What would you do with 30 acres of woodland?

[Noobie]

Hello all,

I'm a total newcomer to all of this (hence the name!), Google led me here so please be gentle with me!

I'm hoping for some advice/input really. We have 30 acres of mixed woodland, dropping down a valley and then levelling out at the bottom, with a stream flowing through it. Would there be much call for camping/bushcrafting? Being a newbie, I don't really know whether there are a lot of people already offering this and thought approaching a forum like this may save me hours of googling! Would people be interested & if so what sort of facilities (if any) would be expected?

Alternatively,please go wild with the title question and fill me with inspiration as to what we should do? I am fully aware of what a fantastic opportunity we have to make/do something great and would really like to make the most of it!

Apologies if this is in the wrong place, please direct me elsewhere if so! Thanks very much

 

[dewi]

Arrange a meet up of locals to come and have a play... you'll soon find out what you need to make a good site

 

[spandit]

If you are planning on doing anything, you'll need to put some form of toilet facility in, as otherwise you'll find your 30 acres fills up rapidly with people's hastily buried droppings.

paintballing?
mountain biking?

Very envious of what you have - sounds amazing for wild camping

 

[mick91]

I know of a couple of places that seem similar to yours, mixed woodland generally makes for great camping imo. 2 of the ones I know of have basic toilet facilities, the other doesn't and is literally just a wood. And they all sell locally sourced meat (sausages burgers the basics) because they're on working farms. Sounds like you have a really promising setup there. As for bushcrafting, you would have to consider things like would you be allowing fires, if so would it be in raised or lined pits, or just on the ground. Most people into bushcraft these days myself included operate a LNT approach and leave things as they found them, but some don't. In my regular spot I've fallen down a Dakota pit and that almost annoyed me more than seeing tins and bottles purely because this person obviously knew what he/she was doing and still left the spot in a mess. Also regarding toilet facilities, most bushcrafters really don't mind not having one provided, correct me if I'm wrong community at large, but it's a case of do you mind people let's say using the facilities onyour land. Generally I would say use the wood, and things like offering it up for general meets. End of the day even bushmoot started somewhere right?
A few survivalist I know also like to take newbies out to places that are similar sounding to show them the ropes so to speak, so that could be food for thought if you know any locally willing to head up some kind of casual courses or survival schools. And I don't think youd have much trouble finding them here!
And I mean just as an afterthought maybe a discount for BCUK members eh

 

[Noobie]

Great, thanks for the replies guys.

Looks like I need to go about finding some locals, is there anywhere on the forum I can hunt some down? We're a little rural, we're out in west wales near Aberystwyth. Are people willing to travel quite far for wild camping? How would it sit alongside more conventional camping? Would people be put off knowing there was a site with basic facilities, possibly populated with non bc'ers, in close proximity?

There are quite a few paintballing places nearby so think it's pretty much done in our area, mountain biking could be something to look into though. That leads me to another question - how accessible does it need to be for wild camping? We have one main path that zig zags down the side of the valley to reach the bottom, but off the path it can be very steep until you get right down.

Thanks again, bcuk discount is a definite possibility in return for all advice!

 

[Ogri the trog]

The forum owner is just down the road from you in Llandysul, I have brought your post to his attention.

I am about an hours drive east and there are others a little further afield.

ATB

Ogri the trog

 

[xylaria]

Let people here camp there. And dont charge too much.

It doea depend on shape of the valley. U shaped cwm great but a Vshaped allt might be too steep. We had use of an allt but the valley base had a decent flat area that was clear of bramble.

One of us should look at it first and we will tell you if it is suitable.

 

[Chaard]

I too would reccomend putting in a composting toilet and making available to campers. I recently went to wales to a similar site and it was amazing. Private message me of you want the owners details.

 

[John Fenna]

Hello and welcome!
I too am not all that far from you ..
If you like I could pop up and have a look and give you my ideas...
I will be away until the end of the month but drop me a PM and I will reply ASAP

 

[Goatboy]

There are some good eco-sites for camping out there. Have a wee peak at guides like "The Cool Camping Guide", they tend to concentrate on the sustainable and esoteric side of the market. (I like them and have used a few of their sites).
The one that stands out for me; and a lot of the Scottish members, is Comrie Croft.
They are a mix of open land and woodland pitches. You can use your own equipment or one of their well appointed katas.
They have eco toilet blocks, firewood for sale, a small shop with essentials and craft gear, a recent cafe addition and are well known for their mountain bike trails.
All their buildings are supplemented by wind and solar power. These also help to power things like charging points in lockers for campers electical toys.
Depends on the level of what you want to aim at and speaking as someone who ran a site for a while it's something you can evolve over time. But the important thing I think for me.is setting the tone and crowd you want to attract. I've seen a few sites end up getting swamped by boozy groups of rowdy folk that set an "unatractive" feeling on site.
Be interesting to see what you decide to do and how it turns out. Personally I'd look into the sustainability and rotation of the woodland as it'll have an effect on what you end up doing.
Good luck and I hope you have fun whatever you decide.
ATB,
GB.

