Bushcraft day out: what to do?

[Toadflax]

Being pretty new to this game, I'm curious as to what I can do on a day out - or what other people do in practice. I've read the articles on trespass, bladed devices, etc., but from a novices point of view it seems that there is very little that can be done in the UK - I may or not be correct in thinking that even picking a daisy is illegal if the law is applied in its strictest sense.

I'm not talking about private land where permission has been obtained, but rather about a day out on public footpaths, in the local public access woodlands, etc. I'm of the view that I would like to follow the 'leave no footprint' philosphy (though I believe that it is impossible to leave no trace of your passing) but I am interested in doing things like gathering dead wood, bark, edible plants, cramp balls, make a brew using wood that I have gathered, gathering materials for cordage, etc.

I appreciate that these things depend very much on who owns the land, conditions for use of the land, but what I am particularly interested in is what actually happens in practice.

I hope my questions are clear, after rambling on for a few paragraphs, so what do you do? What do you think we can 'get away with' (these are probably the wrong words to use but I can't think of better ones at the moment)? Are you often challenged about what you are doing and how do you deal with this? Do you, for example, dig up a burdock root from a large patch of burdock? Do you cut off a willow sucker to get bark for cordage? Is this sort of thing criminal damage or reasonable use of natural resources? Or do you only 'glean' what is lying around?

I want be responsible about what I do - but I want to try and get some idea of how far I can go. What I consider responsible (e.g. sawing off a broken branch to reduce the chance of infection to a tree after some irresponsible person has snapped it off) may be seen by others as outside my area of responsibility. I don't want to be in the situation of 'doing bushcraft' whilst constantly watching over my shoulder in case someone objects to what I am doing.

Thanks for any thoughts /comments /suggestions.



Geoff

 

[Scots_Charles_River]

Sounds like you are on the right track/thinking. Just get out there preferably in a wilder place an hrs walk from the rd. Up here we have no access issues.

Enjoy.

Nick

 

[boisdevie]

For a nice day out you could perhaps try a bit of animal/bird spotting whilst you're walking along - see what you can see and try to identify them. Are there any tracks around? Are there any small trails used by wildlife that cross your path?
Or how about doing some foraging whilst you're walking along? Try to identify edible plants and pick some. At the moment there are plenty of young dandelions and nettles around, both of which are edible.

Good luck.

 

[spamel]

Strictly speaking, you need landowners permission to start a fire. Now, a cooker or stove is a different matter altogether, and as long as you are careful, ie. don't site you cooker on top of dry grass, then you should be OK. If you do light a fire without permission, you may get into a spot of bother. If you were to do this, and I'm not saying you should, think about clearing the ground and completely removing all trace of the fire afterwards, and don't do it where Joe Public will be walking past a few feet away.

I have a big issue with the fact that we can't light a fire when we want, but I suppose it is because of that minority amongst us that can't do it sensibly. I'd love it if we had the same sort of access laws as Scotland. Maybe we will one day when somebody sees sense!

 

[Backyard Bushcraft]

i think you should go out with just a folder and flint steel and see what you can come up with, try boiling without a pan/mug!

 

[Brocktor]

my favourite thing to do, sometimes all that i do is explore new countryside - i especially like walking by rivers and streams. looking for animals is a major part and attempting to take photos of them. i like to see what trees are in the forests and plants looking out for flint and cramp balls.

 

[Toadflax]

Thanks for the various responses - all very useful, though most of these suggestions are 'non-interventionist' (no criticism implied here ).

I've changed the title of this question to represent my questions a bit better. I appreciate that the term Bushcraft can be very wide ranging, from observing wildlife from a distance, through to killing and eating game but I'm really interested in what I am able to do regarding the gathering (which may mean cutting) of live or dead plant material in what would generally be regarded as public access areas.

Being pretty new to this game, I'm curious as to what I can do on a day out - or what other people do in practice. I've read the articles on trespass, bladed devices, etc., but from a novices point of view it seems that there is very little that can be done in the UK - I may or not be correct in thinking that even picking a daisy is illegal if the law is applied in its strictest sense.

I'm not talking about private land where permission has been obtained, but rather about a day out on public footpaths, in the local public access woodlands, etc. I'm of the view that I would like to follow the 'leave no footprint' philosphy (though I believe that it is impossible to leave no trace of your passing) but I am interested in doing things like gathering dead wood, bark, edible plants, cramp balls, make a brew using wood that I have gathered, gathering materials for cordage, etc.

I appreciate that these things depend very much on who owns the land, conditions for use of the land, but what I am particularly interested in is what actually happens in practice.

I hope my questions are clear, after rambling on for a few paragraphs, so what do you do? What do you think we can 'get away with' (these are probably the wrong words to use but I can't think of better ones at the moment)? Are you often challenged about what you are doing and how do you deal with this? Do you, for example, dig up a burdock root from a large patch of burdock? Do you cut off a willow sucker to get bark for cordage? Is this sort of thing criminal damage or reasonable use of natural resources? Or do you only 'glean' what is lying around?

