Testing the water...5 acre wood near Ilkley

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ged

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Jul 16, 2009
4,976
13
In the woods if possible.
I'd be on for an occasional stay, but obviously I'd like to know more about the location. Five acres isn't huge and if it's on the hard shoulder of the M62 it could make for a less than peaceful night. The going rate seems to be a few pounds per person per night and I'd think that ten quid would put a few people off. You could probably say ten quid per pitch if there were couples and maybe more with families, but on the continent you can get a night in a bed and breakfast or a cheap hotel for not much more than a tenner so it needs to remain reasonable. Most people at BCUK meets seem to sleep alone so the per person/per pitch argument is, er, moot. Some people (yours truly for example:)) carry liquid fuel in wherever they go, so I'd have thought that firewood could perhaps be an option rather than being included whether you want it or not. Having said that I think the bulk of the BCUK crowd burn wood just for the ambience, and I wouldn't want to sit around the fire thinking that everyone else was paying for it and I wasn't! I'm sure that reasonably priced firewood will sell well because on occasion I've even seen people dashing off to Tesco to get supplies.

Different local authorities have different rules. Sometimes there are informal arrangements and exemptions which can work well if not abused. Best to check with the authority concerned. I doubt that anything that was used all year round would be permitted informally.

The farmer should draw up a set of site rules, maybe something like the Scouts do for their sites. The potential for 'customers' damaging the place and filling it with rubbish has to be considered. I'm slightly surprised that nobody seems to ask for a deposit to be returned when the site is left in good order, but I suppose it would be difficult to operate such a system. If there's going to be access to the public rather than 'bushcrafters' only there will need to be arrangements for dealing with rubbish.
 

shaggystu

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Nov 10, 2003
4,345
33
Derbyshire
......I'm slightly surprised that nobody seems to ask for a deposit to be returned when the site is left in good order......

some places do ged, spitewinter had 50quid off me for a deposit for the first meet there, they've waived it since then.

i'd quite likely be up for the odd meet in ilkley, new woods to play in are always good

cheers

stuart
 

snozz

Full Member
Dec 9, 2009
877
2
Otley
I'd be on for an occasional stay, but obviously I'd like to know more about the location. Five acres isn't huge and if it's on the hard shoulder of the M62 it could make for a less than peaceful night. .

Ilkley and the surrounding areas are well away from motorways so shouldn't be a problem there. Am sitting excited now as it's 10 minutes down the road from me. My other nearest place for going is a good hour so this would be welcome
 
Oct 5, 2009
422
0
Sheffield
Count one more definite on both counts. Robin's comments on price are justified, I'd expect to pay around a fiver without wood. With wood I think they'd struggle to make the venture worthwhile.

I'd probably opt for a standard camping fee but make wood available on-site at a reasonable rate.
 

Wayland

Hárbarðr
Only just seen this thread.

Sounds like a good one to me. I think a fee for the camping and a separate fee for the fuel would work best. Some have fires, others use stoves or bring their own fuel.

It would be wise to have one or two fixed sites for main fires and insist that other fires are kept off the ground.
 

wanderinstar

On a new journey
Jun 14, 2005
1,346
9
71
Yorkshire/Lancs Border
The farmer was ok with the idea of providing a sack of logs in with the camping fee. If people had to buy there own, they may be tempted to use the wood on the ground. After about 6 months that would be gone, then the standing dead wood would go and eventually live trees would be cut down.
The farmer does not want this, he is a friend of mine and I don't want to abuse his trust. To my mind, anyone caught doing any of the above should be asked to leave and not allowed in again. This might sound draconian, but this is a good, small wood and I don't want it to be abused, like Forest Camp in Delamare. For those who remember that far back.
 

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