Oh, is it raining?

I'm sure that after a while you get immune to rain. It just occurs and it seems nobody bats an eyelid on its commencement nor its end. Not a word is said as hoods are slid over heads and shoulders hunch slightly. It certainly seemed that way as most of the crew from the "Tribe" stood staring into the fire and chatting while it hammered it down in East Sussex at the weekend. What other normal people would do that except people who not only love the outdoors but positively relish being out in any of the elements?

You certainly couldn't dampen the spirits, possibly helped by the other kind of spirits (commonly known as 'shrafting juice) as the event typically turned into a great social affair.

To be fair it didn't rain all weekend, but just most of it. Between downpours, we watched the development of a birchbark container glued up with pine resin and some spectacular spoons whittled with the expertise of people who have done this kind of stuff for years.

Two Rabbits were duly skinned for the meat and veg stew cooked in Dutch ovens, which provided a delicious meal on Saturday night.

I didn't wander too far from the fire except to have a short walk to a nearby pond in an efort to spot some newts. A fleeting glimpse of one diving down through the waterplants was all that I managed; however the pond was a popular habitat for Ram's horn snails.

So how did people cope with the rain? Staying under your tarp wrapped up in your sleeping bag seemed a good idea as was the camouflage umbrella that was deployed at one stage. The ever present ventile jackets seemed to do the trick but I was still impressed with my old wax jacket that bore the brunt of the rain even though it was a little cumbersome for some tasks in (not that I did many). Only on the final day did I see someone wearing a poncho.

Shelters comprised of a couple of tipi's and even an old army tent but most had tarps over a variety of sleep systems; a common trend seems to be a light camp bed (as shown in this picture).

My choice on this outing was a newly aquired Snugpack hooped bivi bag, obtained on the day courtesy of JP. Now the trick was to find some flat ground. This is something I don't normally have to worry about. Even though the ground appeared flat, there was always a slight slope in one direction or another.

Finally, I found a spot, protected on one side by some rhododendrons. I set up the tarp in a low configuration, set up the bivi bag and stuffed the Thermarest and sleeping bag inside it. I'll write a more detailed description about the bivi bag next time.

The bivi bag certainly stopped damp coming through into the bottom of the sleeping bag, and I was of course covered on top by the tarp. All in all it was quite a cosy set up... until it came to actually going to sleep! Not being used to sleeping on the ground, I had a distrurbed and uncomfortable sleep on both nights. I'm sure it gets better as your body get used to hard ground.

Despite picking a pretty flat spot, I seemed to roll off the Thermarest so I ended up with my nose pressed against my rucksack. The easy option would be to go straight back to the hammock but I will persevere on the next few excursions. Ground dwelling is after all the only solution if there are no trees.

Packing up on Sunday was a good exercise in keeping kit as dry as possibly during the worst downpour so far. An easy option would have been to hurridly stuff everything in the rucksack and sort it out at home, but I decided to be as careful as possible, working under the confined space of the tarp. This made for a comfortable and well balanced rucksack on the walk out from the woods.

I was watched with seeming amusement by a constant companion over the weekend. A friendly and amazingly tame Robin, who often came down through the trees and even hopped under the tarp, studied me intently during the exercise. We had shared a few scraps of food and had both shared each others' shelters: his rhododendrons and my ripstop nylon.

It was another great weekend with stories, banter, laughs and people sharing ideas, knowledge and skills. Was it raining? I didn't really notice.

Pablo.

Oh, is it raining?

I'm sure that after a while you get immune to rain. It just occurs and it seems nobody bats an eyelid on its commencement nor its end. Not a word is said as hoods are slid over heads and shoulders hunch slightly. It certainly seemed that way as most of the crew from the "Tribe" stood staring into the fire and chatting while it hammered it down in East Sussex at the weekend. What other normal people would do that except people who not only love the outdoors but positively relish being out in any of the elements?

You certainly couldn't dampen the spirits, possibly helped by the other kind of spirits (commonly known as 'shrafting juice) as the event typically turned into a great social affair.

To be fair it didn't rain all weekend, but just most of it. Between downpours, we watched the development of a birchbark container glued up with pine resin and some spectacular spoons whittled with the expertise of people who have done this kind of stuff for years.

