Wintermoot 2020

Currently I am on holiday in the North West of England. I was reflecting on the fact that the 2020 Bushcraft UK Bushmoot had to be cancelled due to Covid when I suddenly realised that I had never got round to writing a blog on the 2020 Wintermoot that took place last February – pre-Covid, of course. I had published plenty of videos from the event but not actually written it up – probably due to the fact I was still digesting the enormous amount of food I had eaten in that week ๐Ÿ™‚

The Wintermoot is held at the same place as the summer Bushmoot, at Merthyr Mawr in South Wales, and as it is a smaller affair (around 45 folk in comparison to the 200-300 at the summer event) it feels very homely. I soon had my camp set up (seemed strange with no leaf cover over me and no family with me) and the kettle on.

Home Sweet Home

Set Up

Tony – the boss – settled on two main areas for cooking and food preparation and after a bit of strange rope work (in terms of the kitchen tent on the right) we were soon set up and the fire lit. Folk arrived over the first two days and prepared to get on with the cooking – well not me personally (I just do not have that artistic sort of mind) – my focus was on photography, video work and building campfire cooking constructions.

Arrival
Preparation , Planning & Pausing ๐Ÿ™‚

The Deer

Not sure who obtained the deer for us but after setting up the tripod it turned into a butchery class (led by Wayne) and then a shorter class on preparing the hide for tanning. Before long the ribs were slowly roasting over the fire on the rotisserie.

It was great to see everyone getting involved and trying out new skills.

Deer Prep

Cooking Contraptions

Throughout the week I had fun alongside a few others coming up with different set ups for cooking.

These included:

  • A Rotisserie with reflector
  • A Hot Smoker
  • A Spit
  • A Campfire Crane
  • An Asado

All these alongside the usual cooking with Dutch ovens, skillets, frying pans and in foil.

Great Cooking Constructions

Family Time

The Wintermoot, like the full Bushmoot, is family orientated with lots of chances for the kids to get involved if they wish. Even without any snow the February temperatures were low but everyone was kept warm with the great food on offer.

Fun with the kids

Great Dishes

As I am no chef I struggle to describe these different meals – I can but try with my photography skills – as an experienced eater I can say they were brilliant ๐Ÿ™‚ – Lots of people helped out with the cooking but special mention must go to Beth Shepheard, Andy Illsley and Wayne Jones – as well as cooking continuously they demonstrated butchery, baking and food preservation.

Great Dishes
Fun Evenings
Full Plates

Other Fun

In amongst all this cooking and eating we managed a few other activities including fun on the range, constructing a Windlass and a bit of Jedi training.

As it is a long time until next year’s Bushmoot I do hope we can have another Wintermoot next February.

Stay safe and hopefully see some of you next year.

George

Settling In – Bushmoot 18

Things have been settling in here at the Bushcraft UK Bushmoot here in Merthyr Mawr.

Took time out to test out my new barbeque pan – well tested it out as a toast rack really – works a treat so everyone is happy ๐Ÿ™‚

There was much to do in terms of getting the site ready for all the visiting Bushcrafters so we were all soon getting stuck into the prep.

Getting Started

A favourite of mine is helping out getting all the chutes up. Our secret weapon ‘Pete’ is a dab hand at shooting a line high into the trees.

Later that day I spotted that our handiwork was receiving some attention in terms of some art work.

Parachutes and more parachutes

My kids did help out a little however they are on holiday and soon got into the swing of things. They have been out playing every day getting dirty, crafting and generally having a great time.

Kid time

We got the range set up and it was soon on use. We will use it every day and have our annual competition next week.

Later in the evening I let the kids watch a movie and I spend a little time up at the Naughty Corner.

Evening time

Things are well set up now and we have everybody arriving – more on that in my next post.

Cheers

George

Bushmoot 17 – Bushmoot Life – A Video Post

Over the last few years as I have made videos of the BCUK Bushmoot I have noticed I tend to video the workshops. Looking at the footage I shot this year I saw that I had captured so much more.

This is the 3rd and final video in my Bushmoot 17 trilogy focusing on ‘Bushmoot Life’ outside of the workshops and is dedicated to my wife Alison as she completed the first draft of her latest book during the Bushmoot – Congratulations Alison and look forward to reading it.

The other videos in the trilogy are:

1) Bushmoot 17 โ€“ Early Days

2) Bushmoot 17 โ€“ Core Days

Cheers

George

 

30 Days of Wildness – Day 1

I was reading an article on Bushcraft UK tonight by my friend Tony Bristow on the June Nature Challenge set by The Wildlife Trusts.

It is aimed at –ย asking people, both young and old, to be creative and invent their own โ€˜random acts of wildnessโ€™. They could be as simple as following a bee to see where it leads you, smell a wildflower or make a wild work of art for others to enjoy.
The possibilities are endless.

Tonight I am away from home in the Black Country (west of Birmingham, UK) staying in a hotel and after watching the video decided to get out for a bimble. Over the rest of the month I will try and post up a bit about nature (with the occasional bit of wildness thrown in), be that on my own, with my family or with friends.

I did not have my DSLR with me on this trip so decided on my walk tonight to test my mobile phone to its limits and see what beauty I could find in this urban landscape I am currently staying in.

A few pictures of my evenings stroll.

Photo 03-06-2015 19 45 37
A splash of red

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Urban beauty – Hogweed

Photo 03-06-2015 20 08 32
Nettle nest

Photo 03-06-2015 19 30 16
Mayweed mossie

Photo 03-06-2015 19 55 36
Foxxie Finger – Foxglove

Photo 03-06-2015 19 50 33
Standing proud – Ribwort Plantain

Photo 03-06-2015 21 08 03
Comfortable Cleavers

Photo 03-06-2015 21 00 10
Sticky Willie trap

Photo 03-06-2015 22 04 39
Frog Hopper Foam

Photo 03-06-2015 20 25 18 (1)
Deadly Double

I think my phone has passed muster on this one so lets see what the rest of the month brings.

Cheers

George