Category Archives: Pix and Picks

Our first official OWL Litterpick of 2021. A great group of guys; good weather; good atmosphere; good banter.

We knew there would be plenty to do – although some of our OWLs had undertaken their own individual litterpicks in January and February (what some stars!) so there could have been even more litter to collect.

Experienced litterpickers, we knew what we had to do and got on with it. Some emptying and replacing the ‘permanent’ bags we’ve left in many of the hot spots

Others working through the woods collecting the range of litter we are used to finding.

We think cleaning the woods up – especially of the large amount of sexual debris – is worthwhile. But we also find it difficult to understand why litter has to be discarded, rather than put in the various rubbish sacks and bins that are available. Some places are pretty grim.

Is it any wonder that members of the public, often with kids who enjoy exploring the woods and the various paths and hidey-holes, get upset when they see so much offensive litter? Although we don’t approve of it, does it come as any surprise that someone has cut down much of the vegetation, presumably to spoil our fun by removing the bushes that used to hide a popular hot spot? If we don’t want more of this to happen surely we have to take some responsibility and not leave evidence of our fun there for all to see?! (Rant over!)

A good first half and time for some well-earned refreshments (all provided in a Covid-secure way, of course).

Then off for more. And guess what?! Another area that many of us like to use for nude sunbathing. But does it really have to be left like this?

Much better if it was left like this

We don’t want to be party-poopers. We want guys to be able to do what they want to do, enjoying horny fun. But without causing offence to others and risking complaints and the inevitable negative responses.

Our willing volunteers (yes, we do it for no reward apart from knowing that we’ve potentially helped make the woods a better place for everyone) did a brilliant job.

Thirty six sacks of rubbish collected today. And add forty six sacks that individual OWLs have already collected in 2021 – that’s a total of EIGHTY TWO sacks of litter, including a very large amount of condoms, condom foils, lube sachets, wipes, tissues, the odd vinyl glove, syringes, a bong, poppers bottles and so on.

 (Please note, we respect everyone’s right to anonymity and only show pics of those willing to have them posted. No inferences should be drawn from anyone’s participation in an OWL litterpicking session)

It was good for our OWLs to meet again, post-Lockdown, and to be prepared to take part in a litterpick despite the conditions not being the most favourable. Any excuse to have a fun time in the woods, eh?

This was not just any OWL Christmas Special Litterpick, this was a Birthday Special Litterpick for two of our group!

As usual we set off in our various directions, aiming to clear up as much litter as we could find. Although the recent bad weather might potentially have reduced the amount of cruising in the woods, maybe Lockdown had increased the motivation to get out and have fun!

It’s surprising who you find loitering (or anti-littering) in the woods!

The hot spots delivered their usual ‘treasure’ – condoms, condom foils, lube sachets, wipes and tissues. As well as the odd empty bottle of poppers, latex glove and kamagra sachet. Many of the paths were pretty free from litter

A substantial amount of litterpicking having been done it was time for our Festive Refreshments (who can resist a warm mince pie and a glass of mulled wine – all prepared under the most careful conditions). And it was time to toast our two Birthday Boys! Many Happy Returns (and not just to the woods!).

Then off for another round of litterpicking. Good to see that some of the rubbish sacks we’ve left in the hotspots are being so well used.

What a great way to spend some time in the woods!

And finally the sealing of the bags and display at the roadside – with, again, several people thanking us for what we are doing. Thirty-three sacks of rubbish in total; twenty of general rubbish and thirteen of recyclables.

It almost being Christmas we aren’t sure if Santa would approve of us filling so many sacks. Maybe, like so many other users of the woods, he’d like his sack emptied!

All credit to our OWLs for all of their work throughout the year. In 2020 the OWLs have collected over 350 sacks of litter from the woods.

For the rest of the winter the OWLs would usually hibernate. But given the amount of litter that we continue to find, we’ll be carrying on with our ‘First Tuesday of The Month’ litterpicks throughout 2021. All are welcome. Click here for the dates of OWL Litterpicks in 2021

 (Please note, we respect everyone’s right to anonymity and only show pics of those willing to have them posted. No inferences should be drawn from anyone’s participation in an OWL litterpicking session)

Like other guys who use the woods, we wanted to get one in before Lockdown. That ‘one’ being another OWL litterpick.

