the daydream fund challenge thread

RAS

choille wrote: »

It would have to be rough camping - showers? We don't even have one of those!

Dry toilet would be a home made one. We used to live with one - used to use humanure, but that's another story.

I don't know how I'd do with the gorge being here - quite dangerous unless you know the ground & are sober I expect! OH has gone a bit muttering............

chiolle

Will be putting up a few bits and links here:

First bit re caravans and permissions in Scotland

For example, crofters do not require a site license for use of land as a caravan site provided such use falls within the period 1 April to 30 September in any year and in that period there are not more than 3 caravans on the land at any one time (Crofters Commission, 2007).

This camp site offers the opposite to glamping http://www.larosa.co.uk/about.html

If you check out the pics, the dry composting loo is in the old shepherds hut - black waste bin below. They do heat the water for the shower which is in the byre, but there is no heating in the byre and there are a few pieces of 8x4 closing the gaps in the wall to the derelict building adjacent.

Besides that it is a cold water tap, gas fueled cooking stoves and wood burners in the vans. They allow open fires (firepits provided) and that keeps folk very happy. There is a lot of personal tat all over the places (not my scene) but the quirkiness appeals.

Here's a local site that you may know anyway http://www.badrallach.com/stay/camping.html but it gives you prices - £12 per night for two adults with a car and tent.

The caravan is £200 per week.

But they have lots of facilties, and need them given the location.

rozeepozee

Rhiwfield's virtual visit service got me thinking and I'm wondering if I can pick your collective brains....


We've plumped for the area in which we're searching for a property (Cardigan/St Dogmaels) fairly arbitrarily. We want certain criteria:

• OH wants to be near the coast (we'd like to be within two or three miles) and it has to be a "good" beach, i.e. sand, not shingle or pebbles
• I want at least an acre, preferably 3, of land that we can grow veggies on, have a few hens, ducks and maybe a goat or sheep or two
• we have to have a good primary school for the kids and we'd like to be able to walk to this, so probably on the edge of a village/town (I don't think I could manage too remote or rural. I like community and local amenities too much)
• oh, and the major reason - price! West Wales seems comparatively cheap. Our budget is around £300k.

What we're realising is that for a nice property in the village, we're probably going to have to spend nearer to £400k and we really don't want to overstretch our finances, so we were wondering if anyone else has any suggestions for areas that meet our criteria but may be less expensive.

The lovely thing about West Wales is that the climate seems very mild. Someone's told me this is to do with the Gulf Stream. I'm no weather expert, so I don't know but we haven't looked further North or Eastwards because I don't think I could bear the coldness (we're in Sheffield at the mo, which is cold enough!).

Rhiwfield's photo also reminded me how much I love estuaries. Cardigan/St Dogs is on the river leading to the sea, so that would always probably be a draw for me too.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts

RAS

troglodyte wrote: »

Popping back with a quick question - does anyone know a way to preserve fruit juice? Can it be heat treated like bottled fruit for example? We have apples and also grapes to use but only a small chest freezer which is mostly full already!

Hi

You need a deep pan - stock pot type. Clean and sterilise some bottles. Fill with juice. Cork and then tie the corks down with string (it helps if the bottle has a rim on the neck to hold the string).

Put a trivet in the bottom of the pan, add hot water, put yor bottles in with the lids just tight not properly tight. You make want to wrap them each in paper or cloth to stop them rattling.

Top up with water until 1 cm above the top of the bottles. Heat until 75 degrees C and maintain for 25 minutes by simmering. Remove, tighten lids and allow to cool.

choille

Hi RAS - I've been down the bottom of the crot most of this afternoon. It's totally over run with brambles & bracken, but it's very beautiful & peaceful part of the croft - well even more so than the rest of it!

Thanks for the link. I was quite surprised what they can charge. I have toyed with the idea of a low impact building down here, basic but comfortable. Old caravans would be an answer. I'm all useless & pathetic just now - don't know what I'm doing next. I'm trying to just get the basics done while the weather holds. Been pu;;ing up dead wood from down the gorge. The lambs are off on wednesday & then I move the ewe sheep back off the hill onto the croft (in by) ground for the Winter. Seem to see these types of things as targets at the moment. The garden looks a disaster, I've let it get really weed infested & not kept up this year.
Thanks for this RAS - BIg thinks.

RAS

Right now concentrate on the basic before winter sets in, but I find it helps me face the winter if I can start to think, mull over stuff for next year, so I can see my way through the winter to the spring. If that make any sense.

La Rosa is 20 acres, three parallel fields (the one with the house at the top in the pics and one east and west of it), very overgrown. The West field has the composting loo (the wagon with hearts in it), with a track up the hillside where the hedge has become almost a copse. Another small field and then one to the right, steep going up the hill. Along the wooded track to the top field which has four or five vans, the circus tent and a tipi sometimes. There were four vans at the top of the west field where it is flat. This was also near the only water tap and the "shower". Not sure if the house was habitable as they lived in another old house up the track.

rhiwfield

choille wrote: »

Hi RAS - I've been down the bottom of the crot most of this afternoon. It's totally over run with brambles & bracken, but it's very beautiful & peaceful part of the croft - well even more so than the rest of it!

