Flag Fen - Unique British/European Event

[markinengland]

We have a rather special event planned for Saturday 23rd and Sunday 24th February here in the UK.
We have the use of the Flag Fen site. This is one of Britian's largest and most important Bronze Age archaeological sites. See http://www.flagfen.com/index.html for further details. The web site does not do justice to the real thing. Sitting at the entrance to one of the roundhouses you could so easily be back 2000 years in the past.
On site there are a three reconstructed roundhouses, two bronse age and one iron age, which we will have the use of and can sleep in. For me this alone makes the weekend worth attending. Those who wish to can camp. We will have use of all site facilities including luxurious and completely non-primitive toilets. The site is set in the English Fenlands and is really a unique primitive setting.
We plan on getting together, chatting about bushcraft, primitive skills, bow making, atl-atl etc. Those who wish to can set to making a primitve bow in an ancient setting, making those primitive arrows you meant to get around to, a bit of flint knapping or anythign else that takes your fancy. Any bow made in a roundhouse just has to be special! Imagine forging a blade in such a setting! Talk about medicine! We will have use of the whole site while it is shut to the public so a roving shoot of some kind is a good possibility.
The event will be self catered. Bring your own food and drink, especially drink as you'll need something to wet your whistle while we gather around the roundhouse fire in the long evening and tell tall tales of bows that almost worked. Those who have imbibed too freely will be able to sleep deeply under the roundhouse thatch, until the noise made by primitves doing what they do best (talking) drags them from the warmth of the fire.
There will be a small charge to cover the cost of hiring the site, likely to be in the region of £10 or so for the whole weekend. The more that come the less the charge will be. If you want to attend please let me know at markdesignhill@aol.com
All from any nation and any area of primitive skills interest are very welcome. This is a very special opportunity. Please pass this message on to those you think may be interested
Mark

[Jesse]

That just sound great. If I could work it out I would be there.
                                                            Jesse

[markinengland]

UK and European bow makers?

[markinengland]

David, the principal organiser for the event has asked me to post the following.

Looks like 24th Feb is a goer! and it looks like we have a few new recruits. Welcome!

I'm expecting to arrive on Friday, possibly late depending on the day job. People are welcome to arrive Friday night or at any time over the weekend. We will want to clear the site on Sunday. I'll be planning to leave 3pm or so.

This is my view on *what we get up to:*

Some bow making and sharing ideas (I'm planning to bring a bit of elm which might turn into an ashcott heath style longbow eventually and some
bits of osage that might be a snake skin backed plains bow and I might work on the Bhutanese bow with Mark)

Some shooting. There won't be a full field course but I'll put in the backstop and some targets and we can try to make it interesting. Shooting in the arena and in the big field is safe if we rope off access.

Atlatl making and using.

Admiring one another's sharp and shinies!

Open fire cooking (if anyone is interested in a communal stewpot I can bring my big dutchie (Mark's comment - I think this is a pot or cooker rather than a big dutch person. We will find out no doubt!).

Tallking a lot.

Sleeping in roundhouses (Suprisingly warm and cosy with just a small fire)).

Drinking beer/cider/wine around the fire.

A bit of string making maybe.

If a knapper turns up there will be some flint knapping.

There's no set schedule and the weekend tends to be what you make it.

What are the facilities:

The nice folks at Flag fen have offered to open the buildings during the day so there are proper toilets and water

At night there are some outside loos about 10 minutes walk from the site

There are three roundhouses to sleep in and retire to if it gets too wet outside.

There's camping if the snoring chorus gets too much for you and you want to put up a tent

What you need to bring:

Food
Drink
Warm clothes and sleeping stuff
Things to do/show, tools etc

I will have some materials for sale/swap (bamboo staves, possibly some ash, odd bits of interesting offcuts that might be ok for carving small
stuff etc..

What it will cost?

In return for having access to their facilities we are going to make a 120GBP contribution to flag fen. If 12 people go that's a tenner a head. If less it will be more but we have ten or more saying they are coming as it is. I'd like some commitment to turn up so I don't have to sell my car to pay the full whack  We'll collect payment on the day.

There will be some materials and stuff available and and you can arrange prices/barter etc with the owners.

I'll be recruiting for Primitive Archery and Atlatl society and if you have nnot already expressed an interest let me know before 20 feb and I'll arrange your membership stuff and card when I come and get you to fill in the membership form. For membership until March 2009 will cost you 12 Quid. For future events we will arrange favourable rates for members and you'll get invites to all kind of events here and in Europe.

Email markdesignhill@aol.com for info if you are interested.

Where is it:
There are directions here http://www.flagfen.com/

And there's a google map here:
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?ie=UTF-8&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&q=flag+fen&near=Peterborough&fb=1&cid=0,0,415249678146613244&sa=X&oi=local_result&resnum=1&ct=image

If you want to turn up and not sleep out there is a Formule 1 close by and all of peterborogh about 15 minutes drive away. Public transport ends at Peterborough rail station but I don't mind coming to get you if you arrange it in advance at let me know what train you are on.

From the A1 there are brown signs from the turning from which you can see the Cathedral. Follow the things that look like dolmen. Don't panic when you get to the trading estate and power station. Just turn right at the end of that road and you'll see the sign.

Rules
Be responsible around sharps - especially if you've had a sip. I strongly suggest that the sharps go away when the cans come out especially axes!
We need to leave the place as we find it so it would be nice to stick around on Sunday afternoon and help with the tidying up
If you are shooting stay on the shooting ranges. There could be folks wandering about on the site. If you are wandering about pay attention to
the tapes/ropes closing paths so you don't end up behind a target
Have fun


Contact markdesignhill@aol.com and I (David) will include you in the contact list