For good reasons some of our regulars couldn’t make it, but those who did were among the finest, and made a brilliant job of the task in hand – to rid the woods of litter, much of it offensive to other legitimate users of the woods.

Safety briefing over we headed off on our usual routes, clearing litter and emptying black sacks as we went on our merry way. We know the woods well (why wouldn’t we – many of us enjoy the facilities they have to offer!). There’s unlikely to be a ‘hot spot’ (for ‘hot spot’ read ‘shagging place’) we don’t know of and don’t visit.

We are used to finding a range of unusual or ‘wouldn’t expect to be there’ items. Today’s were more ‘wish they hadn’t been left there like that’ items. In an area many use to have their fun, lots of discarded syringes. Fair enough if that’s your thing. But leaving them used and uncapped, potentially able to stab animals and, worse still, horny guys? That’s not on.

After a good session filling our sacks (well, Christmas is on the way) it was time to bring them back to the car park and have a break and some refreshments. Socially-distanced, of course.

Then back to the task in hand and more visits to more hot spots. It’s surprising who you find in them.

One for the ecologists – this bramble in flower at this time of year? If only it was a sign that Spring was soon on its way!

More litter-picking, high and low.

And then the final return to the car park, stapling of the bags, and displaying of them at the roadside ready for them to be collected by the rubbish cart. Today’s haul – 29 sacks of assorted rubbish.

And just as we were finishing, nice to be complimented on our amazing work by some passers-by.

Our next, December, litterpick was to have been on 2^nd December – the last day of Lockdown. As long as any restrictions in place at the time don’t prevent it our Christmas Special (and Birthday Special for two of our regulars!) will be on Friday, 4^th December. All are welcome.

 (Please note, we respect everyone’s right to anonymity and only show pics of those willing to have them posted. No inferences should be drawn from anyone’s participation in an OWL litterpicking session)

The weather might have been forecast as gloomy and wet, but our brilliant volunteers weren’t going to be put off by that. Ten skilled guys turned up to what was going to be another highly productive litterpicking session.

With such a good number we had groups heading out in various directions both to pick up the litter on the paths and in the bushes, and also to empty the black sacks we leave in the many ‘hot spots’.

Well, when you are litterpicking it seems that a wheelie bin could be handy!

That gorse is growing up tall again!

Giving plenty of opportunities for playtime. Presumably the only thing missing from here is the Rock n Roll?!

Pleasingly much of the area didn’t have too much litter. Even the area around the Fuck Tree.

Time for refreshments and already our sacks were getting pretty full.

Then more of the same, with some going in deep and strong (to the woods, of course). But wherever we are, there’s always some litter to be found.

Finally back to base and the stapling and display of the bags ready for collection. Another superb effort, and all credit to each and every one of our volunteers. Fifty two sacks of litter left for collection beside the road. Four more for collection elsewhere. Ten more collected over the last two weeks by two of our volunteers working independently and twelve more collected by another volunteer not long after our last group litterpick. THAT’S SEVENTY EIGHT SACKS OF LITTER!

What a great achievement!

Our next OWL litterpick is on Tuesday, 3^rd November.

 (Please note, we respect everyone’s right to anonymity and only show pics of those willing to have them posted. No inferences should be drawn from anyone’s participation in an OWL litterpicking session)

Cruising round the woods, as some of us do, and finding that despite a recent litterpick there was a lot of litter around, some of the OWLs decided to do an extra litterpick in addition to those published on the website.

And five super Owl supporters turned up. With the Covid-specific briefing, and then the health and safety briefing, over we were off on our well-established routes.

Plenty to do in the area where the Epping Forest folk have scrub-bashed one of the entrances. Not sure why they had to do that?!. (“Opening up our entrances”?!!!! Try saying it in a Kenneth Williams voice! Ooohh matron!). The effect of the scrub-bashing has been to expose litter that has been in the undergrowth for years. And shred much of it up.