Thanks for the link. I was quite surprised what they can charge. I have toyed with the idea of a low impact building down here, basic but comfortable. Old caravans would be an answer. I'm all useless & pathetic just now - don't know what I'm doing next. I'm trying to just get the basics done while the weather holds. Been pu;;ing up dead wood from down the gorge. The lambs are off on wednesday & then I move the ewe sheep back off the hill onto the croft (in by) ground for the Winter. Seem to see these types of things as targets at the moment. The garden looks a disaster, I've let it get really weed infested & not kept up this year.
Thanks for this RAS - BIg thinks.

Choille, £30 per person per night seems pretty high for basic accommodation but then I'm a skinflint

I agree with RAS, tend to the basics, but maybe also prize open the savings jar and treat yourself. Like Davesnave said the other day, take a break every so often.

Rozee, I'd expect that the south west is the main alternative that will give you the right mix of climate and price. Got to say that your OH's desire for a sandy beach closeby might be a deal breaker, get him to substitute a decent secondary school for when the kids leave primary.

BTW, I'm disgusted! Someone else was collecting driftwood from the beach today :eek:

A new branch of SCATS has just opened locally to replace Glamorgan Farm Supplies. Grand opening with Julia Bradbury this Saturday. Not that I fancy her of course

rozeepozee

choille wrote: »

Thanks for the link. I was quite surprised what they can charge. I have toyed with the idea of a low impact building down here, basic but comfortable. Old caravans would be an answer.

Old caravans can be done in style. http://www.larosa.co.uk/gallery.html No PP needed as I understand because they are impermanent structures. We were also thinking of Shepherd's Huts, yurts or teepees, but Yurts are about £10K (I bet the mongolians don't pay 10k for their yurts:rotfl:)

rozeepozee

rhiwfield wrote: »

Rozee, I'd expect that the south west is the main alternative that will give you the right mix of climate and price. Got to say that your OH's desire for a sandy beach closeby might be a deal breaker, get him to substitute a decent secondary school for when the kids leave primary.

Can't negotiate on the beach, I'm afraid. We can walk to the Peak District from where we live, gorgeous countryside but obviously very inland, so there's no point in moving if we can't get the coastal aspect really. (having said that, we can't afford that amount of land round here - it'd be twice as much!)

Maybe we need to explore what we can afford in the south west. I'd just assumed it'd be way out of our price range.

lostinrates

I, personally, would rather sleep in a haybarn than a caravan...but you can't trust people won't smoke.



Choille I take issue with you describing yourself as useless and pathetic: I am very inspired by you and its bound to feel a bit grim going into winter: its not pathetic to ant to move things forward, and doing what you do without the benefit of a warm shower or bath at the end of the day to be is so far opposite to useless you can't imagine how you awe me!

alfie_1

lostinrates wrote: »

Most of ours are rugged now, but only in light and medium weights....could he have a lightweight on when its wet ..enough to keep his coat dry, able to fluff up and keep him warm so on dry days he could be without? TBH, I'd take rugs off today..its pretty out (I'm only a short hour from NF) and dry, but ours moved on to new grass today and I might not get them back this evening while they nosh:o;). One of ours is always rugless. Bets thing for warmth IMO is ad lib forage.


Do your chooks get any light or are they moulting...we've got three in moult ATM...so fewer eggs. I haven't started with morning lights yet but don't reckon we're far off it now. I'm making my list of what new stick to get for the incubator next year. I'm definitely getting some guinea fowl, but can't decide how many (I'll buy eggs to ''cook'' here) also had an unusual request for raising some unusual birds for meat, but not sure it will take off, and then might be left with a lot of birds that aren't useful for eggs and might taste yucky...not sure whether to give that a spin or not.

thanks, i do put a lightweight rug on him ,then a quilt under when it gets colder. problem is i cant be there to take rug off and on evry time the sun comes out and he gets ratty if its warm and hes rugged so i cant win... just have to play it by ear. they have ample grazing. 4 fields to choose from ! permenant roll of hay [home produced] and 2 huge field shelters. i have to be carefull with the "mini's" tho so have sheep and geese to top the grass. TB gets run of all. he's 26/7 now, bit toofless but character.
my chooks at my house have permenant access to thier enclosure from their shed. not shut in. i let them out of enclosure daily . it was just weird there WAS eggs and now theres NONE ?? this is a selection of big chooks and bantams.
p.s. i have a pair of ducks ,...never had so much as ONE egg!! also "goose goggins" my sebastipol goose who only chases my terrier !