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Author Topic: High Mournes Campsites with fuel!  (Read 18813 times)

sjh1

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High Mournes Campsites with fuel!
« on: January 12, 2011 »

Is there anywhere in the high Mournes where there are a few bushes or shrubs that could be used sustainably harvested for firewood?

Have camped in Annalong Forest where campfires are possible and on the Brandy Pad (once) with only a wee stove. I'd love to find somewhere up high where a camp fire is possible.

Incidentally when camping at Annalong Forest have foxes ever approached your camp fires? Last summer one spent about three hours within a few yards of us and took food we threw to it.
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What would the world be, once bereft
Of wet and of wildness? Let them be left,
O let them be left, wildness and wet;
Long live the weeds and the wilderness yet.

... from 'Inversnaid' by Gerard Manley Hopkins.

simon

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Re: High Mournes Campsites with fuel!
« Reply #1 on: January 12, 2011 »

The short answer is, no. The slightly longer answer is, definitely not.

The only areas that are wooded are shown on the map, and while there may be small trees and shrubs like rowan and juniper dotted around these should not be touched (especially the juniper which is a dwarf species unique to the Mournes and ial being replanted).

It is also worth pointing out that even places like Annalong Wood and Donard Wood, despite the commonly held belief to the contrary, are not areas where knocking down trees for firewood (or any other reason) is a public right.

The long and the short of it is that if you want a real fire high up then you need to carry in your own wood and burn it in something like a bushbuddy, a honey stove or a hobo stove.
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RedLeader

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Re: High Mournes Campsites with fuel!
« Reply #2 on: January 12, 2011 »

The lower lying wooded areas are the only spots where there is enough deadwood to make any sort of fire unfortunately. Doubly unfortunately this is also where the cider drinkers hang out so it's always very messy and full of old discarded tents (if you ever find yourself shy a few tent poles there's always loads in Annalong!).

However, we have found that a hobo stove and firelog or just firelog suffices nicely. Basically if you can stand the extra 1.4kg a whole firelog if put somewhere sheltered will burn for around 90 minutes or more. We use hobo stoves (cutlery drainers from Ikea or bigger tin cans with holes drilled in the sides) fuelled with a firelog that's been cut into chunks because they burn much more efficiently and leave no mess. They can also be used to cook on / boil water. The concept is that while a fire you can see from space is great fun most of the heat is lost whereas a hobo or firelog while not generating as much heat (you can't sit round it in shorts when it's -1) it does give more than enough heat and light for a nice comforting feeling. The biggest plus of course is it's way more fun being in a summit than the slopes.

Just make sure that any fire doesn't run the risk of lighting heather / gorse etc. It's a real problem in the Mournes which can be totally avoided with some basic care.

We'll be hacking up firelogs for this weekends Meelmore Summit Camp so I'll maybe do a blog post with a few pics about using a hobo.
« Last Edit: January 12, 2011 by RedLeader »
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sjh1

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Re: High Mournes Campsites with fuel!
« Reply #3 on: January 12, 2011 »

OK thanks for replies. I tend to travel light (mostly because I'm not fit!) so apart from once up by the wall have never carried a stove. A firelog/hobo stove combo sounds interesting tho so might try it.

I'm an amateur naturalist and birdwatcher so would not be inclined to cut down a load of trees or wreck the place. However cutting down trees in plantations like Annalong Wood is likely to benefit wildlife by letting in a bit of light and allowing scrub to develop. Like I say tho I travel light so never carry an axe or anything like that, my fires are always from dead wood for practical reasons first and foremost. And although I love a good fire, any I light are definately more campfires than boneys!

However unlikely it is, I still live in hope of finding a wee gully or something in the high Mournes out of the reach of sheep where a bit of wood can be used for a fire.

What about the fox? Anybody ever seen one approach so close and stay for so long when camping in the Mournes?
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What would the world be, once bereft
Of wet and of wildness? Let them be left,
O let them be left, wildness and wet;
Long live the weeds and the wilderness yet.

... from 'Inversnaid' by Gerard Manley Hopkins.

sjh1

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Re: High Mournes Campsites with fuel!
« Reply #4 on: January 12, 2011 »

especially the juniper which is a dwarf species unique to the Mournes and ial being replanted

On a pedantic point is "Mournes Juniper" a separate species?