We always find some unusual items. Maybe someone was into spooning? Or baking – from the look of it it could have cooked something and we don’t mean cakes!

Some good work done in this area – not a hint of litter anywhere (at the moment this pic was taken!).

Yes, we ask people not to throw their rubbish on the ground, but this is a bit extreme! (you might need to look around!)

A bit of hooting and hollering and we managed to get our volunteers back to base for refreshments (all inline with good-practice regarding Covid, including plenty of hand-sanitising)

Then on for more, moving further afield and finding the usual litter in the usual places.

We’re not really sure why, when there’s a black rubbish sack very close-by, guys still throw their sexual debris (used condoms, condom foils, lube sachets and wipes) on the ground beside it. But hey, if you get turned on by having sex while surrounded by, and sometimes treading on, other people’s discarded crap then who are we to judge?!

Plenty to do on The Mound, and of course at this time of year there is no shortage of bottles and cans. At least they get recycled!

Finally back to the car park to staple the bags so that their contents don’t escape. And then to form our traditional display at the road side. Selfridge’s window-dressers would b proud of us (ok, well maybe not!)

Another impressive (or depressing?) total number of sacks considering that it was only 10 days ago that we cleared up the same area. Seventeen sacks of general rubbish and thirteen of recyclables.

Thanks guys. You make a difference.

Our next OWL litterpick is on Tuesday, 6^th October.

 (Please note, we respect everyone’s right to anonymity and only show pics of those willing to have them posted. No inferences should be drawn from anyone’s participation in an OWL litterpicking session)

The OWLs give a hoot (about offensive and unnecessary litter), and we were back to work today on our third litterpick since lockdown restrictions were eased.

It’s good to be recognised and feedback from our August litterpick was that we had excelled ourselves and what we had done had made a huge difference. Nice!!

Another fine day. Another fine group of volunteers. And after the Covid-19 briefing, the rest of the Health and Safety briefing, and a healthy bit of banter, we set off in our various directions.

A key task was replacing some of the black sacks we have installed in many of the ‘hot spots’. We reckon it’s not unreasonable to expect guys, when their fun is over, to put their litter in the black sack. It’s probably easier than throwing it on the ground!

Funny what we find as we make our way through the woods emptying the rubbish sacks. Someone must have been proud that they managed to split these two cock rings (or were they just too small in the first place?!)

There’s a ‘hot spot’ we call The Gymn. So called because it has a range of facilities to allow a number of positions to be used, and from the amount of litter there it gets well-used for work-outs!

Not sure what someone used their savings for, but the money bags were empty (or was it their own savings….?).

With the sack-count increasing, due to the amount of work that was being done, it was time to take the sacks of rubbish collected so far back to the car park and enjoy a break for refreshments and a bit of a catch-up. And receive some thanks from passers-by.

Then back for more of the same with our OWLs heading off again in all directions. Strange as it might seem we like it when we’ve emptied a rubbish sack and it’s there ready for the next hot spot users to use!

Some of our group went in deep! It’s amazing, judging from the number of used condom foils, how much of the woods is used by guys to have sex. (we’re certainly not complaining).

And it’s clear that lots of guys like to have a good play in the woods – but Lego?! That’s one strange fetish isn’t it?!

Finally, time to return to the car park, staple the tops of the rubbish sacks, and put them on display at the side of the road, ready for collection by our colleagues from the City of London Corporation (which manages Epping Forest of which Snaresbrook Woods are part). And when they arrived, very nice of them to congratulate us on our efforts which they say makes a real difference.

Another impressive haul – 50 sacks of litter in total, 24 of recycling and 26 general litter (including a lot of sexual debris).

We hope our super volunteers will be back next month – along with others who would like to join in and are always welcome.

Our next OWL litterpick is on Tuesday, 6^th October.

