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Bushcraft Club thread

irishlostboy

ok, i am restarting the thread from here as i intend to put pictures up, and that previous thread is already eight pages long, and waving all over the place regards topic. so fresh start.

Donal (crapbag) is an unusual type who actually does what he says he does. he has gotten the bushcraft club up and running, all above board, insured through the MCI and with land usage permissions from Coilte and everything!! so, all talk, all action. well done Donal.

as stated previously on the other thread, we had our first official CLub outing this weekend (14th-15th june) it was only myself and Donal on this one as Coilte confermation came late and other people couldn't reorginise their weekends to suit. Luke from survival.ie came out and chatted with us. he had some cool info on foraging, but only stayed a few hours. thanks Luke.

fires were started with good old flint and steel.

fire was mainly to keep the bugs at bay, but also helped out with my tea addiction. without tea, its only survival. with tea, its bushcraft.

it rained a little bit, so we opted to have dinner at my place.

the wood. a bit piny.

a fire is nice in the evening

we harvested birch, thistles, burdock root, new pine leaves (are they called leaves?) and nettles. the nettles were made into cordage, which is quite strong. the core of the stalks or thistle taste like celery. the burdock root is like a fibrous turnip. the new-groth pine leaves have a lemony taste.
the birch bark will be rendered into birch tar glue. amazing stuff. some will also go into our tinder bags. the birch wood itself will be used for carving and tool making. its an amazing wood, but in short supply in crone valley.

here you can see the birch wood, the roles of bark, the cordage made from nettles, and my flint and steel.

Donal with the birch branch

the rest of the pics are viewable on my photobucket account here, and there is also stuff over on my trip blog here

does the above look like your idea of fun? if so, join up. dont think your knowledge is up to the task? dont worry. you will learn as you go along.
dont think you are fit or hard enough? we dont have a "grr manly" attitude to suffering either, so dont worry bout it.

Tim

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IPNA

So when are you lads returning to IPNA? You can use our campus for one of your weekends.

If you are looking for a place somewhere in Kerry to have your monthly meeting the come on down to our place and have a nice classroom and a bit of woods to play in.

Cheers,

Aebhric

hick

Hey Folks, it's been a while, sorry for not posting but the real world has been getting in the way an awful lot recently!

Thankfully we managed to get out for a meet on the 11-12 of June. You might all remember it as being one of the wettest weekends of the summer but I reckon we got away with murder up in Cavan, the rain god was obviously smiling on us

We had some new folks up with us and unfortunately some of the regular members weren't able to make it, some excuses were just not up to much (Kevin!) and we barely got to see any new kit at all (Jim) and detailed demonstrations and advice were at an all time low (Andrew) but we made do all the same.

The Friday evening was clear and camp was set up early round 16:00, the place was looking great, really full and green, and about as dry as the camp gets. We had a good mix of folk on the ground and hammocks and 1 tent. We were due to have up to 11 on the site for the weekend which is near capacity, great to see the growing interest in the club.

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The newest member to the camp came in the form of a kettle, not just any kettle but probably the largest kettle ever to exist, apparently Greenpeace have requested to use it as a replacement to the sunken Rainbow Warrior

It took a while for it to get into it's first stride, rumour has it the first boil took 17 hours but by the end of the weekend it was well settled in. The camp was very comfortable that night, the air was still and warm and there was good time for stories and talk of our Norwegian trip, where we went to Norway and climbed a Norwegian Mountain prior to returning from Norway, amongst other things.

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Saturday was a busy day though and would make any bushcraft camp proud.
Seeing as there was several new folk we did a few tours of the camp and greater site, there was some good tracking and even a bit of foraging done which came in handy later. I found the last of the pignuts and was disappointed they were past being edible, the wild ramsons were on the way out too.

Then we got down to it. Firstly there was cordage for the cooking tripod and then Tony knocked up a very impressive bow saw, very reminiscent of Dick Proenneke from Alone in the Wilderness, only the blade was brought in.

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There was also an impressive run at primitive tools started by PB, Harpoon, Spears and a very impressive fishing spear with barbs held in by resin glue made from the camp.

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Roberto presented a much grateful group with a leg of lamb and it was decided quickly that a ground oven was in order. That wasn't it though as a brown trout also went in the ground along with spuds and root veg, Gearoid also provided us with some ostrich steaks as well as Rainbow Trout which was hung over the fire. There was even a bit of Wild Boar! A giant Puff ball mushroom which was found on the site was fried up. For desert the earlier foraged Strawberries, bilberries and a whole pot of lovely raspberries were enjoyed by everyone. it was interesting to see the heat of the stones from the ground oven was still very apparent and we were able use them to boil water in a pot a good time after (nearly 4 hours later!!)

