Paleo Weekend camp anyone?

[Eric_Methven]

Over on the PaleoPlanet forum I asked if any of the UK members fancied a weekend in the lake district for paleolithic skills development. http://p081.ezboard.com/bpaleoplanet69529

The response was quite good considering it is an American forum with just a few UK members and I thought I'd see if anyone from here fancied it.

The general plan is to use a secluded piece of coppice woodland that i work in south lakeland near Cartmel. It would be free and you bring your own stuff. We were talking about an exchange of skills such as making atlatls and darts, fletching, knapping (if we can't get flint, we can knapp broken beer bottle bottoms, same skills, different material). Home made shelters if the mood takes you otherwise bashas or tents. Various firelighting techniques.

I'll be bringing in my shave horse and pole lathe, and also my spoon carving jigs. I'll also be bring in leather to show anyone how to make shoes (proper shoes, not mocs). Anyone fancy this? Are there skills you'd be willing to share? Are there skills you are wanting to learn?

Let me know and I'll organise something for later in the summer.

Eric

 

[Rob]

Sounds fantastic.

Let me know when you plan to do it, and with a bit of luck I will be up and running again by then.

 

[Gary]

Sounds interesting - when?

 

[Snufkin]

We were sort of planning early September, here's a link to the thread. (I post as LJintheUK over there).

 

[Stuart]

if I'm free when it goes ahead I'll come along

 

[Graham_S]

i'd love to come along, not that i've got any skills to teach, but i'd like to learn.

 

[Eric_Methven]

OK then I'll definitely get it organised. By the way, there's no hard and fast rules or anything about how primitive you want to get. It's up to you. Modern camping gear is fine, as is modern cooking stoves. I'm thinking of doing the whole weekend in 15th century period costume. I usually portray a woodland peasant and eat mediaval food and drink mead. I don't eat potatoes or tomatoes when I'm in period though as they were not introduced from the colonies then, in fact America hadn't been discovered.

Here's me talking to some visitors at Barnard Castle.

This is one of the wooden storage chests I make. It has leather hinges.

Anyway, we'll have great fun. That's what the weekend will be all about - fun!

Eric

 

[Tony]

Sounds good

 

[JimH]

Over on the PaleoPlanet forum I asked if any of the UK members fancied a weekend in the lake district for paleolithic skills development.
....
Let me know and I'll organise something for later in the summer.

Eric

Yes, please

Jim.

 

[Gary]

Eric what period/group do you belong too?

From your pictures I almost expect to see Phil Fraser lurkingin the back ground.

 

[Ed]

That sounds like a fantasic weekend, and by the looks of it, has generated alot of interest.....


Ed

 

[Eric_Methven]

Gary, Our group is called Rosa Mundi Historical Interpritation Society and we are based in Redcar. We only do between 1475 and 1500 Wars of the Roses stuff. I mostly do domestic demos mainly using unseasoned greenwood and I also do cordwaining which is making shoes. From time to time I'll make a leather bottle, flask or Jack and line it with brewers pitch to make it waterproof on the inside, but that is usually when one of the other members wants one. It's difficult enough pushing holes through two thick pieces of leather as it is without members of the public staring at you and asking daft questions. Besides, when I'm in period I can't get the dremel out.

We also do military stuff and I can fight well with a sword and buckler (small shield) or a dagger but I'm fifty four now and like to leave the fighting to the younger members. I still go in for the archery contests though.

We were in Belgium a couple of years ago and had to pretend to sack a town who were having their umpteenth centinery celebrations. The poor suckers didn't realise when we fight we fight for real albeit with blunt weapons. There were some sorely bruised Belgies drowning their sorrows that night.

At the same event we were invited to put up anyone in full armour against a company of archers (again firing blunts). The knights (unmounted) were all attop a hill and the archers had to fire from the slopes below while the knights charged down on them. This was all in full view of the public who were lapping it up. We managed to put up four or five knights and some of the other societies who had been invited provided another dozen or so. The Belgies assembled over a hundred archers. One of our guests was an American gentleman who was an SCA member (Society for Creative Anachranism) who wasnt able to afford a full set of regular armour so he had made himself a beaten brass set in his garage. It had taken him over five years to make the full set and it looked lovely. Anyway, imagine if you will, a line of knights on the skyline, and standing in the middle of them was - The Golden Knight. Guess who all the archers aimed at. Yup, they all went for the golden knight and within twenty seconds, his lovely five years in the making suit of brass armour was beaten to a pulp. We had to get him out with a tin opener. Boy was he gutted. We all felt so sorry for him (he couldn't stop crying) that we had a kit whip round in the beer tent and got him a full suit of steel armour although some of it was a bit mismatched. He went home a happy bunny after all.

Yea, I just love doing the living history stuff. We're all completely bonkers in our group and have such a laugh.

Eric

 

[Gary]

will you be a cressing temple? Stall?