Potential New Bushcraft / Wild Camping destination, feed back please

[mountainm]

I agree.
The skill being taught and the type of facility provided dictate the actual costs, as do the tutor to pupil ratio.

This is potentially a great addition the the existing providers, but I have not yet heard anything that makes this unique!

I dunno, the potential to learn fly fishing, go rabbit hunting, then a guided forage for wild greens. Cooking it all up, followed by a sleep under the stars - sounds appealing to me.

Add maybe a mornings session of hurdle making, or perhaps a day making and using a pole lathe or shave horse.

Sounds like bliss.

 

[Platypus]

I dunno, the potential to learn fly fishing, go rabbit hunting, then a guided forage for wild greens. Cooking it all up, followed by a sleep under the stars - sounds appealing to me.

Add maybe a mornings session of hurdle making, or perhaps a day making and using a pole lathe or shave horse.

Sounds like bliss.

And me.
But I didn't see any of that mentioned until posts #35 & #41

 

[Tyla]

Ok, apologies for the delay. I moved into an estate cottage over the weekend which has no internet for the moment and now I am in Dorset on a research trip.

(Its lovely by the way, not bushcrafty at all but very plush glamping. I have never seen a set up with so many facilities, lights turn on as you walk along the paths, electrics, Wi-Fi and flush toilets with each yurt - very clever but a bit too high tech for our site I think.)

Anyway to reply to your questions / queries.

Platypus - I am sorry I didn't make my self clearer. I was trying to gauge what people wanted and obviously did not get the basic info across first.

The uniqueness of the site refers to the fact that it is the only privately owned area of this size managed by grazing / browsing as a wildlife habitat. This has resulted in habitats that do not exist anywhere else in the South of England. This has had great results for wildlife, for example, the estate is now home to approximately 2% of the Nightingale population while they are in the Country. It is basically a huge experiment to see what would happen to the British countryside if it was left to go wild. The process has been monitored and surveyed to see the changes to the habitat, from soil to canopy, year on year since the cessation of farming there.

The education aspect would be more related to the rewilding project rather than teaching bushcraft skills. Tours, courses and accommodation, in the form of a campsite, shepherds huts and bell tents, will be on offer to facilitate this. They will focus on the seasonal features of the estate, Nightingales singing in the early Summer, Purple Emperor Butterflies displaying in mid Summer and the Fallow deer rut in Autumn as well as the other year round wildlife opportunities bird watching, badger watching etc.

That is not really the reason I posted on here. I saw an opportunity for small groups to use the estate for bushcraft type activities, not courses as such as there are plenty out there already but somewhere to put it into practice.

If I was able to offer a deal for four people something along these lines would there be enough interest for me to set it up?

Saturday

10am - Meet for coffee and introduction

10.30 - Tour of the estate, explanation of the project and chance to photograph animals

12.30 - Arrive at camping area where you will be provided ingredient's for lunch. You would then be free to do whatever bushcraft activities you choose for the afternoon, light fire, cook lunch, set up tarps, bivvy's etc. A certain amount of green wood could be harvested for individual tasks, whittling spoon making etc or a group task (to be arranged in advance) bender building or whatever. Other options could be a wildlife walk, foraging, a bit of tracking, catapults making etc to be arranged in advance.

17.30 - Dinner ingredients provided possibly rabbits with a demonstration of wild game preparation. The rest of evening spent round the fire with a few drinks


Sunday

7.30 - Breakfast ingredients provided. Cook and eat breakfast, tidy site

9.00 - Activity of your choice by prior arrangement ferreting if in season, canoeing, foraging more bushcraft time etc

12.30 - Packed lunch during activity

15.30 - Back to barn for coffee and good byes

Would you be willing to pay £150 per person for this experience? If not what would you be willing to pay and how many of you would genuinely be interested?

Please bear in mind I have just made this up off the top of my head and I am sure it will need a few tweeks so don't all jump down my throat! There could be other activities and the whole thing could be adjusted to suit what the group would like to do by arrangement. Please also be aware that I have a Boss who makes the decisions and at this stage I am just gauging interest so nothing is set in stone.

 

[dwardo]

Ok, apologies for the delay. I moved into an estate cottage over the weekend which has no internet for the moment and now I am in Dorset on a research trip.

(Its lovely by the way, not bushcrafty at all but very plush glamping. I have never seen a set up with so many facilities, lights turn on as you walk along the paths, electrics, Wi-Fi and flush toilets with each yurt - very clever but a bit too high tech for our site I think.)