 (Please note, we respect everyone’s right to anonymity and only show pics of those willing to have them posted. No inferences should be drawn from anyone’s participation in an OWL litterpicking session)

A fine day. A great group of guys. Plenty of litter to pick. What’s not to like?! (Answer: plenty of litter to pick is what’s not to like!). No one is doing the OWLs any favours by throwing their litter on the ground or in the vegetation. But it’s true that since we started litterpicking we’ve managed to avoid there being complaints about it – especially about sexual debris that many find offensive – so we are getting something right. And it is also true that many guys are using the bin and bags we put around the place, meaning that litter that might otherwise be chucked away gets bagged. And we collect it from the bags.

Of course, in these current times of extra concern we ensure that we are appropriately physically-distanced, sanitise our hands regularly and avoid sharing litterpickers.

Our party of eight got to work quickly. We wanted to clear up the nude sunbathing area before it got busy; we aim to avoid disturbing others doing what they are there for. The area was in a nasty mess. We soon took care of that.

On our way through we routinely empty the ‘permanent’ black sacks, separating the recyclable rubbish from the rest. Wipes are not recyclable. Nor do they rot. Just saying!

With OWLs in all parts of the woods it was somewhat surprising that nearly all made it back to the car park in time for some much-needed and cool refreshments. Someone had been a bit enthusiastic about chilling the drinking water; it was frozen; but the thought was there!

Already we had a good haul of filled sacks, but we soon ventured out for more.

We are not sure why some people rip the ‘permanent’ bags down. Maybe they think they detract from the natural environment? (Btw: condom foils, lube sachets, used condoms, bottles of poppers and wipes tend to detract from the natural environment).

The more experienced (wiser?) OWLs reckon we know the majority of the ‘hot spots’ where guys go if they want some time together in more private surroundings. But it’s always good to introduce our volunteers to places that they weren’t previously aware of. And which they then have the option of using should they want to!

Eventually the fun had to come to an end. Final task was to secure the bags and put them beside the road for later collection by our friendly forest warden. A total very close to our maximum – 54 sacks of rubbish of which 22 were recyclable items.

A credit to our loyal volunteers, who we hope we will see again next month. Hopefully along with others who think that what OWL does is worthwhile and worth supporting.

But wait! Did we say 54 sacks of rubbish? WRONG! Two of our trusty OWLs stayed on to do some more clearing up and added a further FIVE sacks, bringing our total haul for the day to a stonking (and in some cases stinking) 59 sacks of rubbish, 23 being of recyclable items. That’s the maximum amount the OWLs have ever collected. Another record-breaker! A brilliant effort! (although it has to be said that it would be good to have had much less work to do and far fewer sacks of litter to collect as a result of people using bins or taking their litter away with them). 

Our next OWL litterpick is on Tuesday, 1^st September.

 (Please note, we respect everyone’s right to anonymity and only show pics of those willing to have them posted. No inferences should be drawn from anyone’s participation in an OWL litterpicking session)

We’d planned to litterpick this year on the first Tuesday of every month from April onwards. Then Covid-19 came along. Lockdown, social-distancing and all that. So in the interests of everyone’s safety we cancelled a few work parties.

But wise OWLs can’t be locked down for ever and we felt that we needed to get back into the woods and do some clearing up of the inevitable sexual debris that would be there.

In fact it wasn’t anything like as bad as it could have been. Several valiant souls have been out litterpicking on their own – including one of our OWL group – and done a brilliant job.

Nevertheless, there was work to be done and following our posts on Squirt, along with messages to several others showing an interest, an amazing total of eleven guys turned up to litterpick. Brilliant!

A welcome, a description of the task in hand, a bit about health and safety and two teams were off in separate directions while another wise OWL flitted round the woods replacing the permanent bags we’ve installed in the hot spots.

There was plenty of litter to find and our newbies were soon up to speed and working well. Much of the litter is what we are used to. Bags, papers, cups, bottles and cans along the paths and in the more public areas. Used condoms, condom foils, lube sachets, wipes and tissues in the hotspots. The odd bottle of poppers. A latex glove. Not really sure what a tin of ‘weed’ sachets was doing in one of the hotspots?! Offering a new deal maybe?

Just over an hour’s intense litterpicking and it was time to regroup for refreshments. Not the full OWL selection due to Covid transmission issues but, following hand-sanitising, the free bottles of water and wrapped biscuits were appreciated.

