Shelter

We don't live in the woodland, nor would we want to. However when doing forestry work we often need to be on site for extended periods, including spending overnights there.

Therefore as time progressed we realised we needed a decent weatherproof shelter and eventually invested in a folding camper, which can be moved on and off site as required, or around the woodland so we can be near to our current areas of work.

This folding camper is called Doris and she is a 1970's Dandy, neither a trailer tent nor a folding caravan, she sits between these categories with pride and retro elegance.

During the colder months she serves as a break time hut, she has a gas hob and grill where we boil the kettle or make warming beans on toast for lunch. 

She is our rain shelter when (at any time of year) the clouds unexpectedly release their torrent and make it impossible to work safely. 

We store tools in her cupboards and under the dinette seats, although admittedly nothing of any value should we get unwelcome visitors. Indeed she doesn't even have a door lock for the same reason. And she is our temporary overnight home when we stay at the woodland for a weekend or a few days.

Prior to July 2024, owners could camp in their woodlands for amenity only purposes for 28 days a year under the temporary change of use legislation. Then it changed to 60 day per year but with a pop up campsite licence from the local authority.

We don't wish to waste our time applying for a campsite licence, when the woodland is not a commercial campsite, even a temporary one, so we stay over at the wood under the forestry worker exemptions - because the use of the site is not changing.

In addition, the First Schedule of the 1960 Caravan Sits Act stated the following as an exemption from needing a licence:

“a site licence shall not be required for the use of land as a caravan site for the accommodation during a particular season of a person or persons employed on land in the same occupation, being land used for the purposes of forestry (including afforestation).”

Considering we only stay in Doris whilst doing forestry work, and she isn't even a proper caravan, we are happy that no rules are being broken.

We also now happily have a compost toilet onsite, built by Dan from reclaimed materials and installed by both of us. It has a receptacle designed to last for over a year's worth of use, which when full is left to compost for the required safety time before being used to mulch the fruit trees on site.

In regards to separating liquids from solids, an important consideration for all composting loos, our motto is:

If it’s a wee, find a tree, if its a poo, use the loo!".

🌳⛺🚽