I spent the weekend on Salt Island doing a bit of a cleanup , pleased to say that it wasn't as bad as last year
I landed on the island at 16:00 on Friday , the weather didn't know what it was doing with cyclonic wind and occasional downpour
I set up camp at the north end of the forest
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-hdPprzpIPbg/UBV3RAPUJyI/AAAAAAAAH1U/ZShB0DuDQoY/s640/camp.jpg)
I bought a hammock for the dog, in the winter time she sleeps in mine like a little black furry hot water bottle , but in the summer its to hot, so she got her own , its A UKhammocks EDC hammock, great job rolls up to the size of my fist
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-JB5XwiGhfbA/UBV3RW9x-vI/AAAAAAAAH1Y/1vEYTx7DanI/s640/dog.jpg)
As usual a huge fire ring had been built , with the stones coming from the walls ::) full of beer bottle tops , beer cans and tinfoil
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-oRR16R18E6E/UBVC5vqMlqI/AAAAAAAAHxg/MZii8_FRXig/s640/IMAG0562.jpg)
Walls had also been damaged by people climbing over them
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-0S1aSnyvg_k/UBVC7K08PsI/AAAAAAAAHxo/W0xLyeTrJJA/s640/IMAG0563.jpg)
Damage to trees ... why ? there's a pile of dead wood twenty yards from there
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-hyvq6XFGEg0/UBVC-EyGt7I/AAAAAAAAHx4/KXPaW1FqjE4/s640/IMAG0565.jpg)
Access to the BBQ was a bit overgrown
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-464_V0Vnxak/UBVC_-kUG0I/AAAAAAAAHyA/bWIr_hZNRrk/s640/IMAG0566.jpg)
I had brought along a few tools , Axe , Sickle Shovel, pruning saw and an auger , but somethings are just too much to carry in a kayak , so I set about making a rake from dead wood
this will be the head
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-hqik216TaCA/UBVDKP_YKII/AAAAAAAAHzA/3u49rGxDB-Y/s640/IMAG0574.jpg)
Starting to bore holes fro the tines
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-iWqMBgnx4Es/UBVDMKq-P2I/AAAAAAAAHzI/dIQSZgtjNfM/s640/IMAG0575.jpg)
holes bored
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-dF8qMFUlO_k/UBVDNVTjv3I/AAAAAAAAHzQ/JNEVBeoigh8/s640/IMAG0576.jpg)
fitting the shaft with a wedge
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-XAxuPVFUYNQ/UBVDOTwLfgI/AAAAAAAAHzY/GG9u7jf84hQ/s640/IMAG0577.jpg)
Finished
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-y5D2v8ZJHss/UBVDQEFbpfI/AAAAAAAAHzg/cDFMZYLAix4/s640/IMAG0578.jpg)
Then i started making a few repairs , took all the big stones out of the fire ring
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-tFCY2Xxl01s/UBVDBYu0IUI/AAAAAAAAHyI/87zZukMCBt0/s640/IMAG0567.jpg)
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Z2Vn4LRUMZQ/UBVDCn1hOxI/AAAAAAAAHyQ/Xq_5zCXN6ng/s640/IMAG0568.jpg)
Using a sickle and my rake i cleared a path down to the BBQ
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-JXojtqfp57Y/UBVDEW-m6OI/AAAAAAAAHyY/cZLY-4wvrTY/s640/IMAG0569.jpg)
Then I started on the fire ring
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-n0AvSMLNE_Q/UBVDRlPT0UI/AAAAAAAAHzo/t78745XKyZ0/s640/IMGP0361.JPG)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-sO5K6JMg8Hs/UBVDSnZv8aI/AAAAAAAAHzw/h5wrOWSTlWE/s640/IMGP0362.JPG)
Any rubbish I found I buried up in the forest for future retrieval when I've a bit more room in the kayak ,
Andy
karma for you, good job and well posted. 8)
I always enjoy reading your posts, and I'm never short of amazed at the before and after pictures.
Your restoration ability amazes me.
Credit to you.
Mate,brillant post,you did a great job,well written thread & super photo's,karma awarded! ;D
Karma well earned, well done andy great stuff!
Well earned Karma!
excellent, karma awarded :)
Like ;D
I'm also impressed with your woodwork skills. The rake looks awesome. Also love the fact that your dog has his own hammock. I don't think mine would sit still in one.
Thankyou
The dog ... well lets just say she likes her comforts , shes the strangest dog I've ever had . hates the rain won't go out in it yet she'll jump into the water and swim after ducks , won't sit down in the back of the kayak incase she gets her bum wet but dives off it when she see's a rat on the shore
the woodworking .. just one of my many hobbies , I'm going to ask the trust if they'll drop off a load of timber on the island for me to build some picnic benches
Andy
Cool, I'm sure they would be delighted that you are making the effort to tidy up the Island. Make sure you show them the work you've done.
Karma given, not only because of the clean up, but the creativeness and the ingenuity used to create a rake out of nowhere!
Hats off to you.
Great work, rake is cool.
Astonishing that people obviously like that island enough to get a boat out to it, yet leave a load of rubbish behind!?
Astonishing that people obviously like that island enough to get a boat out to it, yet leave a load of rubbish behind!?
maybe make a sign for the landing point reminding people of thier effort to get there and how little effort is needed to take away a bag of rubbish which is 10% the size of the 1 they brought
copied part o sjh1 post to agree with him, not sure how to highlight that part
Hi
The damage and rubbish was nowhere near as bad as it was last year (http://www.ni-wild.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=2439.0) ... so maybe the message is getting through slowly . People seem to think that aluminium burns ... it doesnt... well it does if you powder it and mix it with rust Al2O3(s) + 2Fe(s) :D . but i dont think theres much need for thermite welding on Salt island
If all goes to plan I'll be out there from Fri-Fri doing a bit more work and a bit of r&r
Andy
Wee Gaz: I'm glad someone agrees with me sometimes!
What would the fishing be like out there? Would be class if you could get a few mackerel or pollack and bbq them. Purely academic question as I don't have a canoe/boat.
Also what are the woods like? Natural and/or broadleaved or conifer plantation?
Excellent work.
Karma well justified.
Quote from: sjh1 on August 01, 2012, 07:12:46 PM
Wee Gaz: I'm glad someone agrees with me sometimes!
What would the fishing be like out there? Would be class if you could get a few mackerel or pollack and bbq them. Purely academic question as I don't have a canoe/boat.
Also what are the woods like? Natural and/or broadleaved or conifer plantation?
Mackerel and sea trout ,,, the lough was decimated by trawlers dredging the bottom , and even now after a twenty odd year ban on commercial fishing with nets much of the lough still resembles a lunar landscape
The forest is a mix of broadleaved and coniferous trees, its only a few acres , there is talk of planting more trees and coppicing in the future
Andy
Interesting Andy, thanks.
Excellent work Andy. Hats off to you.