Earlier this month I went on a national Trust wild camping weekend in Hatfield Forest, Essex. I’d seen an A5 flyer up on a previous visit and thought it would be good to take my two boys. It was supposed to be Friday and Saturday night but as I was also due at the bushcraft base at Gilwell24 and heading off to a Woodland Ways bushie weekend at the end of July I only did one night to keep in with SWMBO. £16 pp whether man or boy, two nights or two hours there.
Plenty of space to pitch a tent or tarp up in.
Whilst there I asked Pablo from www.woodlife.co.uk to check over my tarp & hammock setup to see if it passed muster (it did). Pablo also offered me some hints and tips too.
This is Les from www.wildcrafts.co.uk/ Very good with the kids and easy going generally. Here he is prepping a trout with my eldest to ponasse by the fire.
My youngest had a good time too. If he was in my hammock once...
Dinner could be cooked on an open fire or via a trangia etc. In the background is Brett from Essex Wildcrafts.
JP browning some chicken joints for a curry
The finished article. The curry sauce is his little secret apparently ;-) The team had some left over and it was delish.
Shot of the parachute in the very early hours of Sunday morning with me having sorted the fire using the old fire dogs and got the kettle on.
The national Trust are going to run some more with the next one (I think) in late August. The adults attending could be counted on one hand with more kids camping than grownups, but it’s early days and for me it was a great ratio and I reckon I was the only guy there with a bushcraft angle. It wasn't a course so much as an informal wild camp with instructors around to do bushcraft and tracking. Recommended.
The only down side was nearby bloody Stanstead airport kicking off at just after 06.00 on the Sunday which spoils the at one with nature feel somewhat!
Plenty of space to pitch a tent or tarp up in.
Whilst there I asked Pablo from www.woodlife.co.uk to check over my tarp & hammock setup to see if it passed muster (it did). Pablo also offered me some hints and tips too.
This is Les from www.wildcrafts.co.uk/ Very good with the kids and easy going generally. Here he is prepping a trout with my eldest to ponasse by the fire.
My youngest had a good time too. If he was in my hammock once...
Dinner could be cooked on an open fire or via a trangia etc. In the background is Brett from Essex Wildcrafts.
JP browning some chicken joints for a curry
The finished article. The curry sauce is his little secret apparently ;-) The team had some left over and it was delish.
Shot of the parachute in the very early hours of Sunday morning with me having sorted the fire using the old fire dogs and got the kettle on.
The national Trust are going to run some more with the next one (I think) in late August. The adults attending could be counted on one hand with more kids camping than grownups, but it’s early days and for me it was a great ratio and I reckon I was the only guy there with a bushcraft angle. It wasn't a course so much as an informal wild camp with instructors around to do bushcraft and tracking. Recommended.
The only down side was nearby bloody Stanstead airport kicking off at just after 06.00 on the Sunday which spoils the at one with nature feel somewhat!
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