A 24-Hour Woodland Experience for Parents and Children. The Family Survival Course is a carefully designed overnight woodland experience designed for families who want more than a day out—and less than a long immersion. Set over 24 hours, it offers a measured introduction to living outdoors together, combining practical bushcraft skills with shared challenge, comfort, and reflection.
This is not a high-adrenaline survival challenge, nor a children’s activity session adapted for adults. It is a composed, confidence-building experience in which parents and children learn side by side, guided by highly experienced instructors and supported by a calm, well-structured environment.
The emphasis throughout is on capability rather than endurance, and on creating an experience that feels purposeful, reassuring, and quietly memorable.
Delivered during the school holidays in the warmer months from April to September, the course runs at selected woodland venues in Oxfordshire, Derbyshire, and East Lothian, offering families across the UK the opportunity to take part.
The Family Survival Course is suitable for families with children aged 8 and above. Younger children may be considered on a case-by-case basis following discussion with the instructional team so simply give us a call to discuss.
Parents are fully involved throughout the experience. This is not a drop-off course, nor one where adults observe from the edges. The learning, responsibility, and achievement are shared.
To support families attending together, a group booking saving is available. When booking four places and paying in full, families receive a £50 reduction using the code MAKEMEMORIES.
Course Duration: 24 Hours
This course runs in Derbyshire , East Lothian and Oxfordshire
OPTION 1:
Buy this course as a gift voucher for someone else. Valid for 18 months.
BUY GIFT VOUCHER
(Minimum 2 places for family courses)
OPTION 2:
Choose the number of places, pay a deposit now and the balance 8 weeks before the course starts or pay in full now.
Select from the dates below.
(Minimum 2 places for family courses)
A 24-Hour Woodland Experience for Parents and Children. The Family Survival Course is a carefully designed overnight woodland experience designed for families who want more than a day out—and less than a long immersion. Set over 24 hours, it offers a measured introduction to living outdoors together, combining practical bushcraft skills with shared challenge, comfort, and reflection.
This is not a high-adrenaline survival challenge, nor a children’s activity session adapted for adults. It is a composed, confidence-building experience in which parents and children learn side by side, guided by highly experienced instructors and supported by a calm, well-structured environment.
The emphasis throughout is on capability rather than endurance, and on creating an experience that feels purposeful, reassuring, and quietly memorable.
Delivered during the school holidays in the warmer months from April to September, the course runs at selected woodland venues in Oxfordshire, Derbyshire, and East Lothian, offering families across the UK the opportunity to take part.
The Family Survival Course is suitable for families with children aged 8 and above. Younger children may be considered on a case-by-case basis following discussion with the instructional team so simply give us a call to discuss.
Parents are fully involved throughout the experience. This is not a drop-off course, nor one where adults observe from the edges. The learning, responsibility, and achievement are shared.
To support families attending together, a group booking saving is available. When booking four places and paying in full, families receive a £50 reduction using the code MAKEMEMORIES.
Family Survival Course
For 8 Years+
Family Survival Course
For 8 Years+
Family Survival Course
Camp Fire
Family Survival Course
Camp Fire
Family Survival Course
Shelter Building
Family Survival Course
Shelter Building
Arrival and Transition into the Woodland
Families arrive at a secure meeting point and are welcomed by the instructional team. Following a brief orientation and safety overview, the group walks together into the woodland—marking a clear transition away from everyday pace and into a more attentive, grounded rhythm.
Camp is established in a sheltered area of woodland, with time taken to understand the site, available resources, and how the group will work together over the next 24 hours. From the outset, children are encouraged to take part in decisions and tasks, fostering a sense of ownership and confidence.
Shelter Building: Establishing Camp
Shelter building forms the foundation of the experience. Instructors introduce key considerations such as site selection, weather protection, warmth, and comfort before families work together to build their own shelter suitable for spending the night.
This collaborative process encourages problem-solving, communication, and creativity. The resulting shelter is not symbolic—it is genuinely lived in, becoming a shared space that anchors the experience.
Fire, Skill, and Understanding
Fire is introduced with care and respect, focusing not only on technique but on understanding. Families explore a range of fire-lighting methods, including ferrocerium rods, flint and steel, and, for those who wish to try, basic friction fire techniques.
Alongside this, instructors introduce useful plants and trees, beginning to reveal the woodland as a place of function and resource rather than scenery alone.
Food, Responsibility, and the Campfire
Food preparation is approached thoughtfully, with full respect for individual comfort levels. A more familiar lunch of hot dogs, is prepared over the fire, while the evening meal takes things further by introducing the preparation of wood pigeon, offering families the opportunity to explore food origins in a calm, supported way.
Participation is always by choice. The emphasis is on understanding, responsibility, and shared effort rather than spectacle.
Meals are cooked and eaten together around the fire, reinforcing the sense of camp as a place of warmth and connection.
Tool Use, Awareness and Tracking
Safe knife use is introduced with close supervision. Children learn to carve with fixed-blade knives in a controlled, respectful manner, building confidence and competence rather than speed or output.
During the evening, families take part in tracking and awareness activities that sharpen observation and deepen connection to place. Through games and guided exploration, participants learn to notice sign, movement, and the subtle indicators of wildlife presence.
Evening in Camp and Night Outdoors
As light fades, the pace naturally slows. Families settle into their shelters, tend the fire, and enjoy the quiet atmosphere of the woodland at night.
Spending the night in a shelter built together is often the most significant part of the experience—an opportunity to build confidence, resilience, and trust in a calm, supported setting.
Morning, Closure, and Return
The following morning begins unhurriedly, with breakfast prepared over the remaining embers of the fire. Fresh bread is baked and shared before camp is carefully dismantled, leaving the site as it was found.
The group walks back through the woodland together, marking the close of the experience and a return to everyday life—often with a renewed sense of perspective and shared achievement.
In Summary
The Family Survival Course offers the perfect introduction to woodland living for families who value quality, care, and meaningful time together.
For those seeking a carefully designed overnight outdoor experience—one that balances reassurance with challenge, and learning with enjoyment—this course provides a thoughtful first step into deeper immersion.
