Last few trips out :)

[dwardo]

Hi all

I have been meaning to post a few pictures of recent bimbles lately but you know how it is
I love this part of the forum as its nice to know that there are other nutters out there spending all their free time in the woods.
I love to browse through the pictures in "out and about" and dream of the woods - lovely escape when having to stare at this PC screen for hours a day

Anyways time i posted some, sorry about poor pic quality....

This was a few trips out ago when we decided to try making beef jerky.The beef jerky turned out to be very nice. We salted the thin sliced beef and then added a chili mix. We started the drying/light smoking at about 10:00am and it was nice and dry when we collected it about 10m that night. We made the small smoking tipi from hazel and ash saplings. The rack its self was from green-debarked hazel using spruce root as cordage. We covered the frame in the hazle leaves but later we had to used a tarp as collecting more folliage other than that removed from the poles was a little wastefull. We used some cherry and some oak for the smoking fire underneath. its surprising how hard it is to make a flame free smokey fire last !

Up and smoking


Rack


Bow shot lol


Jerky.


A more recent trip was to knock up a very quick winter shelter to house us during the winter Its nice to have a warm shelter there already built when you only have a few days to get on with other projects !
We made our standard winter bender from Hazle, ash and sycamore saplings/coppice. Over this we have thrown a few tarps, some old and some new. We are lucky anough to have a an old gas-bottle conversion as a log burner
In an afternoon we managed to build the bender and get everything sorted.. and ! manage to keep an eye on the dogs

Mark out a rough circle with a wooden peg and some para cord. Then use a harder wood peg to hammer into the floor where the vertical poles are to go. This helps to sink the poles into the floor later. Use poles atleast 7 feet long.


Push in the poles at about every 2 feet around the circle, then tie at the top with cord. Add lateral brages to support mani structure. This used to be done with hazel or willow but we only need a few if using a tarp. Much better if you can use more poles and more lateral braces but its a lot of living material.


Inside shot with beds


Ouside in the morning.


Brew on !


Tired dogs Kira at bottom of pic and Bob at the top.


Trip back home in the morning


I will post some more once if have sorted them out and cheers for all your stories/photos in return

[reddy]

Great post

I don't get out as much as I'd like to, so seeing others out and having a good old mess around in the woods really makes me smile!

How long does it take to make a basic bender shelter? Is it hard to put together?

[BOD]

Real bed too I see!

Do your dogs go out with you a lot?

[dwardo]

"Do your dogs go out with you a lot"

We do take them quite a bit but if the weather is going to be nasty then we leave them at home. Bob is still a pup and hassles the living daylights out of Kira so they can sometimes be a handfull. If we are out hammocking in places more open to the public i also tend to leave them at home. PS yes they are real woods made beds, comfy too !

"How long does it take to make a basic bender shelter? Is it hard to put together"

It took two of us about 3 hours or so ? You can make a much nicer bender as we have in the past but time was limited, we also used paracord this time for speed where as last time it was wych elm cordage. Once the structure is finished you can pretty much hang from the top of it they are that strong. This shelter is going to be our winter home whilst making a Round house over the next few months.

[johnnytheboy]

Great thread, that jerky looks brilliant

[reddy]

"This shelter is going to be our winter home whilst making a Round house over the next few months."

Seriously? Live in there all winter, or do you mean as a winter shelter to mess around in?

That's pretty cool either way

I'm so jealous!

I've just bought an army style poncho, that's my mess around shelter for the winter I reckon LOL!

What's a Round house btw?

[dwardo]

"This shelter is going to be our winter home whilst making a Round house over the next few months."

Seriously? Live in there all winter, or do you mean as a winter shelter to mess around in?

That's pretty cool either way

I'm so jealous!

I've just bought an army style poncho, that's my mess around shelter for the winter I reckon LOL!

What's a Round house btw?

We wont be living there all winter just when we go down to get on with the roundhouse If we are lucky we get down a few weekends a month. A round house is explained a little here http://www.gallica.co.uk/celts/build.htm . I have no worries when it comes to the contruction of the frame etc but the thatching is something i have no idea about YET!!! It will be a scaled down version as some of the roundhouses were massive to say the least.

[Atomic Bimbler]

If your ever in Somerset you should visit here http://www.somerset.gov.uk/somerset/.../heritage/pmc/
They have a few roundhouses, can prob dig out some pics if u want its fantastic (if u like roundhouses)

[dwardo]

If your ever in Somerset you should visit here http://www.somerset.gov.uk/somerset/.../heritage/pmc/
They have a few roundhouses, can prob dig out some pics if u want its fantastic (if u like roundhouses)

Yeah any pics and or rough dimensions would be great if you ever go back. I have found quite a bit of info but not much in teh way of dimensions so would appreciate any info.

[BigShot]

If your ever in Somerset you should visit here http://www.somerset.gov.uk/somerset/.../heritage/pmc/
They have a few roundhouses, can prob dig out some pics if u want its fantastic (if u like roundhouses)

That looks great. I'll try to drop by next time I'm heading down south. In fact - I might be down that way over the next couple of months.

[Mistwalker]

Wonderful pictures, thanks I enjoyed them very much!