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Thread: shelters destoryed ?

  1. #1
    Hobo
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    shelters destoryed ?

    i live in Warrington UK, near St helens, Manchester. so finding an area to pratice bushcraft and build shelters is kind of a hard one or staying out all night without someone passing is hard.

    so i was wondering havs anyone on here had a little site they really liked and built a nice shelter so you can go back to time and time again, only to find it destoryed ?

  2. #2
    Trapper
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    i did as it goes. when i was younger my garden backed onto a river. me and a mate used to row down to the local nature reserve and build small lean - to's and a few tree houses. mostly during the summer. every day we would work on what ever project we were building and 9/10 within 4 - 5 days it was always destroyed. not by rangers or anything like that. it was completely un-patrolled reserve. so.. we would always start again

    also last Christmas me and 2 mates built a huge 7ft snow knob. balls and everything.... we went sledding for 30 mins. come back, some little arse had kicked it over.... was literally a work of art.

  3. #3
    Moderator JEEP's Avatar
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    Our favourite spot, the open campground at Brigsted, is repeatedly vandalised during the summer - mostly by large groups of young people, using the ground for outdoor parties, littering all over, burning all the firewood (aswell as their trash), playing loud music, spraying grafitti and vandalising the trees, shelter and benches.
    Last year they managed to burn 2-3 M2 of firewood in one frickin' night, as well as throwing all their empty beer cans and bottles in the fire, making the fire so big it cracked the rocks of the fire ring and scorched the benches around it! For the rest of the season there was minimal firewood to be found, the remaining was - as usual - looted by the locals, at the end of the season.

  4. #4
    Samuel Hearne happybonzo's Avatar
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    Shelter building: We've all done it as kids and some of us continue to do it.
    Wearing my woodland owners hat I get worried sick when I find shelters and evidence of a fire. These "shelters" usually seem to appear amongest the Western Red Cedar which is a valuable tree for me.
    I'd let it carry on if people were more careful but they're not. Now I just drive the Forwarder straight through them
    Geochachers are an even bigger pain in the ^%$! I've had product heaps thrown around with some throbber trying to find the little box.
    Grrr, blood pressure rising - now breathe sloowwlly etc etc
    Only my dog can judge me

    http://www.devilark.com.au/

  5. #5
    Moderator JEEP's Avatar
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    I used to do a little geocaching. But, having seen the negative impact of cachers creating their own ad-hoc paths (due to following the arrow on the GPS in a straight line, instead of following existing paths), climbing trees with no regard for damaging bark and branches, vandalizing historical buildings, trees, etc. to make spots to hide their caches, I stopped.
    There are surely many cachers out there that take good care of nature and adhere to rules and general outdoor ethics, most are probably like that, but there are unfortunally also quite many who doesn't.
    I am an LNT person - and caching, as it has developed over time, is not compatible with the principles of LNT.

  6. #6
    One with Nature JonnyP's Avatar
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    I don't want to sound like a snob or something, but I feel any shelters or camps on land that is not yours (esp if you are stealth camping), should be taken down when you leave the woods anyway. Leave only footprints and all that..
    Scatter leaves over the area you have trodden down, and where the fire was, and any nice lengths of wood that are useful can be hidden away off the ground, up in trees, so they can be used again and the camp area will not *invite* others to stay there.

  7. #7
    Moderator & Poshcrafter™ Martin's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by JonnyP View Post
    I don't want to sound like a snob or something, but I feel any shelters or camps on land that is not yours (esp if you are stealth camping), should be taken down when you leave the woods anyway. Leave only footprints and all that..
    Scatter leaves over the area you have trodden down, and where the fire was, and any nice lengths of wood that are useful can be hidden away off the ground, up in trees, so they can be used again and the camp area will not *invite* others to stay there.
    You're not being a snob John, it's exactly what the principal of 'Leave No Trace' is all about, as you well know. I personally hate to see the remains of shelters scattered around the woods. For me, it's no different to leaving a fire scar or a pile of rubbish.

    Like you said, bushcrafters should clear up after themselves. No one should ever know we've been there!!

    Martin
    Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.

  8. #8
    Moderator Roadkillphil's Avatar
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    If I had my own woodland, I'd probably build a semi permanent shelter, but I don't So on the odd occasion I've built a shelter, it's been on someone else's land with or without permission... And its been subsequently dismantled. The LNT factor for me is about the whole stealth thing, I like not being a part of everyday civilisation when I'm stealthing it, I like not being seen or heard or leaving any trace whatsoever that I was there.

    I wonder if your shelters are being "dismantled" for you by conscientious bushcrafters?

    Also, I know that not everyone has a choice like this but I tend to go that little bit further off the beaten track when stealthing it, where idiots tend not to go. You'll be surprised that a small copse in the right place may not have been visited for months (Adams overgrown roundabouts!!!)



    Cheers

    Phil
    Storms have a way of teaching what nothing else can.

    ALWAYS Leave a Trace

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Martin View Post
    Like you said, bushcrafters should clear up after themselves. No one should ever know we've been there!!
    Hear Hear Martin. All too often round our way people are leaving the detritus of their visits, destroying the beauty of the National Park, some even leave pitched tents behind full of beer cans and the like. These places though tend to be readily accessible as these people dont want to carry 48 cans of lager 500 feet let alone 5 miles.

    I have had access to my local woodland taken away for camping now as over the summer there were 2 big fires caused by people camping without permission - the landowners policy is now one of no one is allowed to camp no matter how responsible - an understandible sentiment as the woodland is his livelihood.

    A few idiots spoiling it for the rest of us eh ?
    [

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by Roadkillphil View Post
    You'll be surprised that a small copse in the right place may not have been visited for months (Adams overgrown roundabouts!!!)
    Mmmm this has got me thinking, I know a stonking roundabout, only problem is i think its illegal to cross the motorway to get to it
    [

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