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Roberto's shelter got some use again three months after it was first built and the report card stated, warm cosy and almost perfect! It looks as good as it did on the first day and if it wasn't for the door it would blend right in to the surroundings. We had a fair night round the fire, there was some light rain during the evening which meant we stayed round the fire and there was some good carving done. I gave some serious consideration to taking my boat idown to the lake!

The next morning was good and relaxed and everyone appeared to have a good nights sleep. Breakfast was had and then it was off to FbF school, Gearoid was delighted with himself and brought good cheer to the camp with his first fire from a bow drill.

All in all a great and very productive weekend. And as always we look forward to the next one. Take it easy folks!

Hick

hick

IPNA wrote: »

So when are you lads returning to IPNA? You can use our campus for one of your weekends.

If you are looking for a place somewhere in Kerry to have your monthly meeting the come on down to our place and have a nice classroom and a bit of woods to play in.

Cheers,

Aebhric

quoting this so it doesn't get lost behind my most recent update
Hick

featherstick

Another great post Bryan with gorgeous photos too. I was really disappointed not to be able to make it, even more so now that I've read this!! Foraging, earth ovens and tool making - that bucksaw is brilliant! Sounds like a fab weekend! Good to hear Woody Woodpecker's shelter was still standing too ;-)
I'm off on a Woodlore tracking course next week - looking forward to putting it into practice next time I join you guys

Alison

feck sake lads

Lads/lassies can i just ask do any of you use a hennessy hammock and if so what the verdict good or bad,
great photos btw.

preacherman

IPNA wrote: »

So when are you lads returning to IPNA? You can use our campus for one of your weekends.

If you are looking for a place somewhere in Kerry to have your monthly meeting the come on down to our place and have a nice classroom and a bit of woods to play in.

Cheers,

Aebhric

Thanks a million Aebhric, Tony is on holidays at the moment but I'm sure when he gets back he will be in touch to see what dates suit you and us. It would be nice to get back down to see ye again.

Andrew

RandomUsername

Hey guys sorry to butt in
I've a woodmans pal for sale over in the shooting section

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=73662240#post73662240

If a mod wants to delete this thread they can
It's just there isn't really any where to sell bushy gear

preacherman

feck sake lads wrote: »

Lads/lassies can i just ask do any of you use a hennessy hammock and if so what the verdict good or bad,
great photos btw.

None of us have one now but crapbag used one for a while so maybe he can help you. Do a search on BCUK http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/ or Hammock Forums http://hammockforums.net/

Hope this helps.

Andrew

feck sake lads

preacherman wrote: »

None of us have one now but crapbag used one for a while so maybe he can help you. Do a search on BCUK http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/ or Hammock Forums http://hammockforums.net/

Hope this helps.

Andrew

thanks Andrew i was just curious to be honest like how much better that sleeping on the ground in a tent of course.
anyway cheers.
fsl;)

preacherman

feck sake lads wrote: »

thanks Andrew i was just curious to be honest like how much better that sleeping on the ground in a tent of course.
anyway cheers.
fsl;)

I prefer a bivy bag and tarp on the ground myself ( just because I dont want to carry the extra weight) but some of the lads swear by hammocks. They are definitely very comfortable once you get the hang of them (no pun intended

). If you just want to try it without spending big bucks you could pick up a cheap hammock and tarp from DD Hammocks http://www.ddhammocks.com/

Andrew

feck sake lads

thanks andrew for that link very helpful.
cheers
fsl;)

Crapbag

Hey,

Yes ive used them a bit. They are a great piece of kit, if a little expensive. Hence why I havent bought one as I have the equivalent and dont need to fork out.

Id advise going for the old school expedition one. The light weight one seems a bit like a Mach 3 blade. Use for a while and then throw away. The expedition is a little cheaper if I remember correctly.

The biggest complaint ive heard is in the tarp size but I believe that has been changed recently. People were complaining the tarp was not wide enough but I never had this problem when using them.

I liked the mossie net integration which is worth the money alone. Also the bottom velco entry was a great system and its one of the easier hammocks for those with back problems. It greats a thumbs up on functionality and a sideways thumb on price

EDIT: Great photos lads. I look forward to October.

feck sake lads wrote: »

Lads/lassies can i just ask do any of you use a hennessy hammock and if so what the verdict good or bad,
great photos btw.

neolithic

IPNA wrote: »

So when are you lads returning to IPNA? You can use our campus for one of your weekends.

If you are looking for a place somewhere in Kerry to have your monthly meeting the come on down to our place and have a nice classroom and a bit of woods to play in.

Cheers,

Aebhric

Hi Aebhric,
Thanks for the kind offer, We were thinking about you around the summer solstice ,we had a couple of good weekends down with you over the last couple of years. We will have to organise a visit.
Tony

jamesieboy

Just another nod to Aebhric to say thanks for the invitation down to Caherciveen. Was down with the other BCI members at the 2010 solstice open weekend and really enjoyed the hospitality. Looking forward to visiting again soon.