Anyway to reply to your questions / queries.

Platypus - I am sorry I didn't make my self clearer. I was trying to gauge what people wanted and obviously did not get the basic info across first.

The uniqueness of the site refers to the fact that it is the only privately owned area of this size managed by grazing / browsing as a wildlife habitat. This has resulted in habitats that do not exist anywhere else in the South of England. This has had great results for wildlife, for example, the estate is now home to approximately 2% of the Nightingale population while they are in the Country. It is basically a huge experiment to see what would happen to the British countryside if it was left to go wild. The process has been monitored and surveyed to see the changes to the habitat, from soil to canopy, year on year since the cessation of farming there.

The education aspect would be more related to the rewilding project rather than teaching bushcraft skills. Tours, courses and accommodation, in the form of a campsite, shepherds huts and bell tents, will be on offer to facilitate this. They will focus on the seasonal features of the estate, Nightingales singing in the early Summer, Purple Emperor Butterflies displaying in mid Summer and the Fallow deer rut in Autumn as well as the other year round wildlife opportunities bird watching, badger watching etc.

That is not really the reason I posted on here. I saw an opportunity for small groups to use the estate for bushcraft type activities, not courses as such as there are plenty out there already but somewhere to put it into practice.

If I was able to offer a deal for four people something along these lines would there be enough interest for me to set it up?

Saturday

10am - Meet for coffee and introduction

10.30 - Tour of the estate, explanation of the project and chance to photograph animals

12.30 - Arrive at camping area where you will be provided ingredient's for lunch. You would then be free to do whatever bushcraft activities you choose for the afternoon, light fire, cook lunch, set up tarps, bivvy's etc. A certain amount of green wood could be harvested for individual tasks, whittling spoon making etc or a group task (to be arranged in advance) bender building or whatever. Other options could be a wildlife walk, foraging, a bit of tracking, catapults making etc to be arranged in advance.

17.30 - Dinner ingredients provided possibly rabbits with a demonstration of wild game preparation. The rest of evening spent round the fire with a few drinks


Sunday

7.30 - Breakfast ingredients provided. Cook and eat breakfast, tidy site

9.00 - Activity of your choice by prior arrangement ferreting if in season, canoeing, foraging more bushcraft time etc

12.30 - Packed lunch during activity

15.30 - Back to barn for coffee and good byes

Would you be willing to pay £150 per person for this experience? If not what would you be willing to pay and how many of you would genuinely be interested?

Please bear in mind I have just made this up off the top of my head and I am sure it will need a few tweeks so don't all jump down my throat! There could be other activities and the whole thing could be adjusted to suit what the group would like to do by arrangement. Please also be aware that I have a Boss who makes the decisions and at this stage I am just gauging interest so nothing is set in stone.

I think its hard to set a price without nailing down the bit in bold. I think this will dictate how much people are willing to pay

 

[Tyla]

That's fair comment but it very much hinges on what the group itself would like to do. This is the question I have been trying to get an answer to ... what would you like to do????

I have access to this incredible place which, to me anyway, seems ideal for bushcraft. The owner is open to ideas but it will have to be commercially viable.

There are not many places where you can legally practice your bushcraft, I have one here so what would all you bushcrafters like to do with it?

I can list options til the cows come home but unless you tell me what you all want its going to take a long time for me to guess.

 

[feralpig]

This will be the guy that had a radio program on Radio 4, back around June time? I'm pretty sure it is anyway, as you say, there is nowhere else quite like it.
I'm too tight to squeak, so personally, I would not pay the prices you suggest to camp out on the land. I don't need to anyway, I can camp out anytime I like, so maybe not in the best position to comment on that.

I've been thinking about that radio program since I heard it. I find the experiment he is conducting quite fascinating, especially the way in which the animals reacted to having no fences, or at least not close by.
I would love to have a look at the place. If I was down that way, I might be persuaded to pay £30 or £40 quid, for,
A whole day,
Maybe a mid day snack.
Driven around some of the more interesting parts of the site,
The opportunity for a couple of hours walk,
And most importantly, either a guide, giving a well educated lecture on the differences in the environment compared to more closed in farming methods, and the way the animals act and live, or a very well presented visitors centre.
Or something along those lines anyway.

There must be so many changes in the environment and wildlife, that haven't been seen in this country for many years. I think there are a lot of people who would be interested in that. What he needs to do is market it right, which I suppose is what you are trying to find out for him.

