By Sean Fagan

Hazel wood fire (Photo: Sean Fagan).

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Storing Fuel & Kindling at a Woodland Camp-Site

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If I'm planning to occasionally revisit a campsite - I usually make the effort to stash away some kindling & fuel (and occasionally some tinder) for future visits.

It's always a good idea to give yourself every advantage as regards improving your fire-lighting success where dampness is an issue  - especially in a damp-climate country.

Which is why I always stash fuel, kindling and often tinder for my next visit.

This point nails home an essential truth - fire-lighting success is often about planning ahead as it is about technical proficiency in fire skills.

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By Sean Fagan

Taking a short break while trekking through a woodland. It was a damp, drizzly day and the kneeling pad provided a much-appreciated, comfortable & warm seating area (Photo: Sean Fagan).

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Cost of Kneeling Pad: 2-5 Euros

Outdoor Applications: many!

A garden kneeling pad is a great, cheap, robust and versatile piece of outdoor kit.

Learn what I use my kneeling pad for...some will surprise you.

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By Sean Fagan

The flames of a fire can offer comfort when needed (Photo: Sean Fagan).

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*This post contains information that some readers may find upsetting.

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Rest in Peace...

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Last week, I went to the woods to light a fire for my twenty-two year old niece who recently died in a tragic accident.

I wanted to make a small, symbolic gesture to honour her memory.

Her untimely death nailed home some important lessons for myself - one of which is that life is fragile and unpredictable.

In the context of this website - it's important that we get out there and have bushcraft and outdoor adventures with the people that are dear to us.

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By Sean Fagan

Waste ground at dusk, Dublin, Ireland (Photo: Sean Fagan).

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A while back I visited some urban waste ground near the centre of Ireland's capital city, Dublin - with the aim of photographing some wild urban plants.

I really enjoyed my time there and compiled a small, photographic sample of the wild plants I came across.

Some of the plants I photographed are native - some are not. Some are edible, some even have medicinal qualities (*I don't recommend the consumption of urban wild plants).

Whether you're a bushcrafter, keen botanist, naturalist or a wanderer of nature - there is a deep well of floral riches in some of the most desolate of natural settings - such as cities.

This nails home an essential truth - bushcraft is not just confined to the rolling hills and verdant forests from near or faraway lands.

Urban plants persist pretty much everywhere - and can provide us with a wonderful source of nature-inspiration in urban areas.

Just as importantly  - for the bushcrafter living in a town or city (with limited free time to visit wild places) - urban plants can provide us with a convenient means to sharpen our plant identification skills.

Why? Because most the wild plants that inhabit urban areas also dwell in rural and wild areas.

Hope you enjoy my photos...

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