Bushcraft

Last weekend I was lucky enough to be introduced to Bushcraft.
I mentioned my epic bike ride - www.thehardway.co.uk - to a friend who I had not seen for a while and he invited me to a local Bushcraft Meet. (Thanks Gary - have a look at his web site fascinating- http://www.lore-and-saga.co.uk/)
This was a real bonus for me as I will need a lot of the skills of bushcrafting on my ride and it reminded me of the joys camping out. I had my first night in a hammock and I immediately realised that this was a super alternative to a tent. Unfortunately for me it will not be a replacement for the tent which will come into its own in the nether reaches of Siberia and China but for Europe and more so for the tropics this is ideal. It does mean that I have some more equipment to carry but for the extra couple of kilo for the tarp and hammock/mosi-net it is worth it. All I need to do now is track down a suitable pair of lightweight hammocks in time.

If anyone is thinking of getting back to nature you could do a lot worse than join one of the bushcraftUK meets. These are not the extreme survivalists but a very friendly group of diverse people that like to rely more on ingenuity and improvisation rather than be spoon fed. Have a visit to http://www.bushcraftuk.com/ and take a look at the Community.

Here is Gary, despite appearances he is not playing with a new style bushcraft balloon. He is talking on his mobile phone while demonstrating a technique of 'bear bagging' .

I learned about different ways of starting fires, a boon when your matches have just fallen in a puddle, and a super little stove that can be made from two beer cans (after the beer has been disposed of).

A most enjoyable weekend.

Thanks Guys.