I want be responsible about what I do - but I want to try and get some idea of how far I can go. What I consider responsible (e.g. sawing off a broken branch to reduce the chance of infection to a tree after some irresponsible person has snapped it off) may be seen by others as outside my area of responsibility. I don't want to be in the situation of 'doing bushcraft' whilst constantly watching over my shoulder in case someone objects to what I am doing.

 

[Dunelm]

Strictly speaking lighting a fire may be illegal but if it's done far enough off the beaten track and no traces are left who's going to know? I use public access woodland, the land owner is a local estate and my usage is a lot less disruptive than the motorbikes that churn up the path, the anglers who leave line on the river bank and the horse riders who seem to make more mess than anybody.

A tip for fires is to get a good heavy folding shovel and dig a pit to light the fire in. As long as you don't try to burn large chunks of wood the embers can be damped down, the pit back filled and the extra spread about to hide traces of the fire.

 

[Deleted 70]

Good thread rate up, was wondering the very same myself now I have managed to quit playing the evil world MMO's (tech speak for time consuming computer games) and actually getting outside again.

I recently got myself a new shiny waterproof OS map of my local area, and went off along a route and found myself lost. I local farmer spotted me and asked me what I was doing, he laughed and pointed me in the right direction and even gave me some advice for spotting local wildlife. So I guess if you have a farmer as friendly as this you should have no problem

 

[Mikey P]

For a nice day out you could perhaps try a bit of animal/bird spotting whilst you're walking along - see what you can see and try to identify them. Are there any tracks around? Are there any small trails used by wildlife that cross your path?
Or how about doing some foraging whilst you're walking along? Try to identify edible plants and pick some. At the moment there are plenty of young dandelions and nettles around, both of which are edible.

Good luck.

Yep - I'd go along with this too. I try and take a couple of small guide books (Food For Free, Trees, Plants/Shrubs: usually the Collins Gems) with me when I'm out walking the dog.

Because we often use the same routes, it's a good opportunity to really thoroughly check what is around - I'm amazed how often I'll see something new that I've walked past 10 times before.

It's really improved my recognition skills for various useful plants and trees. Best of all, you get to recognise them all year round and see how they develop.

The 'hard skills' (knifework and firecraft) can be practiced at home until you feel happy enough with your capabilities. Then, I suppose, you need to try and find a friendly local land owner who'll let you put all of the above together on his/her land.

But, there's no use trying to run before you can walk so I reckon it's best to start with the little things.

 

[Grooveski]

There's a strange little loop in the access laws up here.
OK, fires are allowed...
...but the cutting or removal of wood can be viewed as intrusive if that's the way the landowner wants to look at it, meaning that they are still within their rights to get stroppy. Prior permission is still the way to go, how do you really know what's ok unless you ask?

Gathering falls outside of access. In an area of plenty it's unlikely that anyone will be bothered about you picking nuts, berries, fungi and the likes yet it's illegal going by the letter of the law.

For campfire activities, taking materials with you is an option.
I spent a few happy hours modifying a paddle on one outing where I was able to go out and try it straight away. I plan to take an ash stave on my next trip that's all seasoned and ready to be whittled into a bow.
These are non intrusive and as long as the woodchips are cleaned up there's no harm done. I live in a gardenless flat where the sound of axework would just annoy the neighbours, personaly I prefer to do that kind of thing outside anyway so it's the best of all worlds.

 

[hanzo]

Have fun!

Play with gear, er, I mean practice using your gear.

Observe your surroundings.

Try to learn something new.

And of course, take pictures of your outing so we can be there with you.

 

[Harmonica]

Just to pick up on what has been said about gathering wild plants - under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 you are prohibited from picking uprooting or destroying the planst listed as being protected in schedule 8 or the act and prohibited from uprooting any plant.

Therefore you can gather wild plants so long as they aren't protected species and you don't uproot them. Obviously this doesn't help for some plants where the roots are the useful part but its better than an outright ban.

Link to the act - http://www.jncc.gov.uk/page-3614 the relevant section is section 13

 

[william#]

in terms of wild food personely i tend to only take token amounts to supplement and add to food i take out with me - there is no need to plumage the wild food with a tescos never being more than a few miles away from anywhere .
its just nice to put together a little wild to enhance your food.
check out the plants in season a day or so b4 you go out maybe take note of the habbitats you will find them in in time and after you have found a few times you will remember forever.
agrees with others on this thread well worth looking for tracks gives you another perspective on things .
taking a little bag to gather tinder and small twigs at home in the garden you can experiment with the types of things you have found see how it burns learning quick easy clean ways to light a fire using minimual wood will give you the oppotunity to practice your skill in ways described on this thread ie without getting in to trouble .
your kit bag .experiment with packing different combinations of kit and keeping it organised ,its a never ending thing but eventually you will hone in your kit . also the organising part of it can never be over stated .being able to only have out what yu need .know where everything is !- esspecially the torch ,makes for a much cleaner experiance out there (also on multi days its an enjoyable smug glow watching others flowdering around looking for kit rumaging like hamsters through there sacks . as you sit sipping tea, packed and ready to go .
i have said it b4 .but get out at night and start learning the stars a bit . if you can learn some storys around them too as makes for conversation at night ,plus also aids memory .
im not sure how basic you are angling at but knowing your wood in terms of burning qualitys is well worth your time .
\
does anyone have any ideas on bushcrafty fishing with out being a poacher ?

