Yob culture

I was looking at a friend’s LRM Drive 25 mag and was astounded that under the activity entitled wild camping you suggest that if you do not have any fire wood then “take an axe and go and find some”. I was just wondering what you would consider would make the best wood? Perhaps a veteran oak? Or maybe some dry fencing? Or maybe a nice picnic table? What about some wood that the owner has cut, stacked and put under cover for their own use?

As a small woodland owner, I have seen the damage for myself when a friend’s woodland camping spot was totally trashed by some yobs. They took to some very old trees with axes which resulted in the death of some of the trees. I liked the last bit of the piece, but you forgot to include “make sure that you burn or remove all the evidence of your damage before you go”. I have a Td5 and have wild camped in many places in the UK and in Europe and I work on the principle to leave no trace whatsoever that I was ever there including no fires, rubbish or ever tyre tracks if I can. Give me a ring if you dare and I will see if I can arrange some training for you.

G Moon

I went wild camping in Yorkshire last weekend and it was fabulous. Read more about it on page 46. I have driven Land

Rovers around the world and I have always done so with the utmost respect to the land owners and the environment. Yesterday when we left our campsite we took all of our rubbish out in black bags. I don’t burn rubbish or ‘evidence’. That is not good for the natural environment.

If you are camping in Botswana or in the Outback of Australia there are loads of dead tree branches lying on the ground. Or an elephant might have pushed a tree over and now several months later it is dead and can be used for firewood. An axe comes in handy if you want to chop dead wood into usable pieces. So, you use what nature has given you and not a living tree or a picnic bench. People who do that should be in jail or not allowed into the countryside. I think you called them yobs?

H2ere at LRM we would never advocate cutting down woodland for fires

Man has been making fires while heading out camping for hundreds of years. We call it the Bush TV. It is your choice if you don’t want to make a fire and I respect that. I carried a fire pit with me for the weekend and we did an off the ground fire which we all sat around. We purchased wood from a nearby fuel station. I would not dream of going into a woodland and chopping down a tree. Likewise, I would never make a fire in an area with a high risk of bush fires. That is just stupid.

My telephone number is (sent to Mr Moon in a private message). Give me a call if you dare and join us on our next wild camping adventure. You and then you can see for yourself how responsible people conduct themselves and maybe give us an informative talk on the woodlands of the UK.