Irish Get to getter

[jamesdevine]

Hi All,

I have been thinking about this for a while and I was wondering if anyone anywhere on this far island or outside it would be up for a little gathering in the future some time.

I have no clear dates in mind or any particular place to hold it in but as the Island isn't all that big I sure we could sort out something.

What do think?

It would be be good to finally met some of you guys and gals.

James

[larry the spark]

Sounds dead on to me...I'm in. I know a great spot in Cavan for camping/fishing where nobody seems to mind a fire.....but thats it as far as Mexico (south of the border) is concerned. You have any ideas James?

[the naughty boy]

i,d go too, embrace the horror lol :-D

[jamesdevine]

The wilds of Cavan sound fine to me. Im afraid the only places I known down here are scouts sites and they are not always that open to none scout members but that can be gotten around.

I'll do a bit of look around and see if I come with something. North of the border is not out for me either.

I have to be honest do I am pretty much booked up until July with a course in June and some scouting things in between. Will this suite you guys? can you wait eight weeks?

[the naughty boy]

im easy :-D

[larry the spark]

A couple of months wait is fine with me too. A scout campsite would be dead on, but.... think we should throw a few suggested areas about?

Yer Naughtiness, can you think of anywhere up north that'd do? Probably limit it to Fermanagh, Armagh and Down areas for ease of travel.

[the naughty boy]

im not fussy sparkster! anywhere with a couple of trees is fine with me.its only one night isnt it or is it a weekend? all we need is a secluded place where i can murder you both in your sleep and dress up in your innards while singing and dancing by the fire!

lol lol lol just kidding.
seriously though ..anywhere secluded where we can light a fire and wont be bothered by park rangers gernin about burning the forrest down.

crawfordsburn is feckin awesome but perhaps too close to civilization.after all it is bushcraft isnt it?perhaps we should meet up and just drive till we find somewhere we like the look of?

[jamesdevine]

Not a bad Idea NB.

I'll have to bring the brother he has one of those horseless carriages.

I open to both a weekend or overnighter infact depending on the distance a weekend might more worth the travel.

Well lets put our thinking caps on we have plenty of time to orgainise it.

james

[the naughty boy]

cool but theres more than us three in the forum.and the more bodies i can get -the better the suit i can make with the skins!

lol lol that just makes me laugh so much.i,ll have to stop it :-D

[Andy B]

Sounds like it would be sweet as a nut.

Naughty bits if you start asking us to use moisturiser on our skin weeks before the meet up then I'm not going. Incidently, are you a nutter? :-D

I read somewhere that Larry the spark camped up cave hill. Are all irish bushcrafters nuts?

Personally i have a thing for climbing trees and sticking sharp things in my fingers when trying to tap birch trees. I also seem to spend most of my time out doors searching for somewhere to crap as my body finds the fresh air a laxitive.

It would be nice to get somewhere with water for fishing and stuff and maybe a few deer, just to track and observe of course. And a fire is of course a must.

I reckon that we could go to Glenvey and be discrete enough to avoid detection (not play soilider) They have wild pigs there, something about that sounds cool.

[the naughty boy]

wheres glenvey m8?
yes to all the other points .lol
wild pigs?no reference to deliverance eh?WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHHH
i,ll just need some trees for my tarp and hammock[ if someone makes me one]...[for money]. a river or lake would be cool too.
im getting all excited now i hope i dont pee myself lol lol



ps you can get wild pigs in any bar on any night in belfast too! i was there for 24 years :wink:

[larry the spark]

[quote="Andy B"]Sounds like it would be sweet as a nut.

Naughty bits if you start asking us to use moisturiser on our skin weeks before the meet up then I'm not going. Incidently, are you a nutter? :-D [quote="Andy B"]

Have you seen his knife collection? Haha, no seriously mate if he's bringing them all I'd start to worry.............. :wink:

Is this the place Andy?

http://www.dun-na-ngall.com/glenv.html

Looks great in my book.

