I was out a couple of weeks ago and came across a gorgeous wee woodland, about 3 or 4 acres, and have spent the past while finding out who owns it and considering just how to approach the farmer.
There's a substantial shelter, a lined and turfed roof standing on 10 sunk telegraph poles and the site is enclosed by a dry stone dyke. My plan is to make my approach by offering to repair and maintain the shelter and the stone walls and tend the woodland in return for the occasional night camping. I'm not sure whether or not to mention bushcraft, as such.
I see there's a thread concerning getting permission but I'd still like some advice on this, as even though access and camping are legal in Scotland I still think it simply good manners to ask permission, rather than have the situation of not knowing when the farmer's going to turn up at midnight, asking what the hang's going on.
But the real problem is that I visited the place yesterday to discover that someone has dropped 2 young 30 cm. oaks with a chainsaw at the end nearest the farm, and they've been left where they fell. My first instinct is to report the incident to the Forestry Commission as illegal felling, but if I do that it's going to look odd with me turning up shortly afterwards.
The point is that if two hardwoods that size are dropped every year for firewood, in ten or fifteen years the woodland may have been damaged beyond repair, and I'd rather try to stop its destruction and forego the camping. There's also the danger of getting blamed for the damage if I'm close at hand.
Any advice will be most welcome.
Cheers.
There's a substantial shelter, a lined and turfed roof standing on 10 sunk telegraph poles and the site is enclosed by a dry stone dyke. My plan is to make my approach by offering to repair and maintain the shelter and the stone walls and tend the woodland in return for the occasional night camping. I'm not sure whether or not to mention bushcraft, as such.
I see there's a thread concerning getting permission but I'd still like some advice on this, as even though access and camping are legal in Scotland I still think it simply good manners to ask permission, rather than have the situation of not knowing when the farmer's going to turn up at midnight, asking what the hang's going on.
But the real problem is that I visited the place yesterday to discover that someone has dropped 2 young 30 cm. oaks with a chainsaw at the end nearest the farm, and they've been left where they fell. My first instinct is to report the incident to the Forestry Commission as illegal felling, but if I do that it's going to look odd with me turning up shortly afterwards.
The point is that if two hardwoods that size are dropped every year for firewood, in ten or fifteen years the woodland may have been damaged beyond repair, and I'd rather try to stop its destruction and forego the camping. There's also the danger of getting blamed for the damage if I'm close at hand.
Any advice will be most welcome.
Cheers.