Two Rabbits were duly skinned for the meat and veg stew cooked in Dutch ovens, which provided a delicious meal on Saturday night.

I didn't wander too far from the fire except to have a short walk to a nearby pond in an efort to spot some newts. A fleeting glimpse of one diving down through the waterplants was all that I managed; however the pond was a popular habitat for Ram's horn snails.

So how did people cope with the rain? Staying under your tarp wrapped up in your sleeping bag seemed a good idea as was the camouflage umbrella that was deployed at one stage. The ever present ventile jackets seemed to do the trick but I was still impressed with my old wax jacket that bore the brunt of the rain even though it was a little cumbersome for some tasks in (not that I did many). Only on the final day did I see someone wearing a poncho.

Shelters comprised of a couple of tipi's and even an old army tent but most had tarps over a variety of sleep systems; a common trend seems to be a light camp bed (as shown in this picture).

My choice on this outing was a newly aquired Snugpack hooped bivi bag, obtained on the day courtesy of JP. Now the trick was to find some flat ground. This is something I don't normally have to worry about. Even though the ground appeared flat, there was always a slight slope in one direction or another.

Finally, I found a spot, protected on one side by some rhododendrons. I set up the tarp in a low configuration, set up the bivi bag and stuffed the Thermarest and sleeping bag inside it. I'll write a more detailed description about the bivi bag next time.

The bivi bag certainly stopped damp coming through into the bottom of the sleeping bag, and I was of course covered on top by the tarp. All in all it was quite a cosy set up... until it came to actually going to sleep! Not being used to sleeping on the ground, I had a distrurbed and uncomfortable sleep on both nights. I'm sure it gets better as your body get used to hard ground.

Despite picking a pretty flat spot, I seemed to roll off the Thermarest so I ended up with my nose pressed against my rucksack. The easy option would be to go straight back to the hammock but I will persevere on the next few excursions. Ground dwelling is after all the only solution if there are no trees.

Packing up on Sunday was a good exercise in keeping kit as dry as possibly during the worst downpour so far. An easy option would have been to hurridly stuff everything in the rucksack and sort it out at home, but I decided to be as careful as possible, working under the confined space of the tarp. This made for a comfortable and well balanced rucksack on the walk out from the woods.

I was watched with seeming amusement by a constant companion over the weekend. A friendly and amazingly tame Robin, who often came down through the trees and even hopped under the tarp, studied me intently during the exercise. We had shared a few scraps of food and had both shared each others' shelters: his rhododendrons and my ripstop nylon.

It was another great weekend with stories, banter, laughs and people sharing ideas, knowledge and skills. Was it raining? I didn't really notice.

Pablo.

Snowy Remnants

Last Sunday, the weather wasn't as bright as forecast and there was still a strong arctic wind from the North East.

I packed my new - well surplus - 30 litre ex-Brit Army patrol pack with a light lunch, brew kit and sit mat and headed out to the local woods. I bought the pack last week. I'll do a review of it when I've tried it out a few more times.

There was some remnants of snow left on the ground in shaded parts. The rabbit track looks like a slow hopping gait and you can see how the rear feet are kept together. I would guess that this one was steadily hopping about with no real sign of hurrying judging by the distance between the hops (which I forgot to measure). The right forepaw on the second set of tracks is pointing to the left slightly. Does this mean it was distracted and looked to the left? Who knows. The good thing about tracks in snow is that you can study gaits easier. Alas, there probably won't be any more this year.

Talking of tracking, I've put up a short video of when I came across some deer a few weeks ago. You can access it on the video channel here. (There's also a permanent link to the video channel in the sidebar).

On the spur of the moment I decided to light a small fire with only what I could find. The dead wood was very damp and I lit some birch bark with the firesteel. I've got to be careful because birch is pretty limited in these woods. I found it difficult to keep the fire alight, even after making some feathersticks. I really should have spent more time initially exposing the drier inner parts of the woods. There was enough heat to make a brew though.

While having lunch and a brew, I watched an interesting spectacle. The pair of buzzards were showing great interest in the rooks' nests and even though the rooks were busy building they didn't seem too bothered about the buzzards being there. I would have thought the rooks would have seen them off. One of the buzzard pair even landed in an unoccupied nest. Squatters rights or the neighbours from hell!