[Andy B]

The Park contains 14,000 hectares of mountain, raised bogland, lakes and woodlands and is dissected by the valley which gives the park its name, Glenveigh (*Gleann Bheatha*) meaning Glen of the Birches.

Sounds like the lord made it for Bushcrafters. Saying that the rangers are rather strict I reckon and may shoot on sight.


There is a huge forest of birchs as mentioned above and seen with me own eyes on lesser spotted ulster with "ole grey heed bloke".

I was down in Mount errigal climbing and i drove through the park in winter, it was huge and magnificent, cracking stuff.

[jamesdevine]

This is getting better.

The brother is up for it and so we are good to travel anywere.

James

[the naughty boy]

cool but what about a no tents rule?think it would make it more "authentic"?although everything else kitwise is encouraged,bring all you got so i can go ooohh and aaahh at it :lol:

[jamesdevine]

Haven't got a tent so thats cool with me.

I also don't have allot of kit except for the essentials more a lack funds mind you then spartan live style.

Can we throw a few dates around.

James

[larry the spark]

Good idea NB..... how about some other rules? Fire by friction only, gather as many resourses as available, no stoves etc...... go all chimp-like and primitive!

How would the weekend starting friday 9th July suit. It can be a bit hairy in parts of the north leading up to the 12th which would be a god incentive to get away. How about Friday evening to Sunday night (or even Monday, as us Northerners get a public holiday)?

Any other date/place suggestions?

[the naughty boy]

groovy,i,ll sort the kids so im free that weekend.but im bringing my trangia,wild horses and all that.
james m8 its your idea so if you disagree ,or anyone else ,then speak up.
i think someone needs to make a firm decision on location and the general outline of the camp as some things work best under a benign dictatorship.
i just feckin hate maybe,s
lead on m8. but please ,no ifs or buts or perhaps till we arrive .then we can go BONKERS!!! YEEEEEEEHAAAAAAAA. :naughty: :AR15firin :f: :sword: : -l) :oT: :bu: :rolmao: and all that


or we could just chill and rub the lotion on your skin! :wink:

[larry the spark]

Date sorted then? Happy days..... Where to though?

I've been thinking about the Erne system. Its a great spot for everything and covers a massive area.

Glenveagh sounds good but maybe a bit more difficult to access for all parties...... The Erne system is a good halfway point for people coming from South and North. Any opinions?

[the naughty boy]

yes i think the erne system is beautiful and accessible,with water,wildlife and forrests.now were getting somewhere. castle archdale is a nice spot although the sites are countless round there.walk for ten minutes and no-one would know you were there.
set up your tarp or hammock or basha,light a fire,brew some tea,talk a lot of nonsense,set some snares,cook some rabbit,catch some fish,light more friction fires,carve some spoons,talk more nonsense,light some farts,ooohh and aaahh at others kit,chop some wood,eat some plants,throw up,eat some different ones,throw up some more,

jesus i cant wait now lol :lol:


hope it dosent rain or my ray mears jammies will get wet.

[jamesdevine]

The 9th-12th of July should be OK but I will have confirm tomorrow if thats OK.

Can you give me a grid and sheet no. of the location your talking about I am not familer with it.

I have a felling this will be trip to remeber.

Is there anyone out there interest or is just us three or four.

James

[larry the spark]

I'll hunt out the sheet no. tonight but for now here is a multimap view of the area. The general area is Lower Lough Erne (the northern-most lough, very irish!) Looks a bit dull from this with no detail but get a hold of the map and its great looking. Even better in the flesh too :biggthump There is forest nearly the whole way round the Lough and castle archdale forest is on the east shore......umm, somewhere!

http://www.multimap.com/map/browse.cgi?lat=54.4445&lon=-7.6806&scale=200000

It would be good if we could get a few more lads to come.... i know there are more registered from ireland but maybe don't check the forums so regularly. There is plenty of time til then though for them to find out about it.

[jamesdevine]

Thanks Larry,

I just picked up sheets showing the upper and lower and nearly jumped for joy when I opend the lower one.

