Quo Vadis

[Tony]

Umm, it’s a hard one as I keep having memories that predate one another! I loved to read, I still do. When I was 8 I lived in Holland in an old barn and I used to sit on the big wide window sill under the extending soffit, reading The Famous Five, Tolkien, Willard Price and others…I think this is where it started for me.

I move from there to Bournemouth, within walking distance of Hengistbury Head and spent my days there making camps, swimming in the river and the sea, trying to make fires etc

I look back and I had quite a bit of freedom, most of it spent outside in what to me then was the wilderness.

Then it was Lofty, I took the SAS survival Manual with me and messed about using that as a reference. Then I got tied up in travel, work, marriage and left it all behind for a while. Until I was given a copy of Rays early survival book, that’s a cool book, then a course with Woodlore, watching him on the TV etc and I got back into loving the outdoors. Now I’m reading all sorts and I appreciate how many people there are that contribute to our knowledge and who have been teaching this stuff all their lives, it’s a big wide world. Ray was probably Key to me getting interested again, some credit to Bushcraft UK should go to him. Saying that Ben McNutt lead my course at Woodlore so he’s the one that actually got me enthused, credit to him as well.

Now there’s loads of people I admire and respect, some I’m friends with and that’s a nice place to be.

 

[Seagull]

I got lots of little trees, made from big trees.

So, I,m a tree hugger, without the veggie.

Ceeg

 

[malcolmc]

Definitely ageing hippie for me

 

[ANDGRIN]

First books Robert Graves 'Bushcraft' and Eddie McGee 'No need to die'

First TV Jack Hargreaves , Les Hiddens

I suppose my first interest in the subject came from family walking holidays and the Cub Scouts forty odd years ago, of course Ray Mears programmes and books deepened and revived my interest.

Cheers Andy

 

[demographic]

First TV Jack Hargreaves

Was he the old bloke in his shed?
I used to love that programme, with him explaining how something was used.

Great stuff.

 

[Feral]

I did not even know who Ray Mears was untill I came across this site.

 

[Spacemonkey]

I move from there to Bournemouth, within walking distance of Hengistbury Head and spent my days there making camps, swimming in the river and the sea, trying to make fires etc

.

Likewise! I still do most of my flyfishing around the groyne and the estuary. Most of my early adventures took place on the Royalty Fisheries River Avon water meadows, then up to St Catherine's Hill, which was the source of many an adventure and camp. Still go there regularily and still know it like the back of my hand. Damn bloody shame they're cutting trees down to make the artificial heathland. Hengistbury was the source of a few camps. Made a big dugout camp on the estuary side in the rhody bushes. Stayed there for a few weekends with mates. Top stuff!!

 

[Toddy]

I did not even know who Ray Mears was untill I came across this site.

Me too I went to the first Scottish Meet and they actually powered up a laptop to show me

cheers,
M