Living 'Wild' for 2-3 months, ideas? tips? etc

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Feb 15, 2011
3,860
2
Elsewhere
A tarp can actually be rigged to cope with such weather. As a test of the principle of a cheap tarp and rigging with the tarp knot I rigged a tarp shelter at a particular windy spot on my piece of land last fall. This winter was very windy - including three Beaufort 11 storms. The tarp shelter survived unharmed until I disassembled it last weekend.



Was your tarp tied to trees or free standing in a field :rolleyes:
 

Toddy

Mod
Mod
Jan 21, 2005
38,937
4,570
S. Lanarkshire
No offence taken Kim :)
I agree that a properly rigged, and sited, tarp, can be very, very secure; but it can also be a very awkward thing to try to live under.

There's a Scottish proverb; "Better a wee bush than nae bield".....basically even a little bush is better than no shelter; but given the element of choice, there are better ways.

To live untrammelled by possessions, to move freely, easily, no worry and no stress, clean water and good food, to sleep soundly and awake revitalised, in a beautiful bit of the world, is a lovely ideal :D

If it were possible the Scottish Islands would be in the middle of a population explosion :)

The reality is that the weather's a hard chore on Skye at times, quite a lot of times to be honest, the lady has no experience of foraging or hunting, or by the sounds of it shore gathering either.
None of this is unsurmountable given a little enthusiasm and diligent effort, at the best time of the year, but the blithe confidence often fails at the simplest things. A dose of diarrhoea, the persistant attack of the midgies at any calm at all, the constant damp chill that pervades everything unless one creates a very dry area and has ample fuel. Even the growing number of ticks and keds can make a camp unbearable.

My husband camped on Skye early summertime last year. It was beautiful weather, the scenery was as good as it gets, he walked miles and miles, and he came home sunburnt, walked to bliss, and fed up with midgies, picking off ticks, and spending too long on his own in the evening with nothing much to do but go to bed and sleep.
We still had to dry out the tent and remove ticks from it, too :rolleyes:
Fire helps, especially if you can burn stuff like the bog myrtle or mugwort......though both are contra indicated now according to the health guidelines :dunno: got to be better than the insecticides long term, I reckon but apparantly not.
Folks who claim the midgies aren't a problem have not spent any time in the west of Scotland in the height of midge season, even those who don't react to their bites find breathing clouds of midgies unendurable.

From an archaeological point of view, the mesolithic was a time of family groups roaming wide areas, exploiting seasonal resources, in a climate warmer than it is now.
That few degrees of warmth difference matters crucially. Sub marginal lands now were productive lands then.

Can someone create a small eco holding on Skye ? well of course they can, with a lot of forethought, a lot of hard work and a prudent investment in ample supplies.
Living wild ? as in 'our' idea of living wild ? not under the restrictions this lady has chosen.

cheers,
Toddy
 

mrcharly

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Jan 25, 2011
3,257
44
North Yorkshire, UK
To the OP; If you are serious about wanting to do something like this, there is somewhere you can go, with experienced people, shelter and water. They will help and advise you in setting up a shelter, whether it be a yurt, a bender, or a simple tent. There is ample firewood. An area to grow veg. Jobs to be done where you can earn food or even some pocket money. One of them is a midwife, the other teaches (school and green woodworking).

My friends have lived there for years, raising two daughters first in a double-yurt, then in a hexagonal log cabin which they built themselves. One of the daughters recently moved back 'home', into a yurt near her parents.

If you like, I can give you directions and an introduction. It would be a safe way to get a taster of what it is like to 'live rough', without committing yourself overmuch or costing money. They are in the north of England, in a damp midge-cursed area (just like scotland).

Send me a private message if you want more information.
 

bushytoo

Forager
Feb 15, 2012
137
5
london
Maybe this is an irresponsible reply but I say go for it, life is fleeting, just make sure you do as much research as you can and take on board some of the helpful advice you've been given.
 

youngbushcrafter

Tenderfoot
Jun 16, 2011
97
0
Scotland
i would just like to add something that happened, just months ago. A man from Derby fancied himself a bit of a caveman and decided to live off the land for 1 year in Scotland, He had been on many survival courses prior and was 'well equipped', he was found dead in a Bothy (A small cottage) a few weeks after he set out, learn from his mistake...
 

AussieVic

Forager
Jan 24, 2011
160
5
Victoria, Australia
Hi Ninaslug, You’ve certainly got folk thinking !

Good luck with your venture; I don’t know too much about Sky (although my relatives are from there a few generations back).

It sounds to me like you’re going to “camp” for a while, while a house is built ?

I’ve a couple of friends who have done similar things down here, I think the best advice (form their experiences) is to plant an orchard and establish the veg patch as quickly as possible, but be sure that it will not be in the way of builders, access tracks and rubbish piles. Also check where you site your camp, or you may have to move that too.

Now when I say orchard, they planted out a couple of dozen different fruit and nut trees which will take years to establish, so the sooner you get them in the ground, the better. Planting is also dependent on the season, so it may not be quite right as yet ?
My friends constructed some wind barriers for the trees while they established you may need this for your veg too. Check out what the locals grow for an idea about what to plant.

Be sure to fence off the veg patch to make it clear to builders where it is, and to keep out vermin ... you may be able to make a vermin door into the veg patch, but with a trap built into to it so you can catch them ?

As for your 100 quid, I’m not sure what you need to buy with it, but (here) long life packaged foods seem to be cheapest (cans etc), as well as “grains” like oats and rice.

Trees and plants can be expensive, but if the family are moving in, perhaps they will be prepared to buy them for you to plant and tend ? If you’re up for it, you may be able to take cuttings to get some things started.

When building starts, there will be lots of scrap and rubbish materials, if you talk to the builders, they will probably point out bits you can scavenge as firewood, or for re-use; similarly if there is other building happening nearby, have a chat with those builders and see what you can get – but always ask first.

Good luck and do post some updates
 

Toddy

Mod
Mod
Jan 21, 2005
38,937
4,570
S. Lanarkshire
Jul 30, 2012
3,570
224
westmidlands
camp next to tescos, and draw your benefit.
Stealing sheep = theft
game birds, wabbits, poach

Latrines - capable of dealing with large amounts of human waist.

Trolls - turn to stone when sunlight hits

you will need 4000kcal a day, Take one months food and come back when your reserves are used up. Thats 30kg of good basic food. Cooked.

Check in with someone once a day, take books music, mobile phone, way of charging your devices, hot drinks, luxury food, a tent you can sit up in, biscuits, tobacco, mosquito repellant, sun hat,

do the research into what you will need to do.

Do the research into how you will do what you will need to do.

Good luck
 
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