns. I often do it (did so last weekend in fact). It is not guaranteed safe, and a diarrhoeal illness is unpleasant at home, but pure misery outdoors. If you can see livestock (or livestock sign, ie, sheep poo), or you are below the 1200 foot contour line, I would treat the water. Otherwise, the safest course is to treat it, but it is up to you. In North America, they have loads of Giardia, and I would treat ALL drinking water.

 

[Spacemonkey]

Isn't Dartmoor where all those warewolf films were located? I'd better bring myself some silver bullets if I camp there.

.

No.. that is the Yorkshire Moors (North?) where you must stick to the path and beware the moon.

Dartmoor and Exmoor just have ABC's....

 

[Biddlesby]

I bow to your superior warewolf knowledge .

 

[Skippy]

watch out for the holes, a friend of mine regularly disappeared unexpectedly, unfortunately for him we had some bad rain that day, and he emerged looking like a split tea bag, covered in what looked like tea leaves.

and the pretty babling brook we stepped across that morning, soon became a raging torrent, totally unpassable.

 

[Skippy]

also, I don't know about werewoofs, but we crossed a place that had a very creepy feel to it. but what was more unusual was the map reference of the place, SX 666 666

 

[innocent bystander]

No.. that is the Yorkshire Moors (North?) where you must stick to the path and beware the moon.

Dartmoor and Exmoor just have ABC's....

I am reliably (?) informed that although set in the yorkshire moors, it was actually filmed in the brecon beacons. The "pub" was actually an empty cottage, though the interior is a pub called the "Black Swan" , Martyrs Green, Surry.

Apparently, anyway . Assuming we are talking american werewolf...

 

[Spacemonkey]

Of course... In London that is, not Paris. The only saving grace of that pile of badger's droppings was Juli Delphi...

 

[Biddlesby]

Ok, the date is getting closer and I'm thinking more about it. You've said there will be biting creatures in Scotland, but what about the Lake District? If there are lots - what is the best way to combat them?

 

[marcja]

Hiya mate, just a quick note from me. I've spent years up in the mountains of Wales, The Lakes and the odd occassion in the Cairngorns walking & camping and I don't regard myself as an expert mountaineer or bushcrafter but I'm confident that I know enough to get myself out of trouble if the worst happens .And that I feel is always one of the most important factors in deciding my next challenge, if I'm not confident or don't feel I have the right kit to do something safely I don't do it until I feel I'm ready & prepared for it.....simple as that.

Good luck with your adventure, and I hope all goes well for you.

 

[Fenlander]

Ok, the date is getting closer and I'm thinking more about it. You've said there will be biting creatures in Scotland, but what about the Lake District? If there are lots - what is the best way to combat them?

Have a look here........TODDY may be able to help

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/community/showthread.php?t=6304&highlight=myrtle

 

[maverix]

Been mentioned once and im not sure how phones are viewed by this community but worth a second mention.

Check on phone reception and pack a mobile in a waterproof bag switched off.
Its an essential part of my first aid kit now and more accessible than a radio, the other essential items being sanitary towels and gaffer tape.