There aren’t many occasions when you would encourage your child to handle
sharp knives, build fires or eat wild plants. But bushcraft courses not only
get them outdoors and build confidence, but learning survival skills also
helps to harness their rebellious instincts. We’ve tracked down the best
courses for aspiring Ray Mears types.
TRUEWAYS SURVIVAL SCHOOL, NATIONWIDE
It is unlikely that you will ever have to survive in the wilds of Britain
without food, warmth or shelter. Just in case, though, Trueways can teach
you the skills you would need to do so. The company runs survival courses
throughout the UK, covering everything from how to start a fire to how to
build a shelter, set traps and collect water. You will also learn which
plants are edible, so you can feast on leaves and berries, rather than
witchetty grubs. Most people opt for a three-day course, which involves
learning signalling and navigation. For anyone who doesn’t fancy spending
the night snuggled up to a piece of moss, though, there are one-day lessons
available.
Where Regular courses are held in several locations
throughout the UK, including Surrey, North Yorkshire and the Scottish
Borders.
Suitable for Age 7 plus, although under-16s must be
accompanied by an adult.
Cost A one-day course costs £120, two days £160, three days
£220, five days £320.
Contact 08700 493410, www.survival-school.org
NATURAL PATHWAYS, KENT
If you have ever had fantasies about living in a teepee and renaming
yourself Running Wolf, there is little doubt that you will find Natural
Pathways your “spiritual home”. The centre, just outside Canterbury, is
dedicated to “providing you with an understanding of Mother Earth”, which
means that there is a strong holistic element to the bushcraft skills taught
here. The Spirit of the Earth course, spread over seven weekends in a year,
aims to prepare you spiritually, mentally, physically and emotionally for
the wilds of Kent. If that sounds a little extreme, there are Family
Wilderness Adventure days, with plenty of games and lessons in rudimentary
survival skills.
Where Littlehall Pinetum, Kent.
Suitable for Adult courses are for age 17 upwards; family
courses are suitable for age 6 upwards.
Cost Family Wilderness Adventure days costs £17 per person;
£60 for a family of four. The Spirit of the Earth course costs £444.
Contact 01304 842045/842971, www.natural-pathways.co.uk
WOODLANDS SURVIVAL CRAFTS, DERBYSHIRE
The discovery of fire was so important to prehistoric man that for centuries
it was worshipped like a god. The chances are that you will feel the same if
you undertake a Friction Fire Lighting Course at Woodland Survival Crafts.
The three-day programme involves heading out into Derbyshire’s Spring Wood,
where you will learn both the “bow drill” and “hand drill” methods of
starting fires. The centre also offers Family Bushcraft Weekends, with
games, prizes and lessons in how to craft a pot-holder for cooking over a
campfire. For the more advanced woodsman, there are five-day Woodland
Survival Skills Courses, which are accredited with the Duke of Edinburgh’s
Award Scheme.
Where Spring Wood, on the Derbyshire/ Leicestershire borders.
Suitable for Family Bushcraft Weekends cater for children
aged 8 upwards. The Woodland Survival Skills Course is for age 14 plus.
Cost Family Bushcraft Weekends cost £95 for adults and £45
for children. The Woodland Survival Skills Course costs £365.
Contact 01283 730851, www.woodlandsurvivalcrafts.com
WOODLORE SCHOOL OF WILDERNESS BUSHCRAFT, SUSSEX
Woodlore is one of the oldest bushcraft centres in the UK and was
established by Ray Mears in 1983. It offers family weekends, with activities
such as making fire and tracking animals as part of the programme, as well
as four-day courses for 11 to 16-year-olds, with plenty of instructors to
ensure that it doesn’t turn all Lord of the Flies. If he is in
the country, Mears will often drop in to the centre so you may get the
chance to discuss survival skills with the master himself. For those who
prefer more of a challenge, there are overseas trips to places such as the
Arctic and the Ardèche.
Where East Sussex and Hampshire.
Suitable for Family courses are for age 5 and up, although
under-17s must be accompanied by an adult. The two-day Introduction to
Bushcraft course is for over-18s only.
Cost The four-day Junior Fundamental Bushcraft course costs
£425. Family bushcraft weekends cost £195.
Contact 01580 819668, www.raymears.com
CAMBRIAN SURVIVAL, WALES
Held in the beautiful, rugged Cambrian mountains, this school offers
a genuine wilderness survival experience for the intrepid explorer. Two and
five-day courses cater to survival enthusiasts of all abilities. The Basic
Course teaches fire-lighting, knife-sharpening, shelter- construction and
primitive fishing methods. For serious back-to-nature types there are also
master classes in trapping and hunting, and cooking whatever you’ve caught.
The idea is that you learn realistic survival skills, so, for instance, you
can expect to be taught imaginatively unlikely uses for condoms (as
makeshift water carriers), alongside learning how to send distress signals
(but not just because you’ve split your condom), as well as how to source
medicinal plants.
Where Aberystwyth, Wales.
Suitable for Age 16 and up for adult courses; age 11 up for
junior courses. All ages are welcome on the family course, although the
school doesn’t recommend bringing children under 5.
Cost The two-day Basic Weekend Course costs £165. The Family
Weekend course costs £130 per person.
Contact 01970 612969, www.cambriansurvival.co.uk
BACKWOODS SURVIVAL SCHOOL, SOUTH LANARKSHIRE
The aim at Backwoods is to teach you how to live and thrive in the
natural environment. You won’t be smearing yourself in woad and invading
England, though; modern-day Bravehearts can expect to learn how to build a
shelter, light a fire and apply natural navigational skills in beautiful
countryside. Three-day courses take place every weekend, and rudimentary
cookery skills, how to cross a river and basic wilderness safety and hygiene
are included. If you fancy extending your hunter-gatherer skills to the
shoreline, there is an advanced Beachcomber course, which teaches
beach-combing, crabbing and traditional fishing techniques, using bone and
antler fish hooks.
Where Regular courses are held along the west coast of
Scotland.
Suitable for Age 16-plus; children under 16 must be
accompanied by an adult.
Cost Weekend Backwoods courses cost £130 per person. You can
also sign up for one-day courses, £45, in firecraft, trapping and snaring.
Contact 0141-641 2055, www.backwoodsurvival.co.uk
For more information on survival skills courses in the UK, visit
www.bushcraftuk.com
