Sussex BCUK meet for August 2015: weekend of 22nd/23rd

Neumo

Full Member
Jul 16, 2009
1,675
0
West Sussex
After a small but chilled out meet last time we can hopefully have a few more people at this one. If anyone wants to do a group meal or practice some skills then let us know, otherwise we will sit round the campfire and drink teas as usual... Here are the usual Rules & Regs:


Pitch C7, which is down the hill from the new loo block at the base of the hill. It is the one near the lake on the right of the track down. The camp is very full now so space is limited, so this was the best pitch on offer:

PLEASE SEE MAP FOR LOCATION:
http://www.broadstonewarren.org.uk/index.php/site_plan/

General Details
Location of the Campsite & details of the Venue Broadstone Warren is a Scout site situated in the Ashdown Forest in the North of Sussex, midway between the South Coast and London. The site which is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) comprises 386 acres of the Ashdown Forest with campsites situated throughout the woodland in many of the glades.


How to get there
http://www.broadstonewarren.org.uk/index.php/find_us/

By Road
From the M25 - Leave the M25 at junction 8 following the M23 southbound towards Brighton. Leave the M23 at junction 10, and take the first exit on the roundabout along the A264 towards East Grinstead. When you get into East Grinstead, follow the A22 southbound towards Eastbourne. Remain on the A22, straight through Forest Row. Broadstone Warren is on the left-hand side approximately 2 miles south of Forest Row.
From the South - Follow the A22 northbound crossing the crossroads at Wych Cross (just after the Roebuck Hotel). The main entrance is approximately 500 metres after the junction on the right-hand side.

SAT-NAV - If using Sat-Nav, the postcode for the site is RH18 5JS. As you get close to the site, you need to look out for the signs as the same postcode is used for a number of local properties.

By Rail: The nearest train station is at East Grinstead, which is approximately a fifty minute train journey from London Victoria. When arriving at East Grinstead Broadstone Warren is a bus journey or ten minute taxi ride away.

By Bus: Bus services pass Broadstone Warren from East Grinstead, Uckfield and Haywards Heath.
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Times & Car Parking
You can stay the Friday night if you want, although the main meet starts on Saturday Morning & normally goes to lunchtime or mid afternoon on the Sunday.When you arrive on site you can drive to the pitch to unload but then please put your car back in the main car park; unless we have a pitch near the Ranger's car park at the end of the main dirt road in which case use that. Please be aware that you need to pay for each 24 hour period you are on site, so if you arrive at 12am on Friday & stay after 12am on Sunday then you need to pay for 3 days.

Fees
They put the price up to �6 each from the 1st of Jan 2015. Please note that this is charged on a 24 hour basis , so if you arrive on the Saturday & leave on the Sunday after being there for more than 24 hours then you need to pay for 2 days. Sorry but that is their rules. They like the organiser to collect all the fees & pay the bill, which Neumo normally does, but if he is not around then one of the regulars needs to sort this out.

You are welcome to come down for the day if you can't stay over, for which the site charges a day visit fee of �2.50

What we do at the meets
This is an opportunity to meet some local(ish) Bushcrafters, camp out with like minded people & practice/learn some skills. We have had a handful of these meets before, some at other venues, but they mostly follow the same pattern. We tend to do as much or as little as you want but try to have a few sessions where anyone can take part if they want; these are usually things like different ways to make fires, carving, tree id etc.. We cook on the shared fire, often having a communal meal & have tea on the go all the time. We have a few beers round the campfire in the evening but tend not to stay up too much past midnight as others are often asleep by then & we tend to get up early when you wake up in the woods, usually round 7 (although some sleep on for a bit).

What to bring & Food
We spend quite a lot of time sitting round the fire under the parachute or a tarp, so a CHAIR is a good thing to have. Tea/Coffee making stuff & a mug are the other essential things to have. People tend to self cater so bring enough food to feed yourself for the weekend. There are shops in Forest Row where you can resupply if needed.

The other important stuff

WATER: Standpipes are located at various points around the site. Sometimes in winter there is no water on a pitch but that is rare. Brining a water container is not a bad idea as sometimes we pitch up the hill from the taps.

FIREWOOD: There is ample wood for burning lying around the forest. Under NO circumstances is live wood to be cut or damaged. Chain saws are NOT permitted on the site. Some pitches are better than others but we always find enough wood. Bringing a bow saw is a good idea if you have one.

PITS: Due to the nature of the ground on site NO pits of any type may be dug.

VEHICLES: NO vehicles are to be driven onto the camp sites or parked on the rides other than with the Duty Manager’s permission. On arrival you may be allowed to unload your equipment at your site after which you must park your vehicle in the car park allocated. At the end of your stay, after receiving the Duty Manager’s permission, you will be allowed to take your vehicle to your site to load up your equipment. Please note that if it has been raining a lot then the office may decide to close access to the pitches by locking the gates; this is done to protect the rides.

