Yurts, Yurtmakers and camping in a yurt
by Angus, 1 June, 2012, 0 comments
Recently, I visited the Sustainability Centre in Hampshire where a brand new yurt was being erected. Intrigued, I fell into conversation with the yurtmaker, Henry Dowell (of yurtmaker.co.uk). He turns out to be a rather remarkable character and has himself lived in a yurt for over 4 years and learnt how to make them, mostly through trial and error - to me it looked like more trial than error! Henry explained that he makes most of the parts out of "green ash" (ie unseasoned ash timber) which he bends using steam and that process also helps to season the wood so that it will last for many years. All this preparation happens in what he calls his "corner of Shropshire" where ash grows very well and can be milled locally. This creates a new market for ash which is often overlooked but is a very useful timber tree, saving it from being used only as firewood. Read more...