road kill also a good way to practice legaly skinning gutting cooking - highly recomend yu only pick up what yu hit or if you see someone else hit -freshness is best .
pheasent - not that great a taste lots of work small meat , rabbit tasty easy to skin gut tastes good best for stew as very little meat .
squirel- hard to skin not much meat but tastes divine (though if yu road kill one you have probably just hit a tree ).
badger - havnt tryed be interesting if anyone has .
deer - know it tastes divine but only ever bought from butcher .


hope all that is not too much like saying how to suck eggs

 

[garbo]

Hi,
I tend to cheat if I only have one day, buy a disposable barbi, wrap some steak in lettuce leaves and buy some peppers too, and then go and see if I can shoot somthing interesting with my canon,



or leica , and cook my steaks and peppers at a quiet roadside someplace that way no one gets offended and me and the other half have a good day.

 

[davesurvivor]

in terms of wild food personely i tend to only take token amounts to supplement and add to food i take out with me - there is no need to plumage the wild food with a tescos never being more than a few miles away from anywhere .
its just nice to put together a little wild to enhance your food.
check out the plants in season a day or so b4 you go out maybe take note of the habbitats you will find them in in time and after you have found a few times you will remember forever.
agrees with others on this thread well worth looking for tracks gives you another perspective on things .
taking a little bag to gather tinder and small twigs at home in the garden you can experiment with the types of things you have found see how it burns learning quick easy clean ways to light a fire using minimual wood will give you the oppotunity to practice your skill in ways described on this thread ie without getting in to trouble .
your kit bag .experiment with packing different combinations of kit and keeping it organised ,its a never ending thing but eventually you will hone in your kit . also the organising part of it can never be over stated .being able to only have out what yu need .know where everything is !- esspecially the torch ,makes for a much cleaner experiance out there (also on multi days its an enjoyable smug glow watching others flowdering around looking for kit rumaging like hamsters through there sacks . as you sit sipping tea, packed and ready to go .
i have said it b4 .but get out at night and start learning the stars a bit . if you can learn some storys around them too as makes for conversation at night ,plus also aids memory .
im not sure how basic you are angling at but knowing your wood in terms of burning qualitys is well worth your time .
\
does anyone have any ideas on bushcrafty fishing with out being a poacher ?

road kill also a good way to practice legaly skinning gutting cooking - highly recomend yu only pick up what yu hit or if you see someone else hit -freshness is best .
pheasent - not that great a taste lots of work small meat , rabbit tasty easy to skin gut tastes good best for stew as very little meat .
squirel- hard to skin not much meat but tastes divine (though if yu road kill one you have probably just hit a tree ).
badger - havnt tryed be interesting if anyone has .
deer - know it tastes divine but only ever bought from butcher .


hope all that is not too much like saying how to suck eggs

its illegal to pick up roadkill if u ran it over ,if car in front runs it over its legal !!!

 

[spamel]

I think that is a bit of a myth. I'm sure it has come up before in conversation somewhere. I think it only applies to deer and the like if it does apply at all.

 

[Dynamite Dan]

EXCELLENT post, you are in the same boat as me, ive picked a spot where i would like to go on my first outing as a new bushcrafter, but how do i find out who owns the land?

am i up for legal proceedings if i light a fire and get caught by the land owner.

one thing im going to do, is take two ray mears books with me, so if somebody does challenge me i can not only explain to them, i can back that up by drawings.

 

[xylaria]

Tend to stick to the foraging 4F's Fruit foliage, flowers(blossom) and fungi. I rarely dig up roots. I do harvest bulrushes, but they are from an area where they are cleared every so often, and I have kind of asked permission. I also harvest withies from willow and hazel, i take nothing thicker than my thumb, from trees that have already been coppiced. I think withies come under foliage not wood, but i have never had a problem.

For fire I use a hobo stove (wayland cutlery holder) and burn stuff that doesn't smoke. Because of where I walk that is gorse and sloe. But that is dependant on your locality.

I can't say I have ever had much in the way problems. I have been shot at for trespassing on a footpath, but I think it was them breaking the law not me. But I wasn't going to argue. I have been stopped and searched coming off a tube train, with a basket of fungi, pruning saw, knife, secateurs. The copper decided to let me go before i had a chance to show them my field guide with the tools piccy in it. This was about 15 years ago, and there had been proper bomb scares, so they had serious job to do, and didn't need me to justify my need for tools, as my purpose was clear.

 

[Toadflax]

before i had a chance to show them my field guide with the tools piccy in it.

That's an interesting point and maybe a standard item now for my kit list - a Ray Mears book. Whip that out if anyone challenges you and they'll probably think "Oh, not another of those bushcraft weirdos! Strange, but harmless."


Geoff