Planning Hammock Camping in Cotswolds

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Apr 5, 2020
6
0
28
Worcestershire
Hi All,

I am very new to hammock camping I have done a bit in Scotland and Alberta (Canada) whilst paddling but I have done nothing around home.

So the question is are there any good spots to pitch a hammock and sleep for the night in the North Cotswolds? (obvious it is for after lockdown). Also on the back of this is there any hints and tips or anything I should be mindful before heading out?

Thank you

Bealach95
 

C_Claycomb

Moderator staff
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Oct 6, 2003
7,355
2,366
Bedfordshire
Welcome to the forum.

Sorry, don't know the camping potential of the Cotswolds. Typically hammock camping isn't easy in the UK, most places that you can hang a hammock require land owner permission and are not campsites while the official camp sites are most frequently fields suitable for tents and caravans. I have been looking at stands, like the Turtle dog, or tensahedron, but while they work, they miss part of the fun of setting up among trees.

The question about hints and tips is a bit open ended. You say you have camped a bit in Scotland and Alberta, but nothing about how long or how many such trips, what gear you have, or whether the advice needed is along the lines of "don't pitch across mountain bike trails" vs "how do you stop water running down your suspension lines?"

Tell us a bit more about yourself and you will get much better quality answers :)

All the best

Chris
 
Apr 5, 2020
6
0
28
Worcestershire
Thank you and thank you for your reply.

That is not so good at all within the UK- I thought it would be much like Canada find trees and pitch but if you are in a national park just have to be careful of Park Law Enforcement.

A little about me- I am an Outdoor Instructor by trade just finishing my degree in Primary and Outdoor Education and just been accepted to do PGCE. So I have a lot of general camping experience in tents but not so much in hammocks. The kit I have is a Thermarest hammock and a MEC Tarp with some paracord or thowline on the paddling trips. Most of these trips were like 2/3 nights and I have been out 5/6 times so not that long but I feel like I did not really have a clue with hammock camping which is why I am asking for hints and tips apart from educated guesses from my own camping background.

So any points of location for a camp or general hints and tips would be appreciated.

Thanks

Bealach95
 

SaraR

Full Member
Mar 25, 2017
1,631
1,177
Ceredigion
Thank you and thank you for your reply.

That is not so good at all within the UK- I thought it would be much like Canada find trees and pitch but if you are in a national park just have to be careful of Park Law Enforcement.

A little about me- I am an Outdoor Instructor by trade just finishing my degree in Primary and Outdoor Education and just been accepted to do PGCE. So I have a lot of general camping experience in tents but not so much in hammocks. The kit I have is a Thermarest hammock and a MEC Tarp with some paracord or thowline on the paddling trips. Most of these trips were like 2/3 nights and I have been out 5/6 times so not that long but I feel like I did not really have a clue with hammock camping which is why I am asking for hints and tips apart from educated guesses from my own camping background.

So any points of location for a camp or general hints and tips would be appreciated.

Thanks

Bealach95
For general advice on hammock camping, I found YouTube very useful. :)

I don't know about hanging in the Cotswolds, but there are some sites in South Wales that welcome/d hammocks so not totally unheard of. I think you're best bet is to look for more rustic sites that have some trees and then just ask. Make sure you have tree huggers and let them know that you have them so that they're not worrying about their trees.
 
Apr 5, 2020
6
0
28
Worcestershire
For general advice on hammock camping, I found YouTube very useful. :)

I don't know about hanging in the Cotswolds, but there are some sites in South Wales that welcome/d hammocks so not totally unheard of. I think you're best bet is to look for more rustic sites that have some trees and then just ask. Make sure you have tree huggers and let them know that you have them so that they're not worrying about their trees.

Okay I have a a brief look on YouTube!!

Yeah where are some places in South Wales that would allow hammocks? Also what are tree huggers- I tend to use climbing slings on the trees. Thank you
 

C_Claycomb

Moderator staff
Mod
Oct 6, 2003
7,355
2,366
Bedfordshire
Youtube...look for Shug.
The Ultimate Hang is also good. There is a good bit about stopping water running down your suspension system.

