Somerset Bushcraft WKND Meet 26-28 March

[Jaysurfer]

Hi Everyone

After our successful Somerset Bushcraft pub meet in the fitting ancient surrounds of Glastonbury we are going to 'attempt' to get together for the weekend of the 26th and 28th of March.

See original thread: http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=51384

I have a woods near me in Somerset that we are going to use for the first meet.

You will need to bring your own water / water containers!
There is a river about 1/4 of a mile away through a field but 1) i can't be bothered to walk 2) I don't want to have to worry about making it ok to drink and 3) I don't wanna be playing lifeguard if someone falls in!!!

Due to the size of the wood and the fact we can't chop the wood down I would also appreciate it if everyone bought enough wood for them to use for the wknd.
I.E. enough to cook with for how ever many meals you plan on having and also enough to add to the communal fire for the evenings celebrations.

The woods are not massive but there is probably enough room for 20 of us.

The location will be pretty much next to the A303 - there is limited parking so i am going to ask for the few parking spaces at the wood to be used for unloading/loading.
Cars will then need to be parked down at a car park less than a mile away and just walk through two fields and your back at the woods.

So lets start talking and hopefully have a two good wknd, good food and good camping.

If anyone want to meet up between now and then and meet for a pint and to have a look round the woods let me know.

We will be celebrating as it is Salad's birthday wknd and his last birthday before becoming a dad so i think we need to see him off in style and depending on mother Nature Mrs Bushwhacker may of popped out mini Bushwhacker or might not...
So if:
1) Paul can make it and has a new addition we'll be wetting the baby's head
2) Paul can make it and is not a Daddy yet - we'll see him off in style
3) Paul can't make it... We'll share his proportion of the celebratory liquid (not placenta!) and celebrate as if he was there.

this is by no means a party but a meeting of like minded people for a weekend get together of good conversation (maybe some song) and leisure time around a camp fire...

I'd suggest an over 18's policy for this one... if you do want to bring someone under 18 then let me know.

As it seems we could either be having a bush craft baby and eating placenta (Paul!!!) or being witness to a spit roasts! (Ben!!!)
*JOKE*

The copse are my responsibility so please take away all that you bring with you as well as memories and new friends!

i've started a list below, add your name if you wanna come:

Jay (Surfer)

 

[jonajuna]

i've started a list below, add your name if you wanna come:

Jay (Surfer)
Jon(ajuna)

 

[Jaysurfer]

also....

there is now a Somerset Bushcraft Facebook group
www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/group.php?gid=314560295562

Add yourself if you are on FB and want to obviously!

 

[mayobushcraft]

Jay (Surfer)
Jon(ajuna)
James(mayobushcraft)

 

[mace242]

Jay (Surfer)
Jon(ajuna)
James(mayobushcraft)
Tim (mace242)

 

[Bazzworx]

Jay (Surfer)
Jon(ajuna)
James(mayobushcraft)
Tim (mace242)
Ben (Bazzworx) + Yvette

 

[Jaysurfer]

well we have a minimum of 6 and i'm sure there will be a few more names on the list by the end of today...

As discussed at the meet i am thinking about doing a couple of group meals. this will give everyone a chance to sit round the same place and enjoy a couple of meals together.

Let me know what you all think...

 

[jonajuna]

id be happy with just the evening meal on the Saturday night, that way, people are free to eat as and when they like and not worry too much about arrival/departure times and so on

plus for me, cooking on the fire is part of my fun. we cant all cook the same meal.. too many cooks and all that!

of course, on longer meets to come, more meals ......

is it still the idea to do a lamb spit roast (fnarr fnarr) pit roast? id be happy with meat alongside some chunks of decent bread and butter but then, i am fairly exclusively carnivore

any squirrels in these woods? snaring permissions available?

 

[Jaysurfer]

Well if everyone wants to me to get a lamb i will then we can do what we want with it...
I need to check the woods and find somwhere where i can dig a pit for roasting as it is quite rocky under the top soil...
But we can sort something out

There are squirrels in the woods but i would be apprehensive to allow snaring as i think the community (non-outdoors types) that like walking in the woods probably like the squirrels...

