Jan 26 Dreaming in the wood, by Steve Smith By Tracy

We became the proud owners of our woodland at the end of May.
It has some deciduous trees, but the majority is coniferous, and much of the ground is steep. However it does have plenty of shape, some remarkable view points, and a few places that are suitable for tents.

Of course by this time Spring was well advanced. The trees were covered in fresh green leaves. The grass was soft and comfortable. The extensive rhododendron was already sprouting beautiful flowers. There were many birds in evidence, some flitting from bush to bush, some wheeling high in the sky.

Our first stay in the woods involved an overnight camp. Although we have little experience of woodland management, we have done plenty of back packing and camping. Fortunately our favourite tent just nicely fitted on one of the platforms, one that has an excellent view to the North. It is a robust tunnel tent, ideal for mountains and moorland.

Pitching a tent on a stony platform with surrounding trees and boulders is a rather different process than the handbook suggests. Tent pegs are reluctant to be inserted, and easily damaged. It helps to have a good supply of cordage so that the peg eyes and guy lines can be extended to boulders and trees. The knots should all be easily slipped, so that adjustment is simple, and breaking camp is easy.

We find that it helps a good deal, particularly if it is not possible to stand in the tent, to set up a tarpaulin nearby, with standing room under the ridge. This then provides protection from occasional showers, and prevents the fire from being extinguished by rain. Again it helps to have plenty of cords and to know a variety of quick release knots.

Fortunately we have a water source. So I prepared a fire at a safe distance from the tent
and nearby trees, and made sure that we had plenty of potable water by boiling it. One trick we often use is to take a large thermos flask. With this we have hot water available at almost any time, even if we are confined to the tent by poor weather.

In late August I tried another camping method on a solo trip. Theoretically, at least, a hammock should do well in woodland. Steep ground, boulders and water are virtually irrelevant. All that is required is to set the hammock well off the ground, between two trees (of which there are plenty), underneath a tarpaulin. Consequently there are many more places in the woodland that are suitable for a hammock than there are for a tent.
Possessions are hung up underneath the tarpaulin so that they cannot get wet or muddy.
I used a mosquito net, as previous experience has shown me how vulnerable I can be when asleep.

There was another, larger tarpaulin, set to keep rain off and to permit a fire. It proved a real boon as there was a great deal of rain in the evening. I was able to stay warm, cook, read, and telephone home. Once in the hammock, I puzzled about the green lights on the ground. They didn’t prevent me from sleeping, though, and my next experience was the beautiful magic of waking to see first light. It is much easier to appreciate it from a hammock than from a tent.
Later, friends informed me that I had seen glow worms.

A September visit saw us enjoying a more spacious tunnel tent on a larger platform.
It was set lower down in the woodland where there are fine native trees and
a nearby water supply.
We had a lamp tied up high between trees so that we could see to move about the camp until late. The evening was warm and we enjoyed a barbecue.

Our last trip of 2008 involved an overnight stay just after Christmas. The tent we took was a Swedish made tipi, with standing room in the centre and accommodation for a stove.
The ground was frozen so that I could not get the pegs in far, and had to tie them in sequence to prevent those nearest the tent being levered out. The stove kept us warm throughout the evening, and allowed us to prepare dinner inside. An old portable FM radio caught wonderful music from across the Irish Sea. The sky was crystal clear, and at night the stars were superb, as good as I have seen anywhere. Of course the fire went out during the night, but fortunately we had prepared sufficient kindling and wood the previous afternoon to allow us to restart it and enjoy a hot breakfast.

Postscript: A recent rhododendron removal programme has revealed
many native plants, and even hidden trees.