I wouldn't have thought so, more likely it's some sort of sub-species or race of the juniper found in the rest of the British Isles.

Still of interest and conservation importance of course, it's just the confusion of sub-species, race or breed with species is a (daft) pet hate of mine.

Bit like the mountain hare (Lepus timidus) and Irish mountain hare (Lepus timidus hibernicus) situation, they're both the same species, something that newspapers continually get wrong.

If Mournes Juniper is indeed a separate species I'll stand corrected.
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What would the world be, once bereft
Of wet and of wildness? Let them be left,
O let them be left, wildness and wet;
Long live the weeds and the wilderness yet.

... from 'Inversnaid' by Gerard Manley Hopkins.

Tim

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Re: High Mournes Campsites with fuel!
« Reply #5 on: January 12, 2011 »

What about the fox? Anybody ever seen one approach so close and stay for so long when camping in the Mournes?

The last time (possibly the only time) I camped in Annalong wood there was a fox lingering around, stayed near our campfire for quite a while then wondered off, only to return again about an hour later. I was pretty surprised, as there was a group of maybe 10 chavs camping about 500 meters away, which made it quite an unpleasant night, I could barely put up with them so I've no idea how the fox managed.

I also spotted a fox last week on my summit camp on Bearnagh, just caught it's eyes in the glare of my headtorch while I was cooking some chicken supernoodles, obviously he didn't like the look of them on closer inspection as I didn't seen him again for the rest of the night.
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sjh1

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Re: High Mournes Campsites with fuel!
« Reply #6 on: January 12, 2011 »

What about the fox? Anybody ever seen one approach so close and stay for so long when camping in the Mournes?

The last time (possibly the only time) I camped in Annalong wood there was a fox lingering around, stayed near our campfire for quite a while then wondered off, only to return again about an hour later. I was pretty surprised, as there was a group of maybe 10 chavs camping about 500 meters away, which made it quite an unpleasant night, I could barely put up with them so I've no idea how the fox managed.

I also spotted a fox last week on my summit camp on Bearnagh, just caught it's eyes in the glare of my headtorch while I was cooking some chicken supernoodles, obviously he didn't like the look of them on closer inspection as I didn't seen him again for the rest of the night.

This one was around our campfire for ages. I wouldn't be surprised if they would take food out of your hand. I was laying out in the bivvi bag later and it approached like a dog within about a foot of my face. I suspect the foxes are used to people lighting fires there and providing them with food. Likewise the ravens up on the hills will approach and land very close if you're in a group and have stopped for food. This from a bird that's usually shy of humans and wary of novel food types.
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What would the world be, once bereft
Of wet and of wildness? Let them be left,
O let them be left, wildness and wet;
Long live the weeds and the wilderness yet.

... from 'Inversnaid' by Gerard Manley Hopkins.

simon

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Re: High Mournes Campsites with fuel!
« Reply #7 on: January 12, 2011 »


On a pedantic point is "Mournes Juniper" a separate species?


 :) In a totally unpedantic reply, no it isn't! It's probably best described as a biovar ... but who on an outdoors forum knows what one of them is! Lol

Juniper is one of the few plants that are native to Ireland and is on the NI priority species list. It has been disappearing from the Mournes for some time and the plants that do exist are mature - there are very few seedlings - and the mature plants have very few berries (which take several years to mature).
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sjh1

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Re: High Mournes Campsites with fuel!
« Reply #8 on: January 12, 2011 »


On a pedantic point is "Mournes Juniper" a separate species?

:) In a totally unpedantic reply, no it isn't! It's probably best described as a biovar ... but who on an outdoors forum knows what one of them is! Lol

Not me for a start! (Although possibly short for biological variety?)

Found this abstract on juniper in NI...

http://www.jstor.org/pss/25536808
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What would the world be, once bereft
Of wet and of wildness? Let them be left,
O let them be left, wildness and wet;
Long live the weeds and the wilderness yet.