 

[jonajuna]

lol, no worries, hard wotsits to snare apparently any-ways

a whole lamb would be a bit much if numbers remains as is, a 2kg leg would do 6 easy.

a 3kg pork leg would do for 10

if pit roast proves difficult on this outing, coul dsave that for future softer ground and spit roast this time

alternatively, i have a largish billy can (as well as several 'normal' sizes) and a dutch oven if a stew type meal is preferred?

e2a: we could pass the squirrel snares off as woodland management, culls are needed for the health of the population, takes out the weak and ill (i jest and know how many people dont like the thought of such things )

 

[Bazzworx]

Well you all know how keen I am for a spit roast... If theres enough people to feed I'd be happy to put a tenner towards the lamb as I didn't get a round in on friday + Yvettes parents have a catering business so could get a load of rolls from cash n carry.

Can another chap come with us Jay? He couldn't make it friday and doesn't have internet at the mo.

Also I have a large 10+L oval billy from a field kitchen if thats any help toward the group meal too.

 

[jonajuna]

hiya Bazz

I'm not so much worried about cost as waste. nothing worse then wasting food, especially meat

 

[jonajuna]

as for skills sharing......

im wanting to get much more educated on trees and wild foods (non squirreling kind) so will bring a couple of my Gems and be toddling off for a forage/ID walk if any one wishes to join me and/or contribute to the learning. suggest that we only eat any finds that we are 100% sure of for obvious reasons (unless there is an easter egg hunt on during the weekend )

anyone with anything else they want to share/teach/learn? list it below:

Jon(ajuna): trees/wild food forage/ID walk

 

[Bazzworx]

Totally agree with you thats why I said if theres enough people to feed. Not sure how many a small lamb would feed??

 

[jonajuna]

all goes on weight.....

1/2kg uncooked weight per person is plenty for even pot bellied people like me (with spuds or a crusty loaf)

a lamb could be 12-17kg give or take (including bones) so 9-15kg of uncooked meat

so would need a dozen plus people all chomping away to get through even a small whole lamb

of course, if you are looking at more than one meal out of it, worth doing, maybe for a longer meet later in year?

 

[Jaysurfer]

well....
If everyone comes who was there on Fri we'll have 10...
Add to that Baz's mate (which is fine fella bring him along, like i said i think 20 will be the max), Siberian if he wants to join us, Myosis (Maybe), Mrs Salad, possibly Chris the Cat if he can make it.
It could easily turn to 15.
So the whole Lamb is just an option, like i said i'll sort it and don't need paying. We'll call it my offer as a host. You lot just need to pass me a drink ;-)

plus there is no reason why the remander of it can not be used for lunch on Sunday or a Lamb chilli.

something for us to discuss as the numbers develop...

I'll have a wonder with you jon, either tht or i might be making a spoon or cooking lol

 

[jonajuna]

LOL Jay, if we do the pit roast, will have plenty of time for the wander while 1: the fire is getting its heat in or 2: the lamb is roasting underground

or maybe, wander during 1 and toast the lamb with tequila during 2

any spoon time for me, will be when the sun goes down. during daylight hours i will be far too manic

 

[Jaysurfer]

hmmm not too sure if trying to carve a spoon in the dark is a good idea Jon!
I kno i said i don't want to haveto play lifeguard y the river but i also don't want to have to play medic! (although will do if needs must)

Well pit roast should take bout 6 hours so yes will have plenty of time.... Although i often find i will cook breakfast, then sort fire wood, then cook 11's, sort fire food, cook some lunch, sort fire wood, afternoon snack, fire wood, evening meal.... Sit round the fire! then throw something prepared earlier in foil on the fire and midnight feast! then sleep.

lol

 

[jonajuna]

i wont be eating that much, wastes valuable drinking space

you said you would whittle me up a headtorch during the day so i could do the spoon at night

 

[Jaysurfer]

really? whats wood like at conducting electricity?