I also spotted some frog's spawn in a puddle. I doubt this will survive the drop in temperature. I had to look up the difference when I got home because I'd forgotten which was frog's and which was toad's spawn. Common toad spawn is laid in a long double strand, although Natterjack toads just lay a single strand. Forg's spawn is laid in a circular clump. The forg will undoubtedly lay more when the weather gets warmer.

I finished off the day by watching 2 pairs of lapwings in the field and a pair of mallards enjoying a feed in a flooded grassy area.

This weekend I'm off to East Sussex with JP and the crew. JP's got a new bit of kit for me to play with, so I'll be writing about that next week.

Thanks for the visit.

Pablo.

Snowy Remnants

Last Sunday, the weather wasn't as bright as forecast and there was still a strong arctic wind from the North East.

I packed my new - well surplus - 30 litre ex-Brit Army patrol pack with a light lunch, brew kit and sit mat and headed out to the local woods. I bought the pack last week. I'll do a review of it when I've tried it out a few more times.

There was some remnants of snow left on the ground in shaded parts. The rabbit track looks like a slow hopping gait and you can see how the rear feet are kept together. I would guess that this one was steadily hopping about with no real sign of hurrying judging by the distance between the hops (which I forgot to measure). The right forepaw on the second set of tracks is pointing to the left slightly. Does this mean it was distracted and looked to the left? Who knows. The good thing about tracks in snow is that you can study gaits easier. Alas, there probably won't be any more this year.

Talking of tracking, I've put up a short video of when I came across some deer a few weeks ago. You can access it on the video channel here. (There's also a permanent link to the video channel in the sidebar).

On the spur of the moment I decided to light a small fire with only what I could find. The dead wood was very damp and I lit some birch bark with the firesteel. I've got to be careful because birch is pretty limited in these woods. I found it difficult to keep the fire alight, even after making some feathersticks. I really should have spent more time initially exposing the drier inner parts of the woods. There was enough heat to make a brew though.

While having lunch and a brew, I watched an interesting spectacle. The pair of buzzards were showing great interest in the rooks' nests and even though the rooks were busy building they didn't seem too bothered about the buzzards being there. I would have thought the rooks would have seen them off. One of the buzzard pair even landed in an unoccupied nest. Squatters rights or the neighbours from hell!

I also spotted some frog's spawn in a puddle. I doubt this will survive the drop in temperature. I had to look up the difference when I got home because I'd forgotten which was frog's and which was toad's spawn. Common toad spawn is laid in a long double strand, although Natterjack toads just lay a single strand. Forg's spawn is laid in a circular clump. The forg will undoubtedly lay more when the weather gets warmer.

I finished off the day by watching 2 pairs of lapwings in the field and a pair of mallards enjoying a feed in a flooded grassy area.

This weekend I'm off to East Sussex with JP and the crew. JP's got a new bit of kit for me to play with, so I'll be writing about that next week.

Thanks for the visit.

Pablo.

Although I try to keep kit to the minimum I like to be comfortable in the natural environment. This means a certain amount of kit and tools to do what I have to.

This page will link to kit lists and kit reviews. Check back often as the kit will change according to the season, how I use more natural skills and how I experiment with any new kit.





Other pages:

Kit list - Winter 3 days 2007/2008
Cutting Tools
Rogue Ranger Boots - Review Feb 2008

Although I try to keep kit to the minimum I like to be comfortable in the natural environment. This means a certain amount of kit and tools to do what I have to.

This page will link to kit lists and kit reviews. Check back often as the kit will change according to the season, how I use more natural skills and how I experiment with any new kit.





Other pages:

Kit list - Winter 3 days 2007/2008
Cutting Tools
Rogue Ranger Boots - Review Feb 2008

I have a variety of cutting tools for various tasks. I'm not a collector and I don't go for the most expensive knives like the Woodlore knives.

I'm still experimenting and haven't yet found the ideal combination but have found that I use the following cutting tools for the tasks described.

