June - Life reborn

The last few weeks have had us divert our attention away from the tv and spend hours looking out the window  - woodpeckers have nested in the tree outside the front window and it's been wonderful watching them feeding the chicks.

I've been spending time watching Buzzards nesting, too. They are such amazing birds - they really enjoy themselves when flying. You can almost see them grinning away to themselves!

Managed to get an overnighter in on Poole Harbour again. So strange to see sites that were bare now become almost unrecognisable as the bracken grows up :)

So don't forget to get outside and soak up some "outdoors". It costs nothing and you'll feel that stress just float away :)

Spring

It's so wonderful to feel everything coming back to life and the sunshine invigorates. I've been out and about taking a few photo's as I walk. Enjoy!

Poole Harbour Wildcamp

Re-visited a favourite spot last night with my wildcamp buddy Mr S - it's a spot overlooking Brownsea and is so peaceful. The wind was blowing across so we set up on the calm side of the peninsula right on the waters edge. Wonderful views and got to see the firework display on Poole Quay from the opposite side!

We set up our DD multicam tarps (a great pattern by the way, which disappears nicely into the foliage) and spent a quiet evening watching the wildlife and occasional pleasure cruise that steamed by. Bivying on the ground is a great way to enjoy nature!

A Woodgas stove heated up the food and made the necessary brews - it runs on twigs so no fuel to carry and leaves no "fire pit" to scar the ground.

We broke camp, leaving no trace we had even been there and walked on out in time to get to work - mission accomplished! Needless to say we want to get back there again soon!

Woolsbarrow Fort

Hi Folks
I've been meaning to take a walk to Woolsbarrow Hill Fort in Wareham woods for some time. Today the weather was a bit iffy but I decided to pack the water-proofs and go for it - and I'm glad I did! As I got closer to the site there were a couple of signs along the pathway pointing me in the right direction. Then all of a sudden I turn a bend and I am up on top of it, with wonderful views all around.. I stopped for a quick brew and to take some photo's then made my way onwards. I passed some Foxgloves in flower and took a quick snap. There was a fresh breeze blowing and it helped keep me cool as I marched onwards - I carried a fairly heavy pack to keep myself in trim. I can see me returning to this site a lot as it was a pretty special view and it was surrounded by huge areas of forest.

Bush Chair

One thing I miss when out in the wilds is somewhere to sit, especially when overnighting. I try and find a chunk of tree big enough to roll up to the fire and sit on but its not always possible. So I've been keeping my eyes open for a suitable DIY solution - this is what I have so far. It's a small piece of Nylon with rolls at either end with a length of cord through each end. Essentially a mini hammock. You need three poles about head height to bind together to give you a tripod - the top of your chair is suspended from the top, the lower edge tied off at a comfortable height (about knee height). So far I'm pretty happy with it - I will report back on its comfort and degree of success once I've properly field tested it.
Oh, and apologies for not having a photo of me sat in it - it's not easy to take a photograph of yourself relaxing in a chair :)

DIY Hex Tarptent

Hi Folks
I've been using a Tarp as a shelter over the last year - I like the freedom it gives you and the fact that you are out under the stars at night (while still being able to shelter from the rain!). But you do need trees to be able to erect a tarp easily. I've been thinking about doing some overnighters on the beach so would like to have an alternative when there are no trees to sling a ridge line. I do have a Polish Lavvu which is a great little shelter - the pyramid shape is stable and it needs only a centre pole and a few pegs to put up. But the Lavvu weighs 3.5kg and I really don't fancy lugging that for miles on my back with my Winter sleeping bag and gear. So I planned my perfect shelter......... and this is what I came up with.

It weighs only 950 grams and, due to offsetting the position of the pole, has a nice large area for me to sleep without touching the walls. I used PU Nylon (in Danish camo pattern) and it came out pretty well. There is more information and a dimensions on the BushcraftUK forum HERE

Not to get out there and give it a proper workout!.

Woodgas Stove

I've been intrigued by reviews of the "woodgas stove" - not having to carry fuel for your stove sounds like a big advantage to me. You just burn twigs and sticks, which are in plentiful supply. I paid my £13 and it soon arrived - it is made from stainless steel and folds down to reasonably small size. On my walkabout today I got to try it in anger and it boiled up a mug of water in about five minutes from unpacking it - that's as good as my Trangia but cost nothing to run!

The stove has a double skinned wall which pulls additional air up and into the top of the stove, providing a secondary burn of waste gases. Bottom line, it burns hot and fast - you can see the gas jets in the photo's coming out under the rim.
So I look forward to getting much more use out of my stove - I'll report back on my experiences.