... from 'Inversnaid' by Gerard Manley Hopkins.

nematode

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Re: High Mournes Campsites with fuel!
« Reply #9 on: January 12, 2011 »

I've had foxes munching food in the alcove of student's tents, foxes that, apparently, would not budge when shouted at.  And I have had a fox (I think it was a fox) prowl round me on a bivvy at the edge of Annalong wood ( seehttp://thisteacherslife.wordpress.com/2010/04/24/frightening/ for details).  A friend told me that his mate was bivvying at the base of cove.  I am told it was a misty night and he woke as if sensing something.  He woke to see a fox break from the mist and run straight for him.  It snapped up a packet of jaffa cakes sitting beside his head.
« Last Edit: January 12, 2011 by nematode »
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Scribble

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Re: High Mournes Campsites with fuel!
« Reply #10 on: January 12, 2011 »

Mr fox paid us a visit in Annalong wood it walked straight past me in my bivi and sniffed around my mate swinging in his hammock , we both watched it for 20min as it sniffed round one a tent then it popped it's head in and pulled out a rucksack and took sausages , we thought this was hilarous as lying in tent was a drunk naked polish mate who still blames us to this day of eating his sausages ,

As for feeding a fox I don't think it's a good idea as they can become too over friendly and it only takes one person sitting having a sandwich on a Sunday stroll to be visited by over friendly fox to freak out , next day mass hysteria killer foxes loose on mournes , prob a bit of an over exaggeration  :P but I was always told you can watch mother nature but never touch  ;)
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simon

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Re: High Mournes Campsites with fuel!
« Reply #11 on: January 12, 2011 »

As for feeding a fox I don't think it's a good idea...

Have to agree with this. The behaviour being described is what you would expect from an urban fox not a country fox - in fact it's the exact opposite of what you would expect from a country fox.

On a different note, has anyone seen any badgers up in the hills? I ask because I've seen a photograph of one noodling about near Doan (if I remember correctly).
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nematode

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Re: High Mournes Campsites with fuel!
« Reply #12 on: January 12, 2011 »

I have seen badger tracks (not big dog tracks) one morning in the Annalong valley. It had joined the path that goes up the west side of the valley and used the path for a couple of hundred meters before leaving the path in a direction off towards the zig zag path near lower cove.

ChuckMcB

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Re: High Mournes Campsites with fuel!
« Reply #13 on: January 12, 2011 »

Just to add some pics/vids to the topic  :)

This fox tried to pull Redleader's ruck around the Bog of Donard:



This is the cheapy Hobo stove that RL's talking about that a couple of us have, was a couple of pounds to buy, dead light.



I use a hex block to start it off, then some dry twigs/kindling and a couple of lumps of fire log to keep it going (warm the fire log up a bit in the house to make it easier to cut..then wack lumps off it with a spade/axe/sharp knife. I've even seen Dowser making thick sausage shaped jobbies out of them and covering in cling film..dead easy to slip into any spare room you have in your ruck)

Video here:
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sjh1

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Re: High Mournes Campsites with fuel!
« Reply #14 on: January 13, 2011 »

I don't think feeding foxes is any problem, to me it just shows how adaptable and opportunistic they are, similar to the ravens that come down when you stop for a bite. If a fox approaches me when I'm sleeping out I think I'll always throw it a wee bit of food, just like I always leave a bit for the ravens. My hypothesis was that, because so many people light fires, camp and leave behind all sorts of rubbish (no doubt including food) in Annalong Wood, the foxes have learned to exploit these fires as a food source. It also reminded me of theories on how the first dogs were domesticated.

I'm sure if somebody got nipped it would be all over the papers but, ach well, the media are idiots. My only worry would be if you got fools camping up there who would attack the fox!

Nice pic of fox up at Bog of Donard Chuck. I've seen the odd scat up on Donard before and wondered how far up into the open hills the foxes regularly venture but from that pic and the stories on this thread it seems that the apparent lack of prey up there is no problem. Again shows how adaptable they are. (Not sure what, "tried to pull Redleader's ruck" means tho!)

Chuck and RedLeader, thanks for info on firelogs and hobo stoves, think I'll give that a go. Will take a look at that you-tube video and would be interested in reading any blog-post on the subject. I think due to thin, peaty soils and harsh conditions natural woodland in the high Mournes was always probably scarce and sheep grazing prevents any possible regeneration. However will still be on the (admitedly probably futile) hunt for any wee scrubby gullies up in the hills though...

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What would the world be, once bereft
Of wet and of wildness? Let them be left,
O let them be left, wildness and wet;
Long live the weeds and the wilderness yet.

... from 'Inversnaid' by Gerard Manley Hopkins.
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