Jim

deergrove

james what was the name of the sharping tool you ussed on my hatchet in cavan

DC4 ?

thanks chris

Crapbag

Its probably the fallkniven DC4

http://www.fallkniven.com/en/shop/category/13/sharpeners

irishtear

Hello Lads, How did the last outing go ? I got the text but was in pollino Mountains in Italy.But will be waiting for the next invite,specially after all those photos.I have a teardrop trailer,must show it off.:D

deergrove

That's it thanks

jamesieboy

Hey Chris, as advised correctly by Crapbag it was the Fallkniven DC4 that I used on your axe. It's a brilliant sharpening stone and is the best value for money of any sharpening system (in my opinion). Don't forget to give your blade a good stropping on a leather belt when you're done with the stone. At least 100 alternating strokes will turn an already sharp edge into a scalpal.

neolithic

Thanks to all the Guys who turned up for the meet this weekend. The weather was interesting but with only a few showers was better than expected.
A great time was had by all.
T.

PBrady223

Another great weekend
Thanks lads

neolithic

For our October meet The Irish Bushcraft Club headed to Co. Galway. We have been given a permit to camp in a beautiful mixed woodland. I would like to thank all involved in getting this permit for us. Another great weekend was had by all with plenty happening . There will be a full review to follow.
T.

BantryJohn

Any people in Cork/Kerry regional interested in meeting up to practice bushcraft?

alan whelan

Have you any location in mind, woods?

BantryJohn

Haven't found an exact spot yet but i'll try and find a few, there are loads of coillte forests around, i can think of a few spots like comerkane valley near glengarriff, there's a coillte forest beside loch bofinne near bantry, i've walked through it and i think it could be a good spot, there are forests near castletownbere as well, also between durrus and ballydehob theres a big coillte forest with tracks going through it, can you think of any others? I'll look at these places and let you know what they're like

Crapbag

Well it was my first weekend back in the club in a year. So I decided to do the write up. It was good to meet the clubs new members and catch up with the old and crusty. Our meet was in our new location in the West of Ireland. We were lucky to get permission for our second site which means that our Connaught members get an easier journey for once. The forest has a great mix of new and old growth and is perfect for us. After a brief debate on the best place for the camp fire, we quickly went about setting up and settling in. There was much to see and we were quickly treated to the sights of fallow deer ambling around the area.

Mixed forests mean great diversity of growth and after setting up the camp area, a few of us set out to explore. The foraging was great with many of the easy to recognise species in plain view. Blackberry, Blackthorns sloe's and Crab Apples were a short walk away. Chickweed, Wood Sorrel and Silverweed crept underfoot. We spotted a healthy amount of red squirrels readying for winter. It was brilliant to be in a new forest this time of year. The rain was rare and light, so not a problem at all.

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The ground oven and Bannock are always a hit so Kevin and Paul set to work preparing both. Paul was lucky to get his hands on a lovely cut of venison from a friend which he intended to use in the oven. Tony had his favorite fire making toys and Jim had his head buried in the mushroom I.D books. Unfortunately we had to inform him that the King Alfred's Cake he picked up, was indeed, Fox sh*te. Which, in typical club style, he will never hear the end of. In fairness it was dark at the time and he claimed it still tasted great.... :-)

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However the star of the show was not our King Alfred's sh*te or the charred venison. Entertainment for the evening came in the form of a fox who visited our camp. This fantastic little fellow had little fear of us and with a golf clubhouse near by, was well used to human contact. Probably being fed by a local, this little guy would sometimes get within six foot of us before brazenly strutting away paying little heed to the distance we were. It was all uh's and ah's until the little fecker decided to make off with one of my runners, stopped only by Eoin's quick shouts. However we didnt get away scot free. He decided to pay poor Bryan a visit in the night and made off with a leather sheath from my axe, a perfect and expensive chew toy. Luckly he didnt make it far with the axe itself. He obviously wasnt a picky eater and tore Bryans sit pad which sat by the camp as we slept. We didnt mind as it was a small price to pay for seeing one that close. The craic was 90 and we had a great laugh.

It was a great weekend and another fantastic new spot. Im already looking forward to November

Tabnabs

Great report an pics, thanks for sharing!

jamesieboy

In my defense, we were in an ash forest and King Alfred's Cake loves ash. How was I to know that it was in fact a piece of poo that was on the said tree stump and not a piece of fungus?

Great post though!

RICHIE.39

Great write up! Would love to join up with the group at some stage next year! Do ye camp near the midlands at all?

neolithic

Thanks RICHIE, Drop us a line and we will let you know when the meets are happening.