I am 28 and have missed out on this all these years. :oops:

I sure more will put their names down between then and now so i look forward to meeting guys then.

James

[jamesdevine]

All right guys I can now confirm (my weekend pass has been signed off and CCard handed over :-? ) that I will be there on the 9th to the 11th.

No bankholiday on the 12th down Mexico way.

Looking forward to it.

James

[the naughty boy]

thai hammock anyone? lol just made one out of taffeta like the ones on wild day . com
think they call them pro pods or summit.so i got my acomodation sorted now :-D

[the naughty boy]

oi where did everyone go?

i was kidding about the skin suit!!!
i just want a pair of slippers :wink:

anyfurther developments on this at the mo? lets keep it alive .....

[jamesdevine]

I am still very much up for it and have provisionly booked the Friday off for travel. :-D

I am looking forward to meeting you all and NB you'll have to bring a tin opener I am going to wear my chain mail suit in DPM off course.

[the naughty boy]

lol.
thought of anymore ground rules m8? im lookin forward to trying out my hammock. and perhaps i,ll bring along a few of my toys...actually a chain mail suit might be the safe way to go jamesyboy :wink:

[jamesdevine]

I think just keep it simple and see how the land lies when we all meet up. To much planning takes the fun out of it.

Noughty Boy what is the name of the pack horse you are bringing to carry all the sharp toys I have been hearing about? :-D

I do think a few guide lines should be there but they should be more common scense ones the hard rules. We have loads of time to talk about boring stuff like that do.

Are set on the upper lough location? And will we all have to ware a pink coranation?

James

[the naughty boy]

well chaps are we still on then?

[larry the spark]

I'm gonna have to say I can go provisionally only as the completion date of our house purchase is gonna be the end of july so I won't know until much closer to the time.

Had a great weekend in cavan just past and I have a nasty feeling I won't be getting another chance for a long time with all the preparation and planning swmbo is intent on.

So, I'm a yes.... potentionally, but can't commit I'm afraid :roll: [/i]

[hawkeye]

hello from belfast guys,are you going rough in the trees then?can i come? is this an old thread?

[Nyogtha13]

Hello you lot,

Just moved house so i have not really been checkin this till recently,so sorry for not getting involved, but i like the sound of it. I would not be able to make the 9th july weekend though. I know of a place on the ards peninsula, for a future meet, tis scout owned but might be a possibility, nice cos the warden only visits occasionally, no one there all the time, ground fires allowed, trees, river, bridge, stone wall and water tap. it is a couple of acres in size so should be big enuf for us if we behave.
With regards Naughty boy and being nuts, i met him once and there was that mad glint in his eye / i mean he seemed safe enuf....even had kids with him and made pancakes!
So if you go the 9th july have lots of fun, and might you all some time.

Robin

[jamesdevine]

First up Weclome to Robin and Hawkeye.

I am afraid I am the barrier of bad news but work have thrown me a wobbly and I have to work not only that Friday, but the Saturday as well. So I am afraid I am going to have to take a rain check. :z:

I am still very interested in a Irish meet up but it will have to be either this year or early next year. If anyone want to make a suggestion it would be cool.

I really am sorry for starting the thread and then having to back out :oops: but if you guys go ahead enjoy it and post some pics to make me jealous.

James

[Philbert]

Look at me and my first post!!!

Good to see the boys from the golden isle are keeping up with the rest, if not leadin the field :-)

A meet up would be fantastic and good to see you all. Myself, Nyogtha13 and a few others are heading to Mount Stewart this weekend for a bit of camping and craftin so will be able to report back on the state of affairs down there. The reports i have heard so far are excellent so it should be a good laugh.

Cheers and beers, Phil.

[jamesdevine]

Welcome Phil to BCUK,

Any feed back on a future sight for a meet up would be great.

James

[Philbert]

A fun weekend had by all!

Well the weather was completely pants for the weekend at mount stewart but i have to say it is a most fantastic place. The forest has lots of trees and the river is mainly wet. He he!

