Whether you are a complete novice or an outdoors expert our Woodland Ways Bushcraft Fundamentals course will introduce you to the essential skills of bushcraft and survival, and teach you how to utilise these effectively in a survival situation.
This course is aimed at those who might not have the time or confidence to attend the weekend or overnight experience. It is designed to develop and introduce skills to you but also introduce you to Woodland Ways' philosophy on Bushcraft and survival skills.
One of our most popular courses, this course covers the basic skills required to survive and is based on the four main principles of survival; fire, food, shelter and water.
This course runs in Derbyshire , East Lothian and Oxfordshire
Course Registration
When you book a place on this course you will receive a confirmation email containing a link to our registration form so you can complete your details. We must be in receipt of these details as soon as possible after you have booked your place. You will need an order no. to complete the form.
Whether you are a complete novice or an outdoors expert our Woodland Ways Bushcraft Fundamentals course will introduce you to the essential skills of bushcraft and survival, and teach you how to utilise these effectively in a survival situation.
This course is aimed at those who might not have the time or confidence to attend the weekend or overnight experience. It is designed to develop and introduce skills to you but also introduce you to Woodland Ways' philosophy on Bushcraft and survival skills.
One of our most popular courses, this course covers the basic skills required to survive and is based on the four main principles of survival; fire, food, shelter and water.
Bushcraft Fundamentals Course
Introducing you to Woodland Ways' philosophy on Bushcraft and survival skills.
Bushcraft Fundamentals Course
Introducing you to Woodland Ways' philosophy on Bushcraft and survival skills.
Bushcraft Fundamentals Course
Learn the four main principles of survival; fire, food, shelter and water.
Bushcraft Fundamentals Course
Learn the four main principles of survival; fire, food, shelter and water.
Bushcraft Fundamentals Course
Just because we are in the woods, it doesn't mean we don't eat well!
Bushcraft Fundamentals Course
Just because we are in the woods, it doesn't mean we don't eat well!
When you arrive
The course adapts to the changing seasons, but below is a typical example of the Bushcraft Fundamentals Course.
From the meeting point, the kit is slung onto our backs and we walk into the woodland. During this walk, your instructors will introduce you to some of the useful forageable materials that surround us, and the absolute abundance of resources that the woodland provides. We will discuss how we can utilise these to increase our chances of survival, whether that's for food, firelighting, cordage or building materials.
The morning begins
Upon arrival at camp and following an initial safety brief, you are issued with your own Bushcraft Knife for the day which you will use to process the various materials we will need for everyday woodland tasks. We'll show you how to use these tools safely and efficiently, bringing your future projects to life with ease.
It's then time to get stuck into looking at safe shelter construction, specifically; location, materials, and design. We'll discuss the rule of 3 and where shelter should be on your priority list in an emergency. This culminates in the group building a one-two person kennel shelter and/or an arctic lean-to shelter.
Everything in the outdoors takes longer than most people are used to and so we then get straight into preparing lunch. You do not catch your own food on this course; all is provided either still in the fur, in the feather or in the skin (vegetarian options are always available). Here our instructors will guide you through how you'd acquire, and then the preparation of your food which will be cooked over the open fire as part of a delicious lunch. Just because we are in the woods, it doesn't mean we don't eat well!
The afternoon
While we digest our delicious woodsman lunch it is time to turn our attentions to the vital task of collection and purification of water. With an absolute wealth of knowledge and real-world experience, your instructors will explain why water is so crucial to us as a species, especially in a survival situation, and the added health implications of not being well hydrated. They will share with you practical and predictable methods of finding sources of water in a multitude of different environments from around the world and how to apply them.
Once you have found your wild water it is then time to make it safe to drink. Your instructors will take you through the many approaches of filtering and purifying your water and demonstrate a range of different equipment which will aid you in this process, from elaborate pump systems to improvised, out in the field filters.
Following on from water processing it is time to focus on the exciting and essential skill of fire lighting. The rest of the afternoon will be dedicated solely to different methods of igniting a fire, including how to use a fire steel, flint and steel, friction fire lighting and the various tinders that can be used with each method to successfully light a fire. Care will be taken to explain precisely how to site and manage a fire safely as well as the different wood types to select.
After the excitement of fire lighting, we sling our kit onto our backs and make our way to the entrance to say our farewells.