Before, during and after the session it was good to have a much larger number of people than usual walking past and thanking us for what we are doing.

Time for a couple to leave us but most stayed for Round Two. More of the same but going further afield. It’s always good to introduce newcomers to hot spots they might not be aware of – even if under these circumstances the purpose is just to collect litter.

Corona was still around, of course!

Finally, the fun had to come to an end and the OWLs regrouped again to seal the bags and place them at the roadside. An amazing total number of bags, and an OWL record! FIFTY FIVE sacks of litter; thirty three of general rubbish and twenty two of recyclable rubbish.

HUGE thanks to everyone who came along and made a difference. We hope to see everyone (and more!) next month.

 (Please note, we respect everyone’s right to anonymity and only show pics of those willing to have them posted. No inferences should be drawn from anyone’s participation in an OWL litterpicking session)

With reports of litter building up, and despite the usual hibernation of the OWLs during January, February and March, today was yet another opportunity for some of the OWLs to meet and do an extra bit of cleaning up.

Pretty good weather, though it was definitely more suited to wellies than it was to slingbacks!

It’s not that we WANT to collect litter, it’s just that we reckon the place is much better for everyone if litter – especially litter that will be offensive to some –  isn’t strewn all over the place.

As well as the Epping Forest litter bin in the car park, and another bin we’ve placed in the woods, the OWLs have also put black sacks up in many of the hot spots, allowing easy and quick disposal of used condoms, condom foils, lube sachets and wipes. Many guys helpfully get rid of their litter in the sacks, others just throw it on the ground within a short distance of the rubbish sacks. We don’t understand why!

Working as a team the OWLs move through the woods collecting whatever litter they can spot. Usefully, recyclable rubbish is put in separate sacks.

There’s never a shortage of litter in the woods, but our volunteers are used to that.

It’s no problem picking up rubbish along the various trails.

Every OWL litterpick has its own unique flavour. Today’s litterpick seemed to feature Tropical Fruit condoms!

An interesting combo!

Working out in the fresh air means that, having worked for an hour or so, we are always ready to take a break for some refreshments and a bit of a laugh together.

Then it’s back to more of the same. The place looks so much better when it’s litter-free (well, we think so!)

Eventually time to return to base, staple the sacks up to prevent their contents being strewn across the road, and leave them ready for collection.

Another good day’s work. Thirteen sacks of mixed rubbish and nine of miscellaneous recyclables. RESULT!

Our 2020 series of litterpicks kicks off officially in April. If you’ve had some fun in the woods, or even if you haven’t (yet!) why not put something back by joining in a litterpick? Check the 2020 dates on our Dates of Picks page.

 (Please note, we respect everyone’s right to anonymity and only show pics of those willing to have them posted. No inferences should be drawn from anyone’s participation in an OWL litterpicking session)

The OWLs were supposed to be hibernating until April, but the thought of a build-up of litter over the winter months awoke three regulars who just couldn’t resist taking up their litter pickers and heading off to fill their sacks on a perfect day.

As well as the usual litter it’s interesting to see what items have been left in the woods.

                             Someone into bare?(feet)

              If one of your balls is this colour you need to get along to                                                      the clinic!

  And if one of your balls looks like this make sure no one kicks you (although maybe a header would be ok?!)

The usual technique for these experienced OWLs – moving through the woods picking up litter from the ground and the bushes and emptying the sacks we’ve left in many of the hot spots.

                                          Sack-emptying is a skill!

                           If the caps fits…?

            A Grinder, but not the Grindr many of us are used to!

The Ts and Cs of any OWL litterpick are that having worked hard so far we take a break for our own Ts and Cs – Teas and Coffees.

Then off to do some more litterpicking in the bushes before bringing it all back to base, stapling the sacks, and placing them at the roadside ready for collection.

Seven sacks of recyclable litter and seven of general rubbish – not bad.

(Please note, we respect everyone’s right to anonymity and only show pics of those willing to have them posted. No inferences should be drawn from anyone’s participation in an OWL litterpicking session)