Companion Mk 2

This knife is a favourite general purpose knife. It's in a popular UK bushcraft spearpoint or drop-point shape. This knife was made by Phil Siddell. The blade is 3mm thick and the blade is 4inches long. This knife is a good general purpose and stands up to batoning and other woodcraft tasks.

Puuko

This is a traditional Finnish all purpose knife in the traditional Puuko shape. The blade is not as wide as the Companion and there a little better for food preparation. It's not very heavy therefore not so good for heavy tasks. I take this knife if I'm taking an axe along with me on an excursion.

Swiss Army Huntsman

This knife is always on my belt. Of course it's more of a utility tool than a knife for heavy purpose use. The little saw is handy as is the awl. I'm not keen on using the blades as they're not locking blades, but they are handy for cutting string etc.

Bahco Folding Saw

This is an excellent piece of kit and I never leave home without it. It usually resides in my tool pack or shoulder bag. I tend to use this more than the axe for cutting green wood.

Granfors Bruks Small Forest Axe

I suppose this is the standard bushcraft tool. This axe is an ideal size for splitting small to medium sized logs for firewood. It's also not bad for doing a bit of initial carving work, although perhaps a bit heavy. For felling trees it is a little too small. I take this axe along if I know there's some log splitting to do. If not, it stays at home.

Granfors Bruks mini hatchet

I bought this hatchet as I wanted something small to pack away in my shoulder bag. It hasn't disappointed me and I use it for wood carving projects and choping small dead wood for my wood burning stove. It's just got that extra weight more than a standard knife. A good little tool in my opinion.

3 inch neck knife

I'm not sure of the maker of this knife, but I bought it from Bearclaw Bushcraft. It's 3mm thick and even though the knife is small it feels good in the hand. It can cope with most utility tasks from food prep to small wood projects, even a bit of batoning. This knife froms part of my permanent neck carry.

Condor double-edged bill hook

I use this tool only for conservation work, although I suspect it would be pretty good for bushcraft use. The thing that put me off is the size of the tool for bushcraft use. It not really user friendly either but great for slahing your way through overgrown areas.

Martindale No2 Golok

I've had this tool for many years. It great for soft undergrowth but for chopping and cutting wood perhaps not the best tool. I don't really bring this on too many trips.

Cold Steel 16 inch Kukri/Machete

I bought this before purchasing a proper Kukri and I'm pleased I did as I don't think the shape of the kukri is suitable for my use. Again I would say pretty good for clearing undergrowth but not really suitable for general bushcraft use. Others may disagree.

I have a variety of cutting tools for various tasks. I'm not a collector and I don't go for the most expensive knives like the Woodlore knives.

I'm still experimenting and haven't yet found the ideal combination but have found that I use the following cutting tools for the tasks described.

Companion Mk 2

This knife is a favourite general purpose knife. It's in a popular UK bushcraft spearpoint or drop-point shape. This knife was made by Phil Siddell. The blade is 3mm thick and the blade is 4inches long. This knife is a good general purpose and stands up to batoning and other woodcraft tasks.

Puuko

This is a traditional Finnish all purpose knife in the traditional Puuko shape. The blade is not as wide as the Companion and there a little better for food preparation. It's not very heavy therefore not so good for heavy tasks. I take this knife if I'm taking an axe along with me on an excursion.

Swiss Army Huntsman

This knife is always on my belt. Of course it's more of a utility tool than a knife for heavy purpose use. The little saw is handy as is the awl. I'm not keen on using the blades as they're not locking blades, but they are handy for cutting string etc.

Bahco Folding Saw

This is an excellent piece of kit and I never leave home without it. It usually resides in my tool pack or shoulder bag. I tend to use this more than the axe for cutting green wood.

Granfors Bruks Small Forest Axe

I suppose this is the standard bushcraft tool. This axe is an ideal size for splitting small to medium sized logs for firewood. It's also not bad for doing a bit of initial carving work, although perhaps a bit heavy. For felling trees it is a little too small. I take this axe along if I know there's some log splitting to do. If not, it stays at home.

Granfors Bruks mini hatchet

I bought this hatchet as I wanted something small to pack away in my shoulder bag. It hasn't disappointed me and I use it for wood carving projects and choping small dead wood for my wood burning stove. It's just got that extra weight more than a standard knife. A good little tool in my opinion.

