Camping, Woodcraft and Wildlife: June 2017

“Summertime…and the livin’ is easy”…. Ella Fitzgerald sang that. An amazing song with some amazing lyrics, but yet I’m left wondering if she ever went camping in the summer! I’m not sure the Livin’ is so easy when the sun is blazing down on you and the insects are trying to have you for dinner!

Regardless of my little rant, I’ve just returned from two wonderful nights in the woods. Yes it was hot, yes it was sweaty and yes I was under attack from a few mossies. But it’s not all bad, I still got to kick back and relax in my hammock, practice some bushcraft skills and chow down on some good food cooked over the camp fire.

It's always nice to have the second night in the woods, it makes it feel like even more of an adventure. You've got to think a little more carefully about what you need to carry into the woods. This time I also wanted to challenge myself a bit more by leaving the camping stove at home and relying on the good ol' camp fire for cooking and boiling water.

This to me was kind of a big deal as my trangia stove is something of a comfort blanket. It's my guarantee that I'll at least be able to enjoy a nice cup of tea in the woods! Without a cup of tea I'd be in a potential survival situation!!

Walking the mile or so into camp on Friday afternoon was, as always, a pleasure. I like to go camping because it's such a great way to relax, unwind and forget about the stresses that are otherwise bothering me. It takes just a few paces into the woods before I start to feel that benefit. The sights and sounds of nature is a medicine that you simply can't bottle.

After being very indecisive over which shelter/sleep option to take, I eventually went with the hammock and tarp. It's been a while since I've camped out with my hammock and I've missed the sheer comfort that you get when swinging between the trees, it's pure luxury! With the weather being so mild, a simple blanket was more than adequate. I did also use the hammock underblanket but I think that may have been overkill.

My 'twit-twoo' walking pole came in handy with the tarp.

As soon as camp was setup, it was time to think about food, then again...... I'm always thinking about food!! That meant getting the fire going. It didn't take long for my buddy and I to gather and prep some fire wood. I also ventured out onto the field to gather some dry grass for a tinder bundle. I managed to coax the fire into life by throwing some sparks from my flint and steel onto some home made char cloth. Even though this is a skill that I've been practising for a little while, it never ceases to amaze me when it's successful!

With the fire lit and established, I had my shiny new billy can out and ready to be christened for its first boil.

For dinner was a slightly burnt (too much chatting round the fire!) gammon steak in in a wrap with cheese and pineapple. I won't lie, it was a taste sensation! I washed that down with a couple of cheeky cans of beer while my camp buddies and I shared a tale or two around the fire.

Buoyed by last months deer sighting, this time I brought along a trail-cam. I set it up in an area where I've seen plenty of animal trails as well as Deer skat and a Badger sett. When I checked the camera in the morning, I was delighted to have captured some night time photos of a fox and another Deer. I did also get some footage of a badger on the second night, but didn't quite capture all of him in the frame.

After a very warm and comfortable night in the hammock, the second day was set to be hot, very hot indeed with temperatures touching 30°C. This was unfortunate as I had plans for a fairly busy day of camp-craft. Again I found myself thinking that I prefer camping in the cooler 'in-betweeny' seasons of spring and autumn. The first job as always though is to get a brew on. There's no better way to start the day than with a cup of tea. It didn't take much effort for my camp mates to re-kindle last night's fire with some fine twigs.

One of the things that I wanted to do was construct a bench. This campsite was blessed with being well out of the way and stocked with a plentiful supply of dead wood. Given the fact that we've got permission to camp here, I figured it would be nice to furnish the space with a couple of home comforts!! Similarly, my camp mate, Des also had aspirations to build a raised bed. Of course all of the materials can easily be returned to nature as and when we stop using the camp.

Given the temperature, the simple effort of collecting all of the wood had us sweating buckets, you barely had to fart and you'd find yourself breaking into a sweat! Our saving grace was the tree canopy, it was at least keeping us covered in shade. Stepping out from the canopy into the field felt like you'd just jumped onto a barbecue.

After a break for lunch, I made up a cooking tripod using some green hazel that I'd coppiced.

Then I felt like using an off-cut section of hazel for a spot of whittling. I could waste many an hour whittling a stick, it has to be one of my favourite things to do while at home in my shed or out in the woods.

This may not look much but this is a 'try-stick' which is something that legendary outdoorsman - Mors Kochanski encourages you to practice. It's basically a stick that you use to practice the essential cuts and notches that can be useful in Woodcraft and Camping. Ideally you use a basic knife to create the notches, I found it surprisingly challenging in parts and shall endeavour to practice this a bit more.

Barneys Top Tip: keep a first aid kit close by when practicing these cuts, it didnt happen to me but it's not hard to slip and hurt yourself!

That took us nicely into the evening where I cooked up some egg and chorizo wraps and kicked back in my hammock chair while supping on a couple of well earned beers and a few more cups of tea!

The weather was so nice that I decided to take down the tarp for the second night and sleep under the stars, it made for a very nice experience of looking up at the canopy while rocking off to sleep in my hammock.