The Blog
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Foraging with Taste the Wild [Read me!]
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New Years Eve [Read me!]
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Christmas Craft Weekend [Read me!]
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Christmas is coming… [Read me!]
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Lewis Todhunter Gig 16th Nov 2012 [Read me!]
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Cakes made to order! [Read me!]
Keep up to date with Bivouac life with our blog and join the Friends of Bivouac for our regular newsletters.
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Tree Bog building workshop this Easter!
Hazel Swan posted this on 19th Jan 2012
Learn some new skills and meet some new people at our Tree Bog building workshop this Easter!
TREE BOG BUILDING WORKSHOP
7th & 8th April 2012, 9am - 4.30pm at Bivouac High Knowle, Knowle Lane, Ilton, Masham, North Yorkshire HG4 4JZHave you ever wondered about what to do with human waste?
Ever wondered about an alternative to using your flushing loo?
Want to know about composting toilets?If so, come along to our Tree Bog building weekend!
You will:
- Learn the theory of composting toilets - how they work, different types, why we need them etc.
- Learn specifically about the Tree Bog (a type of outdoor, above ground composting toilet that is simple, cheap and effective).
- Join in practical sessions to build a Tree Bog in the woodland.
- Meet lots of new people.
- Get involved in team working.
- Stay in a newly converted modern bunk barn for 2 nights.
- Have 2 evening meals in our rustic cafe.The cost of the Tree Bog workshop weekend is £95, which includes your accommodation on Friday 6th and Saturday the 7th in our bunk barn, 2 evening meals, as well as the exciting experience of learning and getting involved in building a Tree Bog in the woodland!
For more info and to book your place on the workshop email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or call 01765 535020
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Our First Yurt
Andy Robinson posted this on 16th Jan 2012
Our first yurt arrived last monday…..
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Getting things ready I couldn't help but notice the wonderful view
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Holding things together...
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in goes the door...
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wrapping her up...
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lid on... Yurt done!
I spent the afternoon helping Kevin from ‘The Really Interesting Tent Company Limited’. I thought I would Share some of the pictures with you!
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Microholding!
Becky Doggett posted this on 16th Jan 2012
Whilst getting our next newsletter ready to send out, I spent some time chatting to the guys working on the Shacks. We did a little Q&A for the newsletter to give people an insight into the building of the Shacks and while we were chatting away Andy mentioned he had a smallholding back in Sussex that he and his partner started five years ago. Their approach to it and what they have achieved is really interesting and so I thought I would share it with you!
Andy and Kate call it microholding because the plot of land they have is so small. They wanted to have their own workshop and grow their own veg so five years ago they bought a house and transformed the garden. It was the first time either of them had attempted something like this, but with a lot of common sense and some gardening know how they have created a successful site for organic food production.
They have tried to make their small holding have a low environmental impact and re-use and recycle where possible. The electric fence which keeps the pigs in is powered by a second hand solar panel, they collect rainwater from all their roofs and have used coppiced sweet chestnut for various structures around their garden.
Currently they grow a range of vegetables year round, have a selection of different fruit trees and bushes, keep former battery chickens and quail for eggs and have started breeding pigs for meat. The majority of the food they eat has come from their own hard work and the only produce that they need to buy from the local store is flour, bread and oil!
As they both have jobs that take them away from their smallholding for short periods of time they have designed it to be a low input system. The chicken run is completely fox proof and is set up so the chickens don’t have to be shut in at night, but can let themselves in and out. They grow their vegetables hard which takes more time but means they need less attention and in Andy’s opinion taste better too!
Any smallholding will need attention though and in April and May Andy and Kate are at their busiest sowing and planting, keeping birds away and picking slugs off their plants. I asked Andy when his favorite time of year was, June and July was his answer, when the gardens rammed full of produce ready to be eaten. The winter months were less rewarding as the root veg which is associated with this time of year such as carrots, parsnips and squash, take more work and are less fun.
In November 2011 they won Smallholder of the Year, an award given out by country smallholding magazine and Kate has gone on to write articles for them. They also make a range of products such as table lamps, wine racks and outdoor furniture from reclaimed wood in their workshop to sell. If you are interested in finding out more about them why not look them up on the permaculture association website:
http://www.permaculture.org.uk/people-projects-places/kate-and-andys-microholding
or have a look at the fantastic things they make in their workshop:
http://www.phoenixwoodcrafts.co.uk -
Snow, wind and rain stop nothing!
David Sorley posted this on 08th Jan 2012
The weather has continued to throw itself at us over the last month or so, you’ll be glad to know it’s done nothing to stop us! This is a little video snippet showing a snowy day back in December.
Shot by the lovely Giles from Box-head*.
Music by the ever talented Hunting Bears.
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Happy New Year!
Becky Doggett posted this on 03rd Jan 2012
Its the New Year and its back down to business here at Bivouac Swinton! Everything is really starting to take shape and we’re feeling incredible excited about this next chapter.
Although a few Christmas dreams may have been disappointed by the lack of snow, here at Bivouac there is an audible sigh of relief that the white stuff hasn’t made much of an appearance - allowing work to carry on!
With the fourth Shack frame raised and standing in what has to be my favourite place, the Shack team are making good progress. Not content with all the amazing building thats going on for the project, they’ve also been busy on their days off building their caravans impressive porches to provide them with a barrier of sorts against the mud. The array of materials and items used is a testament to the resourcefulness and imagination these guys have. Makes me smile every time I walk past!
The Yurt bases are moving forward too and we are getting our first Yurt next week. I’m sure we’ll be posting up pictures of our new arrival in no time at all. The doors and windows are in place around most of the reception and cafe area and the painting of the internals is starting this week.
If you would like more in-depth news about whats happening on site or want to find out more about the people involved in making this happen, why not sign up for our newsletter? Just click on the ‘Our Newsletter’ button at the bottom of the page and fill in your details.