3 inch neck knife

I'm not sure of the maker of this knife, but I bought it from Bearclaw Bushcraft. It's 3mm thick and even though the knife is small it feels good in the hand. It can cope with most utility tasks from food prep to small wood projects, even a bit of batoning. This knife froms part of my permanent neck carry.

Condor double-edged bill hook

I use this tool only for conservation work, although I suspect it would be pretty good for bushcraft use. The thing that put me off is the size of the tool for bushcraft use. It not really user friendly either but great for slahing your way through overgrown areas.

Martindale No2 Golok

I've had this tool for many years. It great for soft undergrowth but for chopping and cutting wood perhaps not the best tool. I don't really bring this on too many trips.

Cold Steel 16 inch Kukri/Machete

I bought this before purchasing a proper Kukri and I'm pleased I did as I don't think the shape of the kukri is suitable for my use. Again I would say pretty good for clearing undergrowth but not really suitable for general bushcraft use. Others may disagree.

Short Tricks and Tricks

Tracking
If it's round it ain't a hound.
Feathers pucked = Bird of prey kill
Feathers chewed = Fox kill
Deer hair can be snapped

Photographing Dragonflies
Put a stick at an angle of forty five degrees at the edge of a pond. Dragonflies will usually land on it. Common darters will go onto your hand if you slowly push your finger towards its head.

Navigation
Point the hour hand towards the sun. Bisect the angle between that and noon on the watch face. The busected ange will be a North South line.

Time to dusk
A fist = 1 hour. Each knuckle = 15 minutes. Measure the horizon to the sun. If you know the time of dusk, you can work out the time or at least how long it is until dusk

Acreage
Multiply the length x breadth in feet
Divide the result by 43560 (the number of sq ft in an acre)
The result will be the number of acres.

Plants Use
Comfrey roots - Make a slurry of the roots. The paste will be like plaster of paris and will set hard. Boil leaves - like spinnach
Nettles - Young leaves for tea or soup. Remove inner pith and dry outer strands. Twist to make cordage.
Burdock - Pealed roots make starchy edible food.
Rose hips - Split rose hip, take out pips and hair. Eat (Rich in Vitamin C.)

Conifir Needles ID
Spruce = Single (needle)
Pine = pairs

Cooking
Baked egg - Crack the top of an egg and stir egg. Place egg in shell in hot ashes and stir occasionally. When egg is hard, peel and eat.

Axe work
Green wood - Chop
Dead wood - Split

Short Tricks and Tricks

Tracking
If it's round it ain't a hound.
Feathers pucked = Bird of prey kill
Feathers chewed = Fox kill
Deer hair can be snapped

Photographing Dragonflies
Put a stick at an angle of forty five degrees at the edge of a pond. Dragonflies will usually land on it. Common darters will go onto your hand if you slowly push your finger towards its head.

Navigation
Point the hour hand towards the sun. Bisect the angle between that and noon on the watch face. The busected ange will be a North South line.

Time to dusk
A fist = 1 hour. Each knuckle = 15 minutes. Measure the horizon to the sun. If you know the time of dusk, you can work out the time or at least how long it is until dusk

Acreage
Multiply the length x breadth in feet
Divide the result by 43560 (the number of sq ft in an acre)
The result will be the number of acres.

Plants Use
Comfrey roots - Make a slurry of the roots. The paste will be like plaster of paris and will set hard. Boil leaves - like spinnach
Nettles - Young leaves for tea or soup. Remove inner pith and dry outer strands. Twist to make cordage.
Burdock - Pealed roots make starchy edible food.
Rose hips - Split rose hip, take out pips and hair. Eat (Rich in Vitamin C.)

Conifir Needles ID
Spruce = Single (needle)
Pine = pairs

Cooking
Baked egg - Crack the top of an egg and stir egg. Place egg in shell in hot ashes and stir occasionally. When egg is hard, peel and eat.

Axe work
Green wood - Chop
Dead wood - Split

Kenwick Woods - Final Day

Today was the day! Whether I was inspired by the lack of wind and rain (at last) or the non stop reading of Tim Butcher's Blood River - a story of the author's attempt to follow in H.M. Stanley's footsteps along the Congo - I bounced out of bed and prepared for a hike.