Hammock forums - US based but very good for reading, although not so good in my experience for asking questions and getting either timely or comprehensive replies. I think that most of the really experienced people there have probably got Forum Fatigue, the same sort of questions getting asked repeatedly and the well informed replies getting shorter and less frequent as time goes on. Still very, very good for doing a search and your own reading.

Tips.
Arborist throw line - excellent stuff for guylines. Can work for ridgeline too, although I like 3mm Marlow Excel Pro better than anything (tried ZingIt, various ropes, 8-plait polyester in both 3mm and 4mm, and 550 paracord).

My old hammock was short compared to my tarp, which let me hang my pack via a carabiner to the end of the hammock suspension, keeping it off the ground. Was very nice, but newer hammock is too long to do this well. Suspending boots is nice if you can do it, keeps them warmer and drier for the morning.
 

C_Claycomb

Moderator staff
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Oct 6, 2003
7,355
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Bedfordshire
For tree huggers (length of webbing with sewn loops at both ends, wrapped 2-3 times around tree, main suspension then passed through both loops), try to avoid nylon. Same for the hammock suspension. Nylon stretches, especially when it gets damp. I found that my hammock always sank over night, until I started using polyester webbing. You shouldn't need something as strong as climbing slings, depending on your weight of course. I am around 170lb and never needed anything other than 1" webbing, nothing special.

I now prefer "tree straps" to huggers, only one sewn loop. Tail is passed through loop around tree, then use a marlin spike hitch or buckle hardware to provide a moveable anchor for the suspension or hammock.
 

Broch

Life Member
Jan 18, 2009
7,983
7,760
Mid Wales
www.mont-hmg.co.uk
Download the ultimate hang - it has loads of basic advice


I have recently been using re-purposed old seatbelts for the tree huggers - they don't stretch and they are wider so kinder to the trees. I find the standard ones that come with hammocks too narrow (typically 20 to 25mm). The inertia style belts are really quite long so plenty of webbing to work with. I just happened to have some but you can pick them up from breakers yards (if you can find one of those these days).

I don't know how much you already know but for a good sleep you need to be able to lie in the hammock on the diagonal - to do that the hammock needs to be wide. As a rough rule your hammock should be as least as wide as your outstretched arms.

Even in the wild it is sometimes difficult to find a good hang - so, if I'm trekking by foot or canoe, I always have a sleep mat with me so have a ground sleeping system as well :)
 

C_Claycomb

Moderator staff
Mod
Oct 6, 2003
7,355
2,366
Bedfordshire
Something I noticed on the Hammock Forum and that it is probably worth raising here is that people tend to give advice without necessarily providing all the key qualifications. That isn't a dig at the people offering advice. I do the same thing, almost everyone does, but when you are asking for advice you might not notice or think about it. I know I didn't when looking for advice recently about sewing tarp hems, and it cost me time, effort and angst.

Everyone knows that there are people who use tents that are light weight or even ultra light back packers, and those that roll up in a car with gear that weighs more than they do. There can be just as much variation in the approach people take with hammocks and hammock camping. Some will use their hammocks almost exclusively for car-camps, or very rustic camps but a short distance into the woods, and they tend to favour comfort, durability, lower cost, easier to obtain, equipment and set ups. Others who want a set up with which to travel, whether by foot, or air, or a combination may have weight and bulk as significant drivers and be willing to trade durability, cost and ease of sourcing to get a smaller lighter package.

All of us will advise you with what we find that works, but we might not include why we like it or how it fits with our style of camping, leaving you to experiment.

I started out with a Hennessey Explorer Asym, not a particularly light or commodious hammock. I have tended to take my hammock on over-seas trips, sometimes backpacking, but more often car or canoe camping, but that flight means I am always trying to keep weight and bulk under control.

Having a mat that can go on the ground is very good advice. One caveat though is that if you try to use the mat in the hammock, rectangular mats make poor hammock bed fellows! I tried to double up on insulation with a first generation NeoAir and a light Climashield underquilt, and the mat only succeeded in pushing the underquilt out of position. brrrrrrr! The most versatile, but also bulkiest arrangement was a Thermarest Ridgerest Large, cut to my height and coffin tapered at both ends.

Chris
 
Apr 5, 2020
6
0
28
Worcestershire
Thank you for all the tip and hints- it is definitely something to look at after my dissertation deadline. I will probably have even more questions once I getting into it properly.
 

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