Bushcraft -
It's a lot more than just lighting fires.
It is more than lighitng fires by rubbing sticks together.
It is beyond knowing how each type of wood will burn and the properties of the smoke it produces .
It includes knowing the plants and trees as well as you know the members of your own family.
It is knowing how the earth spins through space and how the wind blows through the trees.
It is the biggest collection of "Joined Up Thinking" there will ever be.
Not a day will pass that you can't learn something new.
So,
Enjoy what you are learning today,Pass on what you learned yesterday and be amazed at what you might learn tomorrow!
Bushcraft - way beyond "Life Long Learning!"
Introductory Courses and Demonstrations
I currently run courses in the following topics:-
Fire lighting, from basics to advanced methods, Fire lays and uses.
Knife Safety, Maintenance and Use
Nature awareness & flora identification
Natural Navigation techniques
Nature Awareness
My courses are based upon knowledge and craft skills, with elements of mobile learning, but mostly the skills used whilst in camp, enabling a subconscious discovery of the finer points of campcraft and conservation.
I also offer tuition in;
Carving, Campcraft, Primitive Technology and Survival Techniques.
Bespoke topics & tuition upon request.
To reserve a place on any of these courses or for more information, please call 01686 412493 or 07733320427 or Email me at the address below.
Pricing
Day courses carry a cost of £95/125/150, following a Bronze, Silver, Gold level of service - Bronze = Basic level of information with tuition in technique and guided practise,
Silver = Basic plus additional techniques, "Tricks of the trade" and practical guidance to improve your your skills,
Gold = as above with tools supplied for you to keep at the end of the course.
Basic courses are sometimes available for groups as workshop type sessions depending upon the season, resources available and the numbers of participants - costs will be negotiated at time of contact.
Courses will be run at the customers request.
Pre-planned day courses will be published on the events page .
Corporate Events & Team-Building Days are by prior arrangement.
Following our fifth successful year working with Aberystwyth University, Computer Science & Physics Department, promoting team work, communication skills and more than a little Bushcraft tuition, we can offer a weekend of activities that promote effective communication and efficient teamworking for new business departments, corporate groups and private clients. Costs will depend upon the number of attendees and the location, but will pay huge dividends through greater productivity, more effective communication and improved teamwork in the work-place. Please call or Email to arrange your corporate team-building or entertainment event.
Starting Easy
Begin your Bushcraft journey with an easy stroll around the countryside, I can introduce you to the wild resources of plants and trees and maybe we can find a few animal tracks to discuss. A little folklore, some medicinal history and a tale or two of the old poachers camp.
I can accomodate individuals, families or regular walking/rambling groups for periods of an hour or two - up to a day; from a cost of a few pounds per person - please call for availability.
Fire - mans greatest technological achievement
For many thousands of years, Fire has served as both warning and welcome, enabled foods to be processed, changed the properties of mud and metals. It has committed the bodies of our ancestors to the spiritual afterlife, it has held our gaze in a dream-like wonder and been the centre of many religious ceremonies. 
It warmed the weary limbs of returning hunters and turned simple "cave" into "Home".
Today, using matches, lighters and chemical enhancement, fire making has become all too easy, but what happens if your matches get damp or your lighter runs out of fuel?.
It is high time we reclaimed this most precious art and relearnt the spiritual aspect of our most necessary of outdoor skills.
- Creating a fire from natural and manmade materials
- Fire maintenance & use
- Fire lays, fuels comparisons and "Leave No Trace" ethics
Shelter
From tents to tarps, Hammocks and Bivi bags. 
Shelter is the barrier between ourselves and the elements.
The requirements of a temporary shelter
Location, location, location.
The importance of carrying suitable shelter elements and the multitude of ways that a tarp shelter can be erected. The needs and wants of a long term shelter system.
Water
The average person requires between two and five liters of clean drinking water each day - sometimes more. Here in the UK, our climate means that for most of the year, we have reasonable access to water, however, there are times when it all goes wrong.
The late summer floods of recent years have shown that we cannot rely entirely on the supplies that we have had in the past, we should arm ourselves with knowledge and skills to collect, purify and store sufficient water to meet the needs of ourselves and our families.
As a purely theoretical topic, we will discuss the following;-
- Harvesting water
- Options for filtering, sterilising and purifying
- Storage and use.
Crafts
Learn the craft skills of the outdoors; carving, cord making, the creation of utensils and tools that can make your camp routine easier and place you closer to Mother Nature for a more thrilling experience..
Over a day, weekend, or a few visits, you'll find that you have enough knowledge to take your camping experience to a whole new level. 
You'll see things in a different light and recognise the capability of many natural resources. You might even begin to recycle many ordinary items to new roles within your camping equipment. You then will be well on your way to becoming a bushcraft advocate in your own right, living a simpler life and treading lighter on mother earths delicate carpet.
Natural Navigation Techniques
It's so easy to find our way with modern maps, compass and even GPS these days.
But what if your equipment breaks or the batteries fail while you are out? Learn the natural indicators that point to and align with predictable directions that are all over our landscape.
Sun and stars are quite well known but what if the weather closes in, what can you use to keep to the correct path? Sometimes the trees, plants and the very ground itself can point you in the right direction.
We merely have to learn which indicators are trustworthy and which are trying to turn us around!
Demonstrations and School Visits
Please call to discuss your specific requirements.
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