Only Kiddin, the estate is huge and the site is big enough to acomodate a range of bushcraft activities, there is plenty of scope for ground fires, areas for bivies and most important there were very few people around.

Hope this helps.

[rapidboy]

Where abouts in Mount Stewart?
The little forest across the road ,on the sea side with all the "no camping" signs ?
Explored it myself one day but legged it when i discovered some dodgy Polaroids in the little concrete hut :yikes:
Who all turned up?
rapidboy

[Nyogtha13]

hello all,

If you lot go away this weekend have a splendiferous time.

With regards to Mountstewart it is actually a bit of the estate that is used by Newtownards and District Scouts as their campsite. It really is basically a forest, and not open to public use. There might be a possibility of us using it for a weekend, but i would need to talk to the warden about that. He might want a Scouter he knows to be there. Which means i would need to go. Over the last few years there has been a bit of a problem with unathorised camping, ie Joe Public camping without asking and causing problems for the Scouts using it, but i think that it is pretty much sorted out now.

I was with Philbert last week, with a couple of friends, 'tis a superb place.

all the best

Robin

[rapidboy]

How many NI members on here?

[Great Pebble]

Why did nobody tell me?????? ARRRRGGH!

Not that I could have gone this weekend anyhow, general rule of thumb for Pebble, if normal people are off work I'm on double shifts.

I'd really be up for a meet, as would SWMBO, unless you want to make it a "boys" event.
Going to England at the end of the Month, Portrush the week after for a vintage vehicle run also have a wedding to go to, a Kids camping trip to orgamanize and another vehicle run to Scotland between now and the end of September, but I'm sure I could slot something in. If yez come up with anything PM me will ya?

[jamesdevine]

No problem GreatPebbles.

I too am still very interest in an Irish meet up as there now a few of us here and sure one or two of the guys across the pond might like attend as well if they wished.

I am looking at some sites down here and maybe have two meet ups one up North and on down here. I don't think it should be too formal and I personally would have no objections to anyones better half attending or youngins if you wished but thats just me.

It might be an idea to set it up like the meeting planned for the UK ie. we agree on a site and date few weeks or months do the road everyone pays up and attains. That way it would be sure to happen. Any volunteers??

No set plan just people learning from each other and enjoying them selves.

Just my thoughts.

James

[rapidboy]

If someone can show me how to start fire by friction ,count me in.

RB

[bill]

i just had a great night camping in castlewellan park.four of us walked in the back route [without the rangers office ]he he ,and took off into the forrest.the place is that big ,it was easy to dissapear and find a suitable spot to rig up our own made hammocks and tarps.mine also had a flysheet but as my son was sharing the same trees as me [ strung directly above me ] the flysheet draped over us both.the other two were in bivvy bags on the ground.
it was more of a test camp to recce the park but if your quiet you can camp undetected almost anywhere.
we camped near theboundary wall and were quite high up-the view over the mournes was beautifull and the sunset stunning.

being so remote and high gave us an added bonus.there were a pair of buzzards which flew just above the trees giving us a real close look at em, and the call from them made the place a bit eerie ...i loved it!

we lit a small fire in the evening and the smoke was diffused quite a bit by the trees and undetected in the fading light.

although i woke a couple of times during the night [ as usual for me ] i must say how impressed i was with the hammock,as a seat and as a bed,and though it rained in the evening the tarp kept us and our gear bone dry :-D

if anyone fancies it some night pm me and we,ll sort something out :-D

what about it jamesyboy? larry? pebble?

[rapidboy]

Anyone from Northern Ireland know John Hancock or been on his courses ??

[jamesdevine]

PM sent bill.

Castlewellan is cool all do I have only seen a small bit of it.

James

[Great Pebble]

Back in the country, for a while at least.
Off on Sunday for a week or so, Tollymore looking favourite at the moment. Will be on the campsite as I don't want to push kids into anything they don't like (especially as they don't "belong" to me).

Another couple of missions to fulfil after that but up for most things. Need notice though due to work.