The Weekend

[Slimey]

I was able to christen my basha and bivi bag on Saturday night. It's first time I've ever slept outside without a tent, but it was just great.

There is a scout owned woodland near me which is happy to let me stay by prior arrangement, only £3 per night. The missus and kids came with me on Saturday afternoon while I set up and we all sat around the fire for a while, they buggered off to watch Doctor Who and I stayed on my own. My son really wanted to stay, but his mum wouldn't let him. Next time!

Fresh water is available on site and there are some toilets and wash basins. You are not allowed to cut any wood but they supply more than you could ever need. The only problem is that the majority is felled pine trees that have been sliced up by chainsaw, I need a larger axe so I can split them. I did manage to find some smaller silver birch and pine logs I could use though.

Managed to get the basha up successfully first time as shown to me on the Greenhorn course I did recently. Didn't really do much bushcrafty type stuff, practiced my firelighting with a selection of tinders and whittled some sticks. Cooked up my tea and breakfast on my swiss army trangia and used the fire for boiling water.

Just sitting next to the fire and waking up under the basha to a fresh new morning was pleasure enough. The family came back around ten o'clock on sunday and we all sat around the fire a while again.

Great fun and I can't wait to do it again. The missus wants to join in next time too.

 

[PeterW]

Sounds like you had a good weekend..!!! I'm lucky that the Scout owned wood near me is run by me...!

Had a similar one myself, and took my 6 yr old lad with me... Took the tent this time, but he's desperate to try out a hammock...!!!

There's nothing like cooking dampers over a fire, then having a decent bacon butty in the morning..!!!

Cheers

Pete

 

[Gary]

Glad to see you were paying attention on the course!

Nothing quite like sleeping under a basha - even down to -20 its still the best roof you can get!

 

[Womble]

It was actually my first nights under a bashar last weekend (unless you count nights in a Hennessey). I had a hootchie set-up, with a camp bed and a BA bag insdie a gore-tex bivvy. The first night felt a bit strange, and I didn't sleep much (it was the first night of a Scout camp, and this always seems to happen), but I slept like a log on Saturday!

What particually struck me was the abilty to open my eyes, look around and see the trees... I couldn't have done this 3 years ago!

 

[Neil1]

Nothing quite like sleeping under a basha - even down to -20 its still the best roof you can get![/QUOTE]
I have to agree Gary, my favourite is waking up on a April morning, with everything bathed in that soft green light, in the comfort of my hammock and listening to the rain drum on the basha above me, there is no better place in the world.
Neil

 

[Slimey]

Peter, you're a lucky man being in charge of the woodland, hope you take advantage of it.

Being able to see around you is one of the things I really liked about the basha, that and the fresh air. I had it pitched between two trees and stretched out like a ridge tent, with the edges about a foot and a half above the ground.

I slept on the ground with a cheap inflatable mat inside the bivvy. My sleeping bag is an arctic army bag and is a bit bulky but plenty warm enough. When I did the Greenhorn course it got down to below freezing and my normal camping bag just wasn;t warm enough. I got the army bag and the goretex bivvy from ebay for £50, both new unissued kit.

Not too sure I'd like to try -20C though!

 

[Tony]

Heck, the weekend's back already!

I'm going to get an hour or so outside today, just to relax and do some school work while sitting in amongst the trees...

What are you guys getting up to?

 

[hootchi]

Don't ask.

I've got first year exams at uni next week so will be revising. Bring on the summer.

Have a good time outdoors everyone.

 

[Toddy]

Having a look at some new felled timbers and doing a sort out of what's to be kept for Tree in the Park in October. Trying to get fibres & dyestuffs sorted out for a Country Fayre next weekend. I've got a sackful of fomes fomentaria to be chopped up for dye too, it's supposed to boil for hours so might set up the fire outside and do that too.

Cheers,
Toddy

 

[Kim]

I seem to have found myself at work...yet again. How did that happen? However, my walk to work was something else. The sun was shining, and life around the canal path I use was absolutely amazing. All the geese have paired up now and the males are standing resolutely next to their partners, singing their slightly flat trumpet sounding song to each other.

There were four young boys on bikes who were completely enraptured by a newly hatched family of ducklings, little fluff balls and paddling nervousness.

It was great.

 

[Toddy]

I seem to have found myself at work...yet again. How did that happen? However, my walk to work was something else. The sun was shining, and life around the canal path I use was absolutely amazing. All the geese have paired up now and the males are standing resolutely next to their partners, singing their slightly flat trumpet sounding song to each other.

There were four young boys on bikes who were completely enraptured by a newly hatched family of ducklings, little fluff balls and paddling nervousness.

It was great.

You paint a brilliant picture

Cheers,
Toddy

 

[match]

Got out to the beach in East Lothian - glorious wetaher, and got to do lots of things including getting round to piching my hammock and basha (and getting a good nights sleep in it!) making damper twists over the fire (started with my bow drill as always), picked lots of beech leaves to make some Noyaux (beech leaf gin), and collected some new straight wooden pieces for making more bow drill sets.

All in all, a good weekend, and even managed to pick up a tan!

 

[jamesdevine]

Saturday morning got up and watch RM in sweden which was cool. Then later my brother in law came over and we worked on fire by friction I also got to put up my basha for the first time which was great. I looking forward to really getting out and using it soon.

Then yesterday my wife and I got up at 4.45 to head up to the local park where Birdwatch Ireland were holding a dawn corus walk. This was brillant and not only did we get to learn loads of bird calls but got to roam the park in the morning light with (I forgot my camera which was a shame) we also got to see some baby hares and a Goldcrest.

I really was great weekend. More of them please for the rest of the summer.

Regards,
James

 

[MartiniDave]

Both saturday and sunday morning we had a squirrel on one of the bird feeders, not that unusual except this one was chocolate brown in colour!

I've had a young blackbird following me around the yard for the last couple of weeks, tame enough that she came ove to where I was if I whistled. Yesterday she lost her baby plumage to get adult female colours over the course of the afternoon! She wasn't around this morning, maybe she'd got to the stage where the parents moved her on?

Took a walk in a local wood. Quite encouraged to see that the local Wildlife Trust is trying to expand the wood with about another 20 acres of pasture being left to revert over the coming years. Saw a muntjac in the woods, along with badger and deer tracks. Lots of bidlife.

Finished yesterday off nicely by spotting a blue-tits nest in next doors oak tree. Adult birds in and out like a fidlers elbow.

Managed to fit in an hour or so carving a half size kuksa type object.

Not bad really.

Dave

 

[Roving Rich]

Is it just me or is that first night out a bit "fitful" ? I've had this a number of times, I wake up every hour or so and don't get a good nights kip. So the next day i'm certainly not 100% (figure bear with sore head ) But the next night I sleep like a log.
I don't know what causes it, new surroundings, strange sound, cold or uncomfortable ? The damn dog doesn't help mind I'm sure he barks at the sanils going by.( And yes, he is a labrador and does steal my sleeping bag when it gets cold)

Cheers
Rich

 

[outdoorcode]

I slept out this weekend, girlfriend stayed at her parents while me and the dogs slept out Friday+Saturday night. Great nights sleep but it was fairly breezy Friday night so the dogs and me ended up like smoked kippers because smoke kept coming under the tarp (if you can picture me and 2 german shepherds all with eyes watering ).

Saturday night was a lovely still night so had the fire built up and was toasty warm all night.

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Excuse the poor picture quality, only had mobile phone camera on me as left the digital cam at home