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Under a bright Moon..

saxonaxe

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My travels being done with for a few weeks, I thought I would follow up a contact I had previously made with regard to camping. The result of that visit is that I have access to 112 acres of land much of which is Ancient Woodland. I can camp there when I wish and as a bonus take a gun should I choose to do so.

Access means a walk in of about a quarter of a mile or so from the Farm where I can park my car. An interesting prospect carrying a fully loaded Bergan...:D Another little hurdle successfully overcome, as I'm home safe and sound now after my first two nights in the wood.
A few photos of a particularly beautiful area of very old Oak Trees where I camped. The last two nights have been under the early showing of what has been referred to as a Super Moon.

The walk in..
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I made a careful check for Widow Makers, unless it ignores the rules of Gravity, anything that the tree in the photo drops will fall clear of me. I'm not a fan of centrally heated tents with electricity laid on, my Woodland dwellings are either cheap tents or a Tarp, so setting up home doesn't take long. First priority is get a brew on..:D
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A quick initial recce. I had carried in 4 litres of water as I'm a Tea-a-holic... :lol: but the Farmer had told me there is at least one clear natural Spring on the land, it's just up to me how I get water from it... a task for a later date..I have a cunning plan..

The site of an old Stone Quarry into which the Springs run.
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I followed the water back to it's source to find that it bubbles from the stoney ground a short distance away and fortunately even after the prolonged dry spell we have had here, the flow is quite strong. A Shovel and my Machete to clear Brambles is on the next list of kit to take on my future visits.
Wild Violets grow in great numbers here.
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But the Dandelion Clocks told me it was time to return to camp for grub..
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It's easy to tell I'm not a real Bush Crafter, no yellow leather gloves, just £4.50p Rigger's gloves from Wilco...:lol:
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It said on the packet pour on the hot water and leave for 8 minutes....should have said leave for 8 hours as it was muchco chewy!! Mind you, it was a year out of date...:lol:

The trip gave me a chance to break in my new Twig stove, I've got two of these Lixada stoves now, both the same it's just that I'm too lazy to keep digging the other one out of my other Bergan.
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The Richard Outdoors Fire Trough is reserved for Bike camping as it weighs a fair bit to haul about on foot.

I did get the chance to use the new Axe I cobbled together, making extra long tent pegs (soft ground)
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I know nothing about axes, but wanted something with a very light head and a long(ish ) handle. I've got a Tomahawk but the cutting edge is quite small. So I bought a head of 5oo Gms and a 50cm handle to make the small axe that would suit me.
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Apologies to keen axe fans and leather workers..The handle is probably too long and all wrong for the head weight and that Mask!!! What! :eek: It's leather from an old arm chair, double thickness where required of course,I just thought it was a pretty colour that's all..:lol:

The sun is setting and it is absolutely silent, I could be a thousand miles from anywhere.
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A view from the bedroom..
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The old Oaks seemed to glow silver when the Moon rose, for some reason my camera couldn't capture the sight, but much later I awoke to hear Brock the Badger scratching around under the trees and thought at first someone was shining a torch from far away and then realised it was Moon set.
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Just some flattened grass to show I had been there. 'Tis a magical place for a Tree Hugger like me. I will sort out the water supply but nothing more, no permanent camps or rustic furniture building.


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:thumbsup:

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Enjoyed that sax 👍🏻 Cracking looking spot mate, also like the axe 😁

a year out of date you say? Gave me a wee laugh reading that 😁


sounds like your legs are holding up well 👍🏻👍🏻
 
Beautiful looking spot Sax with water literally on tap ...😁

Pertinent too as social media is hot with stories of wild campers being moved on in the Peak District by gamekeepers and rangers .... conversation is suggesting it might be harder to find good spots even if you do follow the “leave no trace “ ethos .

Great to see you out 👍
 
Cracking pictures......and an ideal spot.......knowing that you have permission to be there makes it even more relaxing and enjoyable.........perfect.
Hope you have many many more peaceful hours there.
 
What a great spot to have access to, great pics and write up Sax, thanks for sharing, and my favourite tarp set up to boot, it's what I'll be using this weekend.
 
I've found over the years Al, that the Tarp tent rig is adaptable to almost all situations and gives enough shelter in all but the worst weather. I use two cheap walking poles in an 'A' frame style with the handle straps tied together at the peak, it just gives that easier access I find.
Any trips longer than a couple of nights stay and I'll use a small tent usually. :thumbsup:

With regard to the location..The owner is a Play Farmer...I mean that in a nice way, not as a criticism. His wife has horses and I detect he does not rely on the farm for his income. I knew He was a kindred spirit though when he pointed out some Early Purple Orchids as we walked into the wood for the first time and he also commented on leaving the bigger dead fall branches to lay on the ground to rot back into the woodland floor rather than 'Tidying up' as many land owners would .
I'm fortunate too, in that it's only about 35 minutes in the car from home. I think the Fates must have spoken up for me..:)
 
Funny you should mention the A frame, I'll be trying that for the first time, I usually just go for the centre pole option 👍
 
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