CYCLES: To comply with the Forestry Commissions Laws and Natural England, cycles are NOT permitted on the site.

DOGS: NO pets of any description are allowed on site. Sorry but that is the site rules.

NOISE / NUISANCE / Anti-social Behaviour: As the consideration for other users is paramount, music players, radios and the like must not be audible off your own site. Noise must be kept to a minimum between 11pm and 7.30am. Unacceptable behaviour by any users on site will not be tolerated. Unacceptable behaviour includes: Bad language that causes others to be seriously offend; Trespassing; Vandalism; Consumption of alcohol by minors/excessive consumption by adults; Illegal substance use; Setting fires (with the intent to cause damage); Acting in a way that may cause danger to self or others.

Verbal, Emotional, Physical or Sexual Abuse etc... will not be tolerated, neither will people who constantly bring these topics up in conversation. This is a scout site full of children so participants need to realise that what they say round a campfire may be overheard & reacted to in a very different way from how they think their 'banter' will be recieved by the people they are talking to. We are not trying stop people enjoying themselves but some topics of conversation are not appropriate for a scout camp, so we are asking that common sense be used here. Please see the disclaimer below. We will be keeping an eye on this from now on.

SECURITY: In the interest of security we would recommend that you do not leave any valuables in tents or buildings.

RUBBISH: Recycling facilities for glass, cans and tins are located at Camp Centre. Please clean all glassware, cans and tins before disposal. Please bring a bin bag if you can. All other rubbish should be brought to camp centre and placed in the bins provided, or taken home for disposal.

FIRE: Fire is to stay within the main fireplace, unless people are being taught how to make fire under appropriate adult supervision. This is mainly aimed at kids, as we need to be careful where embers land away from the main fire for obvious reasons. This excludes personal hobos, gas cookers etc.. which are the owners responsibility when operating.

Bringing Guests: If you bring a guest to a meet or invite them then you are responsible for them until they become an established member of the group, which will be after 2 visits. We have been asked to add this rule in by BCUK. This especially applies to bringing other peoples children. The person who brings the children to the meet are responsible for them & their safety at all times.

Disclaimer:
In the highly unlikely event that we need to make use of this ... we reserve the right to stop any individual(s) from attending a Meet.
Any individual(s) who we feel endanger our future use of the site will be required to leave the site; outstanding fees will still be owed. This also applies if the site staff have problems with an individual. This is needed to protect BCUK, the organisers and the other attendees of these meets if someone does something that is felt to be dangerous to the any of the above groups or could stop us using the site in the future. If someone is banned then please respect the decision, even if you do not agree with it, as it will be have been discussed with the Mods whose decision is final.


* Forum members are responsible for themselves, the kit they use and their own actions (and any non member accompanying them) at the Meet.
* Under 18's must be accompanied by at least one parent (or appointed guardian).

Please note: Camping at the site by registering using the Sussex BCUK name when not at one of the advertised meets is not allowed. Sorry but you should only be able to book a pitch on Broadstone Warren as a registered user of the site & we don't want to lose our use of the site due to anything happening outside of a regular monthly meet.

Hope to see you round the campfire soon
 

Neumo

Full Member
Jul 16, 2009
1,675
0
West Sussex
Can you add your name to the list by copying/pasting it into a new reply as usual:

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Steven Tagg

Member
Jul 12, 2014
37
0
West Sussex
Hi Guys, long time no meet for me!

I've been working all summer for The Bushcraft Company, living on an estate near Oxford teaching kids about camping and survival skills. Haven't slept in a bed for months!

Can't make this meet but possibly will be able to do Sept or Oct. Would be great to catch up with you all over some autumn/winter fires.

Hope you're all well.

See you in the woods soon I hope.

Steven
 

Shadyady

Tenderfoot
Aug 21, 2013
63
0
Brighton
Ok, we'll be along as usual and this time we will bring Jo's nephew, Logan, and see if camping compares to his X Box

cheers Dave

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Danners

Member
Oct 25, 2013
30
0
Waterlooville
I've only ever been twice and the last time was a year ago. I hope it's ok to pop over and enjoy another weekend in the woods with you guys.
My knife and axe could do with a sharpen, can anyone advise how I could do this relatively cheaply without having to find a fancy whetstone? (Something out of my budget at the moment)

Thanks

Dan

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Shadyady

Tenderfoot
Aug 21, 2013
63
0
Brighton
Interesting, would explain why we didn't see much material being carried back to the next.

Dave- got the monies and receipt - will catch up with you next time,

Adrian
 

BCUK Shop

We have a a number of knives, T-Shirts and other items for sale.

SHOP HERE