Bushcraft, survival and wilderness skills courses

Well it started as a suggestion to Arlingtons head ranger and gone up the chain from there.

Whilst scouting new locations at the venue I mentioned how many people come on my courses then don't have a place to go and practice their new found skills. We spoke of the suspicions that some landowners have of anyone who might choose to spend free time smelling of wood smoke and avoiding power tools and other gadgetry. I suggested a dream I have had for a few years now, that once a person has proven themselves able to spend time in the wilds as  a true woodsman, living by the leave no trace code then that should be somehow recognised and rewarded with a series of venues throughout the land where they are welcome to camp and practice bushcraft.

Well you've been out and cut your stick, saved a few lambs from emasculation and you are all set to do some tracking.

For the start we will concentrate on man tracking. Although once you have the concept in your tracking tool box the theory can be applied to most walking animals. Of course this isn't an all seeing eye or magic pointer there is still a great deal of dirt time necessary to learn to interpret the tracks and see the stories they tell.

You will be using the stick to guide your eye to the next probable imprint. Just the same as Quantum mechanics this is about probabilities. so always consider the "what if ?" factor; your subject may speed up, slow down or take more stealthy evasive action. However as you read the spoor you will come to see that all changes will be shown in the track.

Many a time has my trusty stick got me out of a fix whilst Ive been tracking, and my mentor Max's words still ring in my ears from the day I passed my advanced tracking course and earned my silver feather "trust your stick."

Tracking sticks come in many forms from striped down ski poles and traditional walking staffs to custom made purpose built sticks. However my preference is for a personally made stick. I have found that as years have passed I have developed a bond with my trusty apple wood stick from the day I cut it to the next time I take it tracking. I know I am not alone and every tracker I know will go to great lengths to make sure their stick is close to hand.

The stick is used to estimate the next foot fall in a track whilst also gauging your following the right track, and with a little pimping giving a good idea of direction of travel.

Wow!

Another busy week and I can barely contain myself after another visit to Arlington Court. Had a good walk round the outer parts of the estate with Murray the head ranger who was enthused by the opportunities that could lie ahead for WildPath and The National Trust.

Although as always the most exciting stuff can't yet be disclosed we have confirmed the dates for the drop in workshops that will be running in 2010.

These will be run by me for free and available to any visitors to the estate

Well Just in from a very productive Wander round the grounds of Arlington Court. And come home with a spring in my step and a big smile. After seeing my demonstrations at the sheepdog trial I have been invited to run the occasional bushcraft themed day for the National Trust.

We have already confirmed 3 dates for next year, and are currently looking at other opportunities for other events; including the potential of two or three day’s courses which will include overnight stays.
Though we took a short walk round a loop of the estate there is a possible 2700 acres of space to explore and host WildPath events. It truly is a venue perfect for Bushcraft courses and considering how difficult it is to find good venues in North Devon this one is something of a gem.

It was Dave Watson of Woodland Survival Crafts who showed me this great method for extracting bramble fibres. I like using bramble in bushcraft as you can use it straight from harvesting, no drying needed; and its readily available almost everywhere I go; although it’s quite seasonal as you need to find the newest growth you can still find 1-2m lengths which are perfect for the job. I find the fibres to be a little more course than nettle and not quite as strong but for the majority of camp uses bramble is up to most tasks.

Those of you who know me may well know I live with a half cat half Godzilla type creature that some may mistake for a simple cat. And how I handle her and nettles to avoid any sharp pains is pretty much identical.

Like cat fur nettle stings grow in one direction up the stem and out along the leaves stroke cat or nettle in the right direction and no harm will come however stroke them against the direction of growth and you’re asking for trouble.

Knowing this makes handling nettles a lot easier and once your holding a nettle there is so much to be done with it. The fresh new leaves once blanched make for an excellent spinach substitute. The older leaves make for a pleasant hot drink and the stem will give you some of the finest fibres for string making.

Whatever your chosen method for fire lighting is the fundamentals of establishing, managing and maintaining a fire will always follow the same guidelines. First off what is the fire for? A few possible reasons are heat, light, signalling, cooking or most importantly boiling tea water.

Once you've decided on that then it makes it all a lot easier, but before I get carried away let us just go through some of the basics of fire. Most should know of the trinity of fire if not you will by the end of this paragraph. Fire needs three key components Oxygen, fuel and heat.

It is easy to forget what a difference a little string can make but once your out in the wilds one of the key elements of bushcraft is the making of cord. from short lengths for bangles and decoration to enough to make nets and baskets there are a million uses for string. Making it can become a little addictive and you will find yourself experimenting with anything vaguely fibrous no matter where you are. I have found myself on the London underground with the bark of an exotic tree getting many perplexed looks which turned to looks of bemusement when I handed a friend who was with me a bracelet to take home. Fibres can be taken from a wide range of plants nettle and bramble being my favourites. However for the purposes of this I've opted for raffia as it’s something that I have in great abundance for running workshops with local schools and groups. The key to tidy string is in keeping everything even and in two strand twisted string there isn't much to concentrate on so with a little practice it’s fairly easy to come up with something strong and presentable. 

Since starting a bushcraft school, two years ago I have found there are some common questions that I am always asked; I saw this on the TV what do you think ? Could you easily survive off the land? Doesn’t that taste awful? But the one question I hadn’t anticipated that gets asked of me on pretty much every course was about my knife.

I always keep to hand a basic green handled frosts 740 knife. It’s always done me good when I needed it and I’ve never bothered to think much more about it. However in the modern day marketing frenzy my clients always seem a little disappointed with my choice of sub tenner tool.

My argument had been it does everything I ask of it and  its cheap and reliable. What more could I want? Well given the chance to try out the new Knife on the (forgive the pun) chopping block, I thought it would be a great opportunity to put my theories to the test.