Instructions
- Prepare your site.
- Pick a location for your fire that is at least 5 miles away from bushes, or any combustibles or overhanging branches.
- Ensure your fire is built downwind from your accommodation.
- Use large rocks to make a round or U-shaped perimeter.
- If it is windy, ensure that the back of the fire pit faces the wind (so the wind takes any smoke to the back of the fire).
- Put a large or a number of smaller rocks at the rear of the fire pit to act as a chimney, to help direct smoke up and away.
Lay Kindling
- Fill your chosen fire area with paper or tinder and a couple of ZIP® firelighter cubes.
- Lay the kindling over the paper, alternating the orientation of the wood for each layer to create a lattice pattern. Some campers prefer to make a ‘tepee’ shape.
- Remember to light the firelighters with long safety matches and have a bottle of water or sand/dirt to smother any unwanted flames.
Once Ablaze
- Once the kindling is fully alight, add the pre-found firewood. Wherever possible, ensure that the wood is of a similar size.
- If available, use hardwood as it burns more slowly and reduces the amount of spitting.
- When the flames have begun to die down, leaving mostly cinders, use a large, strong stick to push the cinders into a high concentration at the back of the fire and a lower concentration at the front. This gives the cook a choice of high, medium, or low temperatures for cooking.
- To begin cooking, set the grill on the rocks. You can now place the food directly on the grill or in a pan and cook your meal in a truly authentic style.
- After cooking, add wood for the evening campfire, sit back and enjoy relaxing in the great outdoors whilst staying warm.
- As the fires goes out, extinguish thoroughly with water, before turning in for the night.
