Hi from Newcastle

[Sgood24]

Hi all,

New to the forum and relatively new to bushcraft! However really looking to learn and develop my skills further! Based up north and would also be cool to meet local northerners for meets and advice on where to go up here.

I will be asking loads of Noob questions im afraid (so apologies in advance) mainly about Kit recommendations as I upgrade from the bog standard Go outdoors stuff!

Initial Kit Wishlist - if people has links to reviews or comments on them that would be great!

TBS Grizzly - Natural with condura sheath
Bacho Laplander
DD Tarp basher
Snugpak Sleeper extreme
Schrade Extreme survival axe

 

[John Fenna]

Hello and welcome!

 

[GGTBod]

Welcome fellow Toon-folk, wish i could recommend somewhere local to you off the grid style, only site i can think of is a local site where you have to pay but it allows you to practice bushcrafting and have fires as long as you are vetted by the owners, check out Blaydon Burn Farm they allow campers in the Brockwell Wood at £8pppn, the woods is full of life from roe deer to badgers and plenty wood pigeons n grey squirrels for munching.

Ike and Steph do like to check folk out first though as they have had some bad experiences with campers, as long as you are in the mind of leave no trace (as best you can), are respectful and definitely leave no litter you will get in, they will not allow big groups

 

[ozzy1977]

Hello and welcome.

 

[Dreadhead]

welcome aboard

 

[Sgood24]

Welcome fellow Toon-folk, wish i could recommend somewhere local to you off the grid style, only site i can think of is a local site where you have to pay but it allows you to practice bushcrafting and have fires as long as you are vetted by the owners, check out Blaydon Burn Farm they allow campers in the Brockwell Wood at £8pppn, the woods is full of life from roe deer to badgers and plenty wood pigeons n grey squirrels for munching.

Ike and Steph do like to check folk out first though as they have had some bad experiences with campers, as long as you are in the mind of leave no trace (as best you can), are respectful and definitely leave no litter you will get in, they will not allow big groups

Thanks GGTBod, yeah I am booked in to go there again on bank holiday weekend with one of my mates! so party of 2! its great having it on my doorstep but would like some different places every now and then! so that's a shame!

Thanks for the welcomes though!

 

[GGTBod]

I got that fed up with knockbacks that i just go north of the border every chance i get

 

[crosslandkelly]

Hi, welcome and enjoy.

 

[Sgood24]

I got that fed up with knockbacks that i just go north of the border every chance i get

Really how come you kept getting knock backs?

Where do you go north of the border?

 

[GGTBod]

I kept finding landowners and asking politely mostly in person and had very little joy (altho it was i found out about brockwell woods) and it was just more hassle than it was worth in regards to results in my favour, for going north of the border it was metaphorical as i actually go west to cross it, jump on the Glasgow train that goes through carlisle before heading north, usually get an open return ticket to gretna green (me and the bike, bike trailer and kit) and then pedal into the greenery as the main cycle paths all pass the station, ticket gives me a month to play before i have to come home but usually i last about a week based on the food and clothing i can haul and how quick the latter stinks to high heavens cycling and camping each day.

This month i am off up to Loch lomond area for a month with my inflatable kayak, just me and my kit, doing a bushcraft beachcomber course whilst i am there but that only lasts 2 days the rest of the time it'll just be me and nature, it has been almost 2 months since i slept outside and i am itching to get back out again, cool thing is now i have a hd chest/helmet cam so i'll have some good footage and pics, usually my phone sits off in my bag incase i need the battery to use gps

 

[RuthG]

Hello and welcome from another north east newbie - I'm in Durham (County, not city)

 

[JonathanD]

Welcome to the forum. Everything you could possibly need or want is here. Just need to tap into it.

 

[Perrari]

Hi & welcome to BCUK.

 

[Sgood24]

I kept finding landowners and asking politely mostly in person and had very little joy (altho it was i found out about brockwell woods) and it was just more hassle than it was worth in regards to results in my favour.........

That's a shame as you would think most of them would be ok with it! I find northerners more friendly being honest! (I'm originally a southerner!)

That sounds amazing though! You will have to upload pics and threads on the things you do! I'm counting down to bank holiday weekend for a couple of nights at brockwell woods!

 

[Mesquite]

Hello and welcome to the forum

 

[Blaidd]

Hiya !

 

[GGTBod]

That's a shame as you would think most of them would be ok with it! I find northerners more friendly being honest! (I'm originally a southerner!)

That sounds amazing though! You will have to upload pics and threads on the things you do! I'm counting down to bank holiday weekend for a couple of nights at brockwell woods!

Many landowners say previous bad experience is what stops them allowing people to use their land, using the word bushcraft when asking is a nail in the coffin, asking to camp whilst backpacking gets some friendlier reactions, sometimes.

The reason for crossing the border is because in Scotland you have the right to free access within reason, compared to here in England it is like freedom and i have found as long as i am out of site of other users of the area i never see a soul, off the path until out of site and then left or right for a bit usually does it spot on.

Anytime i can get away with it my camp is just this which is pretty easy to hide, if rain is expected i hoy up a tarp over it

I do take the odd pic here and there but i am a paper map and compass kid and i'm trying to escape the technology when i am out there and getting my phone out feels worse to me than getting it out in the middle of a movie at the cinema, i'm also not the best at writing stuff up so it is not a big part of the hobby for me, i am trying to make myself do it more which is why i got the new camera but the writing up drives me half crackers, I love a good bit craik and daft banter like but i'm having enough stress just trying to write up a blog on here about my experiences teaching myself to stalk and track animals with the pdf's from Rick Curtis that i downloaded from this website as my guidelines on proper techniques, self education is my main reason to be on this site as it is full of great info and knowledgable folk, it was recommended to me on my last bushcraft course i attended back in feb, i'm not really a big user of the internet so was unaware of it until then, glad i found it now though.

 

[GGTBod]

Just checking, have you already booked you place for Browell BHW? It gets busy enough for them to shut doors on those weekends, fills up quick as they never allow every slot to be used

 

[Perrari]

Hi & welcome to BCUK.

 

[Sgood24]

Just checking, have you already booked you place for Browell BHW? It gets busy enough for them to shut doors on those weekends, fills up quick as they never allow every slot to be used

That's a cool little camp!! Very close to nature I hear what you are saying with the tech side of things! I will probably take photos and upload after as first proper bushcraft weekend (no tent) so want peoples feedback on how poor my camp looks for a starting point

Yeah all booked up as was wanting to go earlier but my mate had commitments so has been pushed back! Glad though as that gives Mark Hill (hillbill) time to make my new knife in time to test it out!