Learn The Most Essential Bushcraft Skills In A Weekend

Fire-lighting in front of improvised shelter on a bushcraft course
Essential Bushcraft Course participants enjoy fire-lighting success outside their improvised shelter. Photo: Paul Kirtley.

In designing this weekend bushcraft course we asked ourselves the following:

  • Which of the bushcraft skills are most important?
  • Which skills, in reality, do we use the most?
  • Which bushcraft techniques are essential for travel in wild and remote areas?
  • Which outdoor living skills do we want you to go away with and be able to apply?

In this way, we came up with a wish-list of wilderness skills that are practical and very relevant to contemporary outdoor life.

The challenge we faced was to fit all of this into a 2 days course! But we did it and the result is a weekend course jam-packed with practical bushcraft skills, knowledge and advice that can be applied immediately.

This course is for those wish to learn as much as possible in the shortest possible time.

The emphasis is very much on practical application rather than theory. We will demonstrate all techniques but, for you to make these techniques your own, the course requires your full participation. This will probably be tiring and possibly frustrating but always rewarding.

In return for applying yourself you will gain a set of skills which is extremely enabling, whether you are camping in the woods for a weekend or undertaking an expedition.

It’s also a LOT of FUN!

weekend bushcraft course

What Our Customers Say About the Bushcraft Essentials Weekend Course:

What You Will Learn On The Bushcraft Essentials Course

During this 2-day course we will cover the following syllabus:

  • Essential knife skills for bushcraft
  • Knife safety
  • Knife sharpening – at home and on the trail
  • Principles of failsafe fire-lighting with natural materials
  • Fire-lighting with matches
  • Fire-lighting with sparks
  • How to select and prepare the most reliable tinder and kindling
  • How to identify the best firewood
  • Feather-sticks
  • The fundamentals of friction fire-lighting
  • Choosing and using a tarp
  • Improvised shelters from natural materials
  • Essential campfire cookery
  • Making useful camp gadgets, including pot-hangers
  • Identification of the most useful plants and tree
  • Water purification essentials
  • Equipment choice
  • Organising your camp and kit
  • How to leave no trace of your camp and campfire

All the Other Details You Need to Know…

Equipment

You don’t need much equipment to attend this two-day bushcraft course – the main items you will need are: some outdoor clothing, including waterproofs, a head-torch, a whistle, a water bottle, a mug, a plate or bowl and some eating utensils.

During the course you will be given a bushcraft training knife to use and this will be yours to keep afterwards.

Other specialist equipment will be provided for your use during this weekend course. This includes the use of a tarp and a bivvy bag.

A full kit-list is available here and it will also be e-mailed to you with your e-mail receipt after your booking has been accepted.

Accommodation

This weekend bushcraft course will be conducted entirely outdoors, from an expedition-style camp. There will be a covered teaching area which also serves as a communal area for breaks. There is a fire, kettle, tea, coffee, biscuits and cordial available here.

Part of the course is for you to sleep out under either a tarp or an improvised shelter. So you will not need to bring a tent or other shelter with you but you must bring a sleeping mat and a sleeping bag with a temperature rating suitable for the time of year when your course takes place.

Food

All food is provided but much of the preparation and cooking will be done by you and your fellow participants. If you have any allergies, food intolerances or other dietary requirements, please make sure you include this information when you book. There is an opportunity during the online booking process to tell us about this. This information can also be added and edited later once you have created a log-in and password for our booking system.

Experience Required

No previous bushcraft or camping experience is required to attend this course.


Badge saying FREE

FREE Equipment with this Bushcraft Course

During the course you will receive a carbon steel bushcraft knife by Mora of Sweden.

As they old saying goes “your knife is your life”, and this important tool will be yours to keep.


Mora Companion Clipper Knife
FREE with the Bushcraft Essentials Course.



Availability and Booking: Bushcraft Essentials Course

Duration: 2 days.

Price: £249.

Deposit: 25% on booking.

Suitability: 14 years & above. Anyone under the age of 18 years must be accompanied by an adult.

Course size: 16 participants (maximum).

Location: East Sussex.

Course Meeting Time: 09:00 Day 1.

Course Finish Time: 17:00 Day 2.

Course Leader: A good number of our long-standing team members are qualified to run this foundational course. Any course leader will be accompanied by two or three course assistants too, ensuring a high staff-to-student ratio..

Bushcraft Essentials Course Dates:

23/09/23 – 24/09/23 FULLY BOOKED

06/04/24 – 07/04/24 New Date!

21/09/24 – 22/09/24 New Date!

Book your course now



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