Sent via smoke-signal from a woodland in Scotland.

 

[Noobie]

Thanks for all the replies.
I did write a long reply last night, but it appears to have disappeared somewhere so I'll start again.

GB - evolving over time is definitely what we were hoping to do. The facilities at the place you mention sound superb, presumably they have enough campers to justify a shop/cafe etc? That was one of the concerns, how many people we'd get wanting to camp? Whether it would be enough to justify putting in Eco toilets etc. on that note - how would bc'ers feel about being in proximity to a more "conventional" campsite if we developed an area for that use as well?

Silver Trader - it is a v shaped allt, but opens out at the bottom into a good few acres of flat open-ish ground.

Would very happily offer anyone local free "test" camping if they wanted to come and give us some opinions?

Thanks again

 

[Chaard]

you've done it now mate. I'll gladly come and camp for free

 

[Dave]

Flog it to me for £7k?

 

[FGYT]

remember without applying for planning etc you can only have a limited number of over night stays 28 a year i think rings a bell

a composting toilet would work well and limit the need to empty (check planning regs for placement )

I would keep some pigs (well i do in the garden but woods would be better ) needs a small area fencing with electric not difficult

do you have Deer on site ?? these can be a source of income or food or both if properly managed

depending on how big out want others camping you need to think about Wood for fires dosnt take long to strip out a few acres with constant pressure

have a chat with some bodies on woodland management

Find local craftsmen who may be able ot use your Woods for courses (for a fee)

 

[British Red]

Lots to do with the steeper parts of the wood too. Coppicing for hurdles, rods and pea sticks charcoal burning, firewood production, sustainable timber production, as Duncan says, woodland farming plays a part. Many commercial crops can be grown in woodland. Shooting rights are valuable, with steep sides a bonus. Informal clay shoots work well, paintball is low impact, green woodwork course would fit well......

Many things would probably make a lot more money than bushcraft and many are based around traditional, ecological uses of woodland.

 

[xylaria]

I know a expert in getting planning permission for eco developments and businesses using welsh government schemes and tan6 /oneplanet. The biggest regonal meet I have been to here was held in a woodland that was used for paintball and shooting and rearing pheasant. Bushcraft is low impact if managed correctly but normal camping less so. You will need mains water and planning permission for tiolets blocks if want camping.

If you want the eco tourism/woodworker route or anything that needs planning permission the bloke I know is in crymych. He does charge for consultancy but he is worth every penny. He is only person I know that has ever got planning permission for a whole eco village.
Woodlands can be managed in profitable and ecological manner. Certainly in wales they can be.

I will pm you more details.

 

[santaman2000]

Keeping pigs has already been mentioned. Another livestock suited for small wooded land is goats. Both critters present some issues with keeping them contained but they aren't unsurmountable.

 

[Noobie]

Those that have mentioned keeping livestock - what would be the end goal behind that? I'm assuming pigs could be sold for meat, is there much of a market for goat or deer? Coincidentally the woodland on the opposite side of the valley to us has a heard of goats in it, have never thought about what they do with them though. Would livestock have an impact on wild camping, I have visions of campers being attacked by pigs! Or pigs being let free and running riot!

 

[FGYT]

Those that have mentioned keeping livestock - what would be the end goal behind that? I'm assuming pigs could be sold for meat, is there much of a market for goat or deer? Coincidentally the woodland on the opposite side of the valley to us has a heard of goats in it, have never thought about what they do with them though. Would livestock have an impact on wild camping, I have visions of campers being attacked by pigs! Or pigs being let free and running riot!

I keep pigs for my own meat pays for it self and give me low cost very high quality Pork /Sausages bacon etc
and no you don't just release them into a wood you would never catch them again

Deer would be naturally occurring and you can charge a reasonable amount to lease the shooting rights to a stalker depending on whats there (may not be any) 30 acres isnt massive

if your going to manage the woodland you may need to Control the deer any way they like young trees etc
its a good source of meat if you do it your self etc or the odd one to do a deer skin and butchery course followed by Tanning the hide etc

ATB

Duncan

 

[Noobie]

Thanks Duncan. Our neighbours have a small holding (minus the woodland) and have just reared pigs. Some of the tastiest pork I've ever had, so definitely worth some consideration. I may try and find someone locally with the knowledge for tannery, skinning and see if they would be interested in perhaps leasing some land. Having no knowledge of that sort of thing myself I don't think it would be viable for us to attempt it!