I had poured over the maps and I had set my own "expedition" objectives. The first was to seek out the twin ponds at Hagham Pasture and the other was to visit Legbourne Wood.

I had already discovered that I couldn't go through Maltby Wood because of the conifir plantation, so I went towards the golf course and picked up a public footpath that took me across the course itself and a couple of fields. This way I would circumnavigate the plantation and hopefullyfind the next tract of woodland which was my first objective.

On the way I noticed some Badger tracks. It appeared to be striding purposefully towards the 16th hole. A bizzare vision of a Badger with golf clubs on its back entered my head. Golf courses are pretty good for watching wildlife. At least some effort is made to make a man-made landscape into something interesting with pond and lake hazards and areas of woodland split by fairways. I don't play golf myself. I was hit by a golf ball in the face when it was in full flight when I was five out with my father and it kinda put me off the game. I suffered no other ill effects
except for strange images of golf-playing Badgers now and again.

I made my way into a small village and turned south to follow the woodland edge. I was hugely disappointed to find that the woodland shown on the map to my right was again barren from the spread of the plantation. This meant a good 100 acres had been given over to the production of "Christmas Trees" - as the sign said on the entrance to the site. Bloody shame I say.

I followed the road and turned off onto a public footpath that skirted the wood on the south east side. At last... some decent woods. Celandine and snow drops were on show and Dofg mercury told me it was ancient woodland. This was a pleasant albeit short walk. I paced out exactly 200 yards before a sign stated "End of Public Right of Way - Trespassers Will Be Prosecuted." Well, this might be Lincolnshire, but it was still in England when I last looked and trespassing wasn't an offence.

I was getting a little dismayed at the number of signs that stated this around here. The Essex/Suffolk border where I come from is probably just as rural but nowhere near as forceful in its exclusion. I wondered why. I also tried to put myself in the landowners position. I decided I would rigorously vet applicants who required access but wouldn't threaten the casual visitor in this way.

At last I reached my destination another mile down the road. Haugham Pasture was a long piece of woodland with two large ponds at the south west end. I sat just inside the wood and gazed for a good half and hour at the ponds. There was evidence of deer in the area but I only noticed a Coot and a Moorhen on the pond itself.

I decided to make my way back to the Public footpath at the SE side of Maltby Woods. I would sit in there and have some lunch. On the way I saw a Stoat dive out into the road. It ran away from me and I pursued hoping to get a photo of him. I hadn't seen a Stoat for years and years and I was thrilled to see one. The black tip to his tail gave it away immediately. I lost him after a few seconds but I was pretty sure I found an entrance to a run or den.

Maltby Woods was a peaceful place to have some lunch and this was the first time I felt really comfortable in the woods around here. I spent about an hour and a half meandering around the narrow strip of woodland; and even ventured up to the evil barbed wire that seperated this wonderful piece of ancient woodland with what used to be its sibling; now a barren conifer plantation. I tried to imagine the complete woods how it should have been. I became a little depressed. I'm not normally this sensitive, but I was beginning to build up a picture of the second largest county in England. And it wasn't a particularly impressive one from where I was standing at the moment.

I shuffled back to the road, making enough noise to awake the sleeping county and disturbed a Woodcock in the process. I decided to cancel my second objective at Legbourne Woods. I was getting a feel for the area and there was just no way I would be able to cross the land that seperated me from those woods.

I made my way back the way I came, which I don't really like doing. I had at least achieved one objective and my aching legs told me I had walked a good 6 miles or so. Not exactly the length of the Congo but good enough for me.

My final task was to relax in the pool, hit the sauna and steam room and get some good old Fish and Chips from the local town. Tomorrow I was going home. I had thoroughly enjoyed my stay. It had been relaxing and I had done everything I wanted.

The highlight of the trip was the Seal Sanctuary and tracking on the sand dunes. I'd not seen a great deal of wildlife, but was pleased with the sight of the Stoat. It was a strange old county though. No disrepect to anyone that lives there; but... I'm not sure whether I'll be back in a hurry.

Thanks for the visit.

Pablo.