Knapdale Forest

[Shewie]

Just back from two nights chilling out in the Knapdale Forest area in Argyll. The forecast was for stupid winds over the weekend so we decided to leave the boats at home and take a trek to camp we discovered last year.
It was nice to just pack a single bag for a change instead of chucking my entire kit cupboard into a canoe for a weekend.

As they seem to be popular at the moment here's my kit list for two nights ...

Sabre 45L
Vango Ultralite 2 700 two season synthetic bag (packs tiny)
Unsponsored 3/4 down underblanket
Warbonnet Blackbird hammock with whoopie slings, tree straps and dutch clips
DD 3x3m tarp
Snow Peak Trek 900 titanium pot with coathanger bail arm
Mug and 6x 2-in-1 Kencos
Alpkit Long titanium spoon
4 x dehydrated meals from Leezo (the pasta sciciliana was stunning Lee)
Honey stove
Tatonka burner + 250ml of meths
Suede gardening glove
1L Nalgene of water
400ml flat bottle
Spare socks
Smartwool beanie
Country Innovations ventile smock
Norrona gortex trousers
Petzl headtorch
Bernie Garland Bushcrafter
Bahco Laplander
Schrade honesteel (just arrived in post so I had to take it for a play)
Small FAK
Camera + spare batteries
Ipod
Baccy + rizlas

I used every piece of kit and didn't miss anything which I was chuffed about.

Getting loaded at the put in, sorry ...car park

And then we're off

Approaching camp, the forestry work looks like a nuclear aftermath but it's dead handy for firewood

Six good reasons not to hang the hammocks here

But this will do nicely

Through the trees

DD tarp, Warbonet hammock, Unsponsored underblanket

Getting a brew on

Gailainne doing a spot of handline fishing

Grooveski carried on with his cord retting

Fire place all tidied away and no trace left

Packing and ready for off this morning

Another good one lads, enjoyed just being on fire duty and lounging around camp for two days. The twelve hour kip last night did me wonders too.

Tick count = 0

 

[salad]

All ways good to see other peoples pics. Will keep my eye out for them

 

[Shewie]

Just done them mate

 

[Retired Member southey]

Great pic Shewie, you were right to get out of dodge, the winds through here have been crazy, the met chick(sorry local met officer) told me they recorded 50mph gusts last night!, nice spot youv'e got there.

 

[Traceyanne]

Photos are great. Looks like a very refreshing trip.

 

[Grooveski]

A few( ) more pics.
Rich taking his billy for a walk.

What is he up to?

Aha!

A couple of sneaky snaps from up the bluff.

Heading up into the pine forest.

Stripped off some nettle bark...

....and pitched up a fish hook.

The water supply for the rest of the weekend,

Took a wander through the broadleaf wood along the shore/cliffs.
(click for bigger pic)



I hardly ever come across sweet chestnut. To be honest I didn't recognise them and had to take a leaf and twig back to camp for id'ing.

Looking down the loch.

One of the channels round at the Faery Isles.

A wrong turn. What started off as a nice wee glen heading roughly in the direction of camp turned into a tangled swampy shambles then a boulder strewn gully, Still, it did lead back to camp, that's something I suppose.

....and there were rewards, Just had them about an hour ago with some thin grilled steak and they were very nice indeed.

Thought I'd try my hand at the old horsehoof dismantling. Man they're tough little blighters.

Ready for boiling. Got it in for a while, will continue next time I'm out.

Cracking trip guys.


Josh

 

[Shewie]

Great piccies again Josh

Good to hear the 'shrooms were good eating

 

[Man of Tanith]

lovely photo's and a lovely area
i am so jealous

 

[drewdunnrespect]

sounds like an ausome weekend boys thanks for shareing but i do have to ask were was my invite? lol anyways looks like some fun was had

 

[Tor helge]

Great pics. Looks like a great place to camp.

Tor

 

[andybysea]

Nice read and pic's guy's cant wait to get out myself!

 

[Retired Member southey]

Hello andybysea, how's things.

 

[andybysea]

Fine thanks southey,got to have some test's but all my functions(kidney/urine etc) are back to normal,so needing to get out and about!

 

[Retired Member southey]

It's good to hear chap.

Take it easy.

 

[mayfly]

Looks like a great spot, especially like the comment about using all kit/not wanting for anything else, a great feeling for my part only very occasionally achieved, nice one! Chris

 

[scrogger]

Looks like a good one chaps glad you all enjoyed. I imagine it was as you say nice to go back to basics without taking everything and the kitchen sink in the noo's.
Great pics aswell. Thanks for sharing.

Andy

 

[gsfgaz]

Cracking pics , did you catch any fish
what loch was that u were on ... nice camp spot

 

[Gailainne]

As always, very good weekend guys, just what the doctor ordered, my only problem was lack of sleep due to a cold rear end, should be sorted for our next outing. Some pics of mine;

On the friday

Grooveski doing his cord making thing

The streams nearby were slow running and the colour of the water was something between Ribena and oxidised iron, Grooveski's spare tarp came in real handy as a clean water collector

Saturday had been ok weather wise, there had been cloud bursts, during one we filled 2 1 litre pots with fresh water! but there had been plenty of sun as well. Sunday was a different matter, we were all expecting the severe weather forecasted to come in, we were all knackered so had an extremely early night 8:30!! I read an ebook on my iphone till about 10 ish very comfortably in my hammock before turning in, around midnight the weather came in, heavy rain with enough wind to bounce me around, the wind/rain combo woke me a few times, as did trying to sort out my underblanket.

However woke at the back of 6:00 and watched a glorious sunrise, taken about 2 hrs later

The wind had switched more to the North but where we were was calm, beautiful morning.

As Rich had a looong journey home we packed up early, and were on our way back to the car park around 10 with a few stop of's at Loch Coile-Bharr to see if we could spot the beavers, we definitely saw something big moving in a cove, but it was to far away to id, its still a very lovely stretch of water

Excellent weekend guys.

Stephen

 

[Shewie]

Nice piccies Stephen

I totally missed that sunrise when I was getting a brew on, I enjoyed the sun on my back though.

 

[Grooveski]

Cracking pics , did you catch any fish
what loch was that u were on ... nice camp spot

I believe a little 'un was caught and used for bait. Nothing doing for the pot though.

Loch Sween. The bay in Rich's 'Through the trees' photos is where we camped when we were there last november.