So you’ve got a date coming round and want to impress her with your Boy Scout skills? Build a bonfire! For Autumn & Winter, it’s the perfect place to cuddle up and talk. Here is our fail-safe guide to succeeding in your mission:
Step One: First up, find a suitable place. It will need to be far enough away from flammable structures and trees and sheltered from the wind. Dig a shallow pit of a few inches and make sure it is slightly bigger than you want your fire to be. Encircle the perimeter of the pit with rocks or bricks.
Step Two: Now gather tinder, which is lightweight and thoroughly dry material that burns well and quickly and that allows larger sticks to ignite. Try twigs, dried leaves, paper or grass. Also find some kindling, which are thoroughly dry sticks of different diameters. The fuel (i.e. what burns for a long time) will need to be larger logs, again completely dry. Oak, maple, ash, beech, and birch are the best for burning.
Step Three: Now place a small pile of tinder in the middle of your fire put and surround it with kindling to form a teepee, leaving enough space for the fire to breathe. Repeat so you have two layers.
Step Four: Lay two logs parallel to each other on either side of the teepee. Then take two logs and put them perpendicularly to the other two, making a square shape. Then add a third layer so you have a sort of den set-up, while always making sure there is space to get to the tinder to light it.
Step Five: Finally light the tinder in multiple places using a lighter or some matches. Continue to add more tinder as the bonfire catches and when it is established add more wood as needed.
Voila! Enjoy… and don’t do anything we wouldn’t do!
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