My friend asked me recently to take her out on her first 'bushy' camp. She has been planning on joining an Outdoor school as an apprentice and wanted to see whether she would like learning some woodsman skills. More than anything, she wanted to know what it was like sleeping under a tarp as opposed to a tent. Having visited there myself on previous occasions, I decided that the Duddon Valley in the Lake District was the best bet, owing to how secluded it was.
My friend wasn't so comfortable on motorways, so our route took us down the A-roads to the Lakes. I must say that the route over Yorkshire was one of the most beautiful drives I've ever experienced, especially in the early morning, and would recommend it to anyone who doesn't mind taking a slightly longer route.
As we entered the Lakes, it became obvious that the weather was going to set in, and be very changeable.
Our first option for a site was the forest atop Broughton Moor, just near the Duddon Valley, but a quick perusal of the peaty ground and the weather conditions led us quickly to reconsider. I didn't get any pictures of what I felt was a very forboding forest, but the sight from just outside across the moor and down towards Ulverston was quite spectacular.
We finally decided on a nice spots with hard, and relatively flat ground, close to a water source. I didn't manage to get pictures of what I taught her while we were there, but it covered knife work, tarp setups, useful knots, sighting a camp, fire starting, and general knowledge of what to look out for in terms of tinder, kindling, useful plants and various mushrooms we saw. The spruce trees a ways from our camp had mountains of resin built up over broken branches and few fallen trees nearby provided a healthy amount of birch bark and pine knots. I should have gotten more pictures of it, but I instead forgot and took a picture of resin on a spider's web instead. Can't suppress the hipster artist in me
Our watersource. This gets much heavier following the rain on Saturday night.
After spots of sunlight on Friday, Saturday was universally dismal, but gave a great excuse to show firelighting in the rain. I was quite pleased when I realised you could squeeze a large bath of pine resin together, light it with a match, the laugh maniacally as the rain tries pitifully to put out your fire. A healthy batch of birch twigs and pine knots turned it into a warming fire despite the wind and rain, and cooked us up a lovely vegetable stew, recipe provided by the good folk of the parish
Come Sunday morning, the rain had abated, and the morning sun cast some wonderful colour over our small section of forest.
A simple camp with simple concepts. She constructed the pot hanger, the fire lay, and mastrted pretty much every knot I taught her. I was incredibly impressed and proud.
Unfortunately, the rain that had lasted throughout all of Saturday had made the small river into a raging torrent. Comparison between these photos and the ones before should show what level of water was coming down the hill.
As always, we left no trace. We removed all our rubbish and ensured the terrain returned to a state unsullied by our boots.
Despite a cracking weekend, we we given one final surprise. The stepping stones used to cross the river on the way in, were now a good foot under fast-moving water. I tried cross halfway in barefeet whilst tied to the metal hand rope, but found that I was almost being swept away, and that it was far more risk than was worth it. After weighing up a number of options, we decided that a walk down the valley of several miles to the nearest footbridge was our only option, despite the car being a mere 300 feet from us at this point. As it was, it turned out to be lovely hike down the valley, followed by a depressing trudge back up the road to the car.
All in all it was a fantastic weekend. My friend learned lots, and is eager for more. I've recommended several good books and a very basic kit list of things I can't supply her with myself. Despite the drama at the end, we enjoyed every part of it and I'm impressed by how much she soaked up the knowledge. If she does join the outdoor school, she'll make a fine addition.
I include a caveat here that despite how we may feel, wild camping in illegal. Please seek the landowners permission when camping in their land.
My friend wasn't so comfortable on motorways, so our route took us down the A-roads to the Lakes. I must say that the route over Yorkshire was one of the most beautiful drives I've ever experienced, especially in the early morning, and would recommend it to anyone who doesn't mind taking a slightly longer route.
As we entered the Lakes, it became obvious that the weather was going to set in, and be very changeable.
Our first option for a site was the forest atop Broughton Moor, just near the Duddon Valley, but a quick perusal of the peaty ground and the weather conditions led us quickly to reconsider. I didn't get any pictures of what I felt was a very forboding forest, but the sight from just outside across the moor and down towards Ulverston was quite spectacular.
We finally decided on a nice spots with hard, and relatively flat ground, close to a water source. I didn't manage to get pictures of what I taught her while we were there, but it covered knife work, tarp setups, useful knots, sighting a camp, fire starting, and general knowledge of what to look out for in terms of tinder, kindling, useful plants and various mushrooms we saw. The spruce trees a ways from our camp had mountains of resin built up over broken branches and few fallen trees nearby provided a healthy amount of birch bark and pine knots. I should have gotten more pictures of it, but I instead forgot and took a picture of resin on a spider's web instead. Can't suppress the hipster artist in me
Our watersource. This gets much heavier following the rain on Saturday night.
After spots of sunlight on Friday, Saturday was universally dismal, but gave a great excuse to show firelighting in the rain. I was quite pleased when I realised you could squeeze a large bath of pine resin together, light it with a match, the laugh maniacally as the rain tries pitifully to put out your fire. A healthy batch of birch twigs and pine knots turned it into a warming fire despite the wind and rain, and cooked us up a lovely vegetable stew, recipe provided by the good folk of the parish
Come Sunday morning, the rain had abated, and the morning sun cast some wonderful colour over our small section of forest.
A simple camp with simple concepts. She constructed the pot hanger, the fire lay, and mastrted pretty much every knot I taught her. I was incredibly impressed and proud.
Unfortunately, the rain that had lasted throughout all of Saturday had made the small river into a raging torrent. Comparison between these photos and the ones before should show what level of water was coming down the hill.
As always, we left no trace. We removed all our rubbish and ensured the terrain returned to a state unsullied by our boots.
Despite a cracking weekend, we we given one final surprise. The stepping stones used to cross the river on the way in, were now a good foot under fast-moving water. I tried cross halfway in barefeet whilst tied to the metal hand rope, but found that I was almost being swept away, and that it was far more risk than was worth it. After weighing up a number of options, we decided that a walk down the valley of several miles to the nearest footbridge was our only option, despite the car being a mere 300 feet from us at this point. As it was, it turned out to be lovely hike down the valley, followed by a depressing trudge back up the road to the car.
All in all it was a fantastic weekend. My friend learned lots, and is eager for more. I've recommended several good books and a very basic kit list of things I can't supply her with myself. Despite the drama at the end, we enjoyed every part of it and I'm impressed by how much she soaked up the knowledge. If she does join the outdoor school, she'll make a fine addition.
I include a caveat here that despite how we may feel, wild camping in illegal. Please seek the landowners permission when camping in their land.
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