5 day Intermediate bushcraft and survival course

Ages:18 and over. Price: £400 per person

This course, set over 5 consecutive days, is designed to hone your existing knowledge of bushcraft and survival techniques as well as introduce new subjects and skills. It is recommended that you have already attended an ‘introduction to bushcaft’ course although we will consider those who have a practical mind and a good level of dexterity or who have had reasonable experience in the outdoors. This is a very intensive ‘hands on’ course where you will learn by doing as opposed to a series of lectures. You will also be expected to carry out tasks around camp as well as sleep in your shelter for a duration of the course and so a good level of fitness is also required. Onthis course we will cover:

Day 1: Tool use

• Safe use of the axe. Tree felling. Cross cutting. Splitting wood.
• Safe use of the saw. Bow saws. Hand saws.
• Safe use of the knife and knife law. Whittling and Swedish carving techniques. The ‘try stick’. Feather sticks. Tent pegs.
• Other tool usage. The draw knife. Shave horses. Rasps, files and finishing.
• Knife and tool sharpening.
• Green wood working including, but not limited to: pot hangers, camp cutlery, bow drill set.

Day 2: Setting up camp

• Basic rules of survival and priorities.
• Where to site your camp. Camp equipment. Camp safety. Camp hygiene.
• Clothing choice and maintenance and care of clothing.
• Knots and ropes and building shelters using man made materials.
• Natural shelter building. 1 man. 2 man. Group shelters. Shelters with fire.
• Making beds and bedding from natural resources.
• Creating fire using modern and primitive techniques. Wood properties. Natural and man made tinder. Fire safety. Fire lays.

Day 3: Food and water

• Finding water sources. Man made and natural filtration. Transpiration and solar stills. Purification techniques.
• Wild plant and tree identification. Wild edibles. Hedgerow medicine. Other tree and plant uses both past and present.
• Small game butchery. Fish and rabbit.
• Large game butchery. Deer. Starting the ‘tanning’ process.
• Back country cooking techniques. The ‘Hangi’. The Dutch oven. Making bread. Cooking over an open fire.
• Keeping food. Natures fridge. Drying and preserving. The smoker.

Day 4: Hunting

• Hunting techniques with a gun. Law. Equipment.
• Concealment and using the ‘seven S rules of camouflage’. Ghost walking and stealth.
• Identifying mammal groups using tracks and signs.
• Natural navigation and other clues.
• Mammal traps, the law and morel obligations. The figure 4 trap and other dead falls. Snares. The twitch up.
• Fishing techniques. Natural hooks and baits. Man made fish traps.

Day 5: Camp crafts

• Introduction to weaving using willow and other natural resources. The fish trap.
• Natural cordage.
• Making a simple hazel bow.
• Making an arrow. Natural glue. Fire straightening wood. An introduction to flint knapping.
• The atlatl.
• Finishing any projects.

During the evenings there will also be some entertainment in the form of games, riddles and quizzes. If you would like to participate there will also be available a range of physical challenges, including axe, tomahawk and knife throwing, archery, primitive throwing spears, air rifles and a slack line.
All food and beverages will be included except for your lunch and dinner on the first day and breakfast and lunch on the second day. This is because we wish for you to experience cooking over an open fire.