Woodlife Trails usually do courses in Hatfield Forest so when The Gilwell Reunion dates came through they clashed with a festival that they normally do a stand/ display at. Pablo and I therefore peeled off from the others to head to Gilwell Park so that he could do his tracking and talks and I'd have his back whilst he did so. We were also looking to promote Woodlife Trails offering bespoke Scout leader training.
Pablo had recently dislocated his shoulder so putting up the stand was a bit of a laugh with three hands! It included a selection of the massive 'Table of Death' artefacts, as well as a quiz (which was linked to a prize draw on the Scout Activity Centre table).
Once there Pablo and I got the store sited and set up and this gave me time to set up my poshcraft jerky stand properly for scouters to see, sadly in a shaded area. There was a lot of jerky stand interest too which was pleasing.
So that I was neither use nor ornament (other than minding the stand in Pablo's absence) I said that I'd bring along my poshcraft jerky rig (or the long version is here) so that I had something to 'show and tell'...Plus a few samples that I'd previously made. I'm pleased to say that it generated a lot of interest.
Pablo had recently dislocated his shoulder so putting up the stand was a bit of a laugh with three hands! It included a selection of the massive 'Table of Death' artefacts, as well as a quiz (which was linked to a prize draw on the Scout Activity Centre table).
Once there Pablo and I got the store sited and set up and this gave me time to set up my poshcraft jerky stand properly for scouters to see, sadly in a shaded area. There was a lot of jerky stand interest too which was pleasing.
We even found time to have a quick look around at the local flora and fauna around the table's immediate location with some interesting results.
The stand soon took off and participents visited on a regular basis. The pictures above show stand, plus the Scout Activity Centre which we were next to.The Gilwell Reunion is pretty much a weekend for adults involved in scouting were they can meet, greet, try and buy without a host of kids to look after and with Chief Scout Bear Grylls expected at this year's weekend, Pablo and I had expected to be busy...we were! The Woodlife Trails stand was in the Orchard in an area along with notables such as Bison Bushcraft and Shark Tinderbox and of course IEAT.
I decided to make a tarp tent for my Saturday night accommodation, partly because it's a great 'tent' and it was there for me to possibly 'show and tell' (like the jerky) if I got the chance. I also packed my ETA stove in case I fancied a cheeky bannock or brew and went armed with some 'out and about' milk...No powdered stuff for me.
Once there Pablo and I got the store sited and set up and this gave me time to set up my poshcraft jerky stand for scouters to see, sadly in a shaded area, and then to get my tarp tent set up...except I'd not packed my 3m x 3m tent but a DD Tarp M by accident! Plan B was a ground level 'tent' using a ridgeline I had in the car boot.
It was a little nerve wracking being on the stand covering Pablo's back because, whilst I'm no novice, I still have much to learn and I was apprehensive that folk would ask me questions I couldn't answer but I was pleasantly surprised.
A quick sit spot early on Sunday morning and then back to see what the morning bought. The Reunion Sunday was a bit after the lord mayors show in feel and a lot of stalls started calling it a day from about 12:00. Woodlife Trails stayed until a draw was made by the Scout Activity Team from scouters who participated in the stands' tracking challenge. One lucky team won two course spaces and one winning member in particular was ecstatic.
I never got to use my bannock dough as I got given a breakfast ticket in the White House restaurant and decided to sit in there and have it with a back copy of Bushcraft magazine which I purchased off their stand contained within Bison Bushcraft's tent. Very civilised.
It was a pleasure to be sited next to the Andy and Marcus from Green Outdoors, a really friendly and helpful pair and some top kit, the tarp tent they had up particularly caught my eye, not sure about the tarp dress mind you...
I never got to use my bannock dough as I got given a breakfast ticket in the White House restaurant and decided to sit in there and have it with a back copy of Bushcraft magazine which I purchased off their stand contained within Bison Bushcraft's tent. Very civilised.
It was a pleasure to be sited next to the Andy and Marcus from Green Outdoors, a really friendly and helpful pair and some top kit, the tarp tent they had up particularly caught my eye, not sure about the tarp dress mind you...
...It was also very generous of Bison Bushcraft to display a Woodlife Trails badge on one of the supporting pillars in their stand (in a kind of 'Pablo sneaked it in and I photographed it' sort of way).
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