 

[dwardo]

My guess is there are two main groups you would need to accommodate.
The people that want to attend a course based setup with guidance, goals and aims. The whittlers, wildlife enthusiasts, basic bushcrafters to the glampers.
Then there are the people like my self who would just like un-prestered access to roam a beautiful landscape and camp where they like, wet a line or just string a hammock and enjoy the surroundings.

The problem with the first is competing with the already established schools and getting in experts in their field to instruct. Not to mention paying for them and providing the facilities needed for folk who are not as self sufficient as others.

The problem with the second option is making sure the people who are given free roam have the right skills and experience to leave no trace and cause no damage. To this end maybe an introduction weekend first with a view to have a "license" with the aim to book prior and wonder as they see fit.

Just ideas for you to consider.

 

[spandit]

To pay that sort of price I'd want a "named" instructor, Paul Kirtley or someone. Have a look at the bushcraft schools and see what they offer

 

[Wetneck]

Looks like a nice place certainly and not many experiences like that around. I agree that I think most people would want a named instructor for £150 a night.

I personally think that once you get over the £100 bushcraft types will get twitchy, especially if it's going to have to be supervised.

I imagine I'd quite happily pay £100 for a couple of days and a night, if it was worthwhile.

It's obviously got to be profitable for the estate but it can't appear to be a rip off for the customers too, I'm not saying it would, but if you have 6 guys sat around a campfire one night whittling from their approved set of wood thinking "what are we getting for our collective £900 a night" then you've got it wrong.

It's hard to suggest activites because we don't know what you have there, how e estate is divided up and what you'd allow.

Thanks for taking the time to post and ask the questions though, much more than other places would bother to do.

Alex

 

[Tyla]

Thanks for the continued feedback, I will see if I can put some packages together with prices.

 

[Power]

That's fair comment but it very much hinges on what the group itself would like to do. This is the question I have been trying to get an answer to ... what would you like to do????

I have access to this incredible place which, to me anyway, seems ideal for bushcraft. The owner is open to ideas but it will have to be commercially viable.

There are not many places where you can legally practice your bushcraft, I have one here so what would all you bushcrafters like to do with it?

I can list options til the cows come home but unless you tell me what you all want its going to take a long time for me to guess.

I visited this site this morning to get a feel and understanding of what the aim was and what they were tying to do, and I think its got a bit lost from the original posting, the idea behind the site they have is to raise awareness of what they have been doing and also to share what has been going on, I can let Tyla explain in more details, but the land that they have available is part of an estate that has free roaming animals like Dear and wild Pigs.

So its not a plan to open it up to the public to walk in camp and do bushcraft courses (for now) or just have access and camp, but to have a small group of people camp out, have a safari tour of the estate with a guide. The exact details are still to be ironed out, but if your interested in wildlife and conservation and seeing the different seasons, for the right price I can see this having really good potential.

Tyla, if you can put up some information on what has been happening on the estate this should be of interest of some people on this forum.

 

[Joonsy]

What we had in mind was an exclusive experience

yawn, yet another 'exclusive' venue. i get so tired of hearing the word 'exclusive', what a pleasure and breath of fresh air it would be to hear somewhere described as 'inclusive'. no wonder we live in such a fragmented society.

 

[andyn]

Hi Tyla,

Just read this thread from start to finish and it looks really interesting what you are trying to achieve, however if I may offer some coaching... And these are just my observations based on what I'm seeing here, so apologies if you feel I am teaching you to suck eggs!

I'm not sure you are going to achieve your market research goals in the manner you are using within this thread.

If you want to understand your market potential and pricing then I'd suggest using something like survey monkey to set up an anonymous survey where people are perhaps given an opportunity to win a weekend at Knepp in exchange for their input.

The other advise I'd offer you is that you need to find out and consider what bushcrafters want compared to what you have to offer...

Now I think its safe to assume that you have a product that is desirable, but in all honesty I think you have a ferrari on offer but nearly all the people here would be happy with a ford.

But to find that out for sure. The sorts of questions you need to ask to determine a best placed price are not the sort of questions people will answer on a public forum.

Finally...£150 is a high ticket price even in an affluent area. Do you consider your product as a one off thing, out do you want return business. If so then unless you have a multitude of product offerings then you are going to struggle to get people to return for the same thing at that price. Is there a big enough audience to pull in enough business at that price?

Anyway that is enough business ramblings for a sunday morning!

Feel free to give me a call (number in the link in my signature) if you feel any of the above was helpful and I can elaborate for you further.

Good luck.

Andy

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