Bushcraft 101 – Woodland Weekend

£185.00

Skills for adventure and life outdoors, this weekend in the woods includes:

  • Fire lighting methods and igniting successful campfires, using modern and primitive methods (friction fire lighting and more)
  • Erecting man-made shelters, tarps and hammocks
  • Finding water and making it safe to drink
  • Bread baking over the campfire
  • Carving utensils; tent pegs, butter knife and a spoon
  • Building debris shelters with natural materials
  • Health and safety considerations
  • Natural history; tree identification and uses, and seasonal plants
  • Food preparation and cooking all our meals on the campfire
  • Camping out in the woods in  a choice of shelter!

Course information:

  • Location:  Little Chalfont
  • Start and end times: 10:00 Saturday – 16:00 Sunday
  • Course size: Just 4 participants!
  • Age range: 18+
  • Includes: Use of tools and camping equipment; bushcraft knife, laplander saw, fire steel, hammock, tarp, etc. and refreshments with meals cooked over the campfire (Saturday lunch and dinner, Sunday breakfast and lunch)

NB. Please note currently there are no dates scheduled for this course in 2023 – David is hoping to schedule some later in the year. Please subscribe so that you will receive dates if and when they are announced. Thank you.

Out of stock

Description

Bushcraft 101 provides practical skills you can use on your adventures, be that a night wild camping, a family camp out or a trip into the wilds of the countryside, here in the UK or to far off places. You don’t need to have any prior practical Bushcraft knowledge to attend, just come with the enthusiasm to learn, and a desire to camp out in the wilds and have fun learning outdoors.

Super location, animated and expert instruction, a very useful course

Tools and camp craft

Whilst it is possible to survive in the wilds without modern tools, life would be quite difficult without a knife. You will learn how to safely use a knife, bow saws and folding saws, by cutting firewood and making utensils.

Wood carved selection of utensils
Utensils carved throughout the weekend – a spoon to eat with, a knife to spread butter onto your bread…

Fire lighting

A campfire provides warmth, light, the means to cook food and purify water, keeps creepy crawlies at away and builds group moral. Unfortunately many people struggle to get a fire going, usually because they haven’t been shown how or had the opportunity to practice. You will learn how to build campfires using a variety of ignition methods, what natural resources are best for burning and keep things safe for your group and the environment.

Char cloth ignited by a spark – one of the methods we will be using!

You will be making fire using a variety of means, including sparks, friction and more, using both modern and primitive methods, and yes, this will include making fire by rubbing sticks together. With the right materials and guidance this is very achievable and satisfying!

Excellent course, takes you back to ‘basics’ and gives you the confidence to be more adventurous

Shelter

You will also learn how to erect a light weight tarpaulin (tarp) so you can shelter from the elements. You’ll learn simple knots that are easy to remember and then be able too use those same knots to put up and try a hammock.

Tarpaulin shelter - practical, light weight and quick to set up
A light weight shelter is idea for adventures big and small, wild camps and for picnic’s too!

We will also be building debris shelters from sticks and leaves, so there will be a choice of places to sleep for the night, and hammocks too!

Had the most fantastic time and have learnt so many new skills, built my confidence – Thank you

Safe drinking water

Sometimes it’s easy to take water for granted. It’s just a matter of turning the tap on and there we have it, clean, safe drinking water. When camping or on a hike, you’ll probably have water in containers, but what happens when it runs out and there are no taps near by?

Water purification and filtering using a Millbank bag
Making water safe to drink, first filtering and then boiling

There are many places to get water from when in the countryside, but most will be put off by worrying about it being safe to drink. We will consider some of the places and then focus on how to make this water safe to drink. You will learn how to to filter and purify the water.

Health and safety

As with most outdoor activities there are some health and safety issues to be considered. Topics covered will include safety around the campfire, toilet and washing arrangements, adverse weather, camp location and first aid provision.

Campfire cooking

Meals will be cooked on a campfire, we will all help with food preparations and cooking. Cooking methods will vary, for example we may bake potatoes and or other vegetables in embers, steam fish, kebab meat or vegetarian option and or create a stir fry in a large skillet – favourites include a nettle risotto!

Trout with salad and freshly baked bread - lunch in the woods
Bread baked over the campfire with ponassed / butterflied trout and a mixed salad

Natural history

You will be guided around the woodland, learning how to identify trees, gain knowledge of how they can be used. Depending on the season, we will also forage for a few edibles to add a little variety to our meal and or make a herbal brew!

Booking Conditions!