3-Day Roundhouse Event

[Paul Elliott]

The planned 3-day occupation of a roundhouse in North Yorkshire went well! There were five of us in the roundhouse, but only three sleeping there. We had a continuous 3 day fire and cooked lamb stew, a simple pigeon stew, spit roasted a duck, cooked bean cakes on a flat stone, made a net, practiced firelighting with flint and steel, cooked duck and goose eggs in the ashes, and had a great time drinking meads and beers around the fire in the evening. The doorway is too wide, and has no 'door', so we erected a canvas across it for the night-time and slept in the beds. We brought our own straw bale to refresh the beds. Sleeping on the straw, a deerskin and under blankets, with the fire kept at a low level, we were warm and comfortable. In the early hours, when our sleeper-by-the fire fell asleep and stopped putting logs on , the temperature fell a bit and the smoke settled along the edges where we were sleeping. You woke up with a bit of a cough, and after the weekend I smelled of woodsmoke, but that's a smell I like!

Lots of interest, the day was sunny and we were constantly showing groups of 3-6 around the house while we cooked or repaired kit, and we took it in shifts to get out into the sunlight to see our friends camped further down the museum. Some great experiences and great photographs. Friend Lucos and myself (Vindos) went out for a bit to play in the woods. Photos below:

[Paul Elliott]

There are a few other photos and a write-up of the experience here: http://earlyworks.weebly.com/2013-ryedal...house.html

[Paul Elliott]

[Paul Elliott]

[Paul Elliott]

There is a write-up of the weekend on our website: http://earlyworks.weebly.com/2013-ryedal...house.html

[M. Demetrius]

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