Whats the point of Bushcraft in the UK?

[Jamie]

I was asked the above question. The only answer I could give (other than 'I like it' which sounds a bit girly), was the one about getting close to nature and being able to shrug off the trappings of modern living etc etc.

It sounded very weak in the face of his scorning criticism, that all Bushcrafters do is play at being Frontiersmen and pretending that their survival rested on their abilities to whittle a four-poster bed out of a twig. We are never more that half an hour from a supermarket in this country, so why grub around for nuts, roots and berries? And as for lighting fire by any other means than using matches or a lighter....!

I felt a bit silly at not being able to counter his arguments. So, I pass the question on...

What is the point of bushcraft in the UK?

What is the point of any hobby? As others have said already, some are into football, some rugby, some tiddly winks. The things is that they enjoy the feeling they get from being a participant in those activities.

At the end of the day, I get what I get from bushcraft, which probably differs from you, or the next person - its a very individualistic hobby with so many facets that appeal to such a wide variety of people.

The people that try to belittle or scorn anothers hobbies perhaps have little of true meaning in their own lives and are, perhaps, jealous that someone else has managed to find a degree of peace etc.

The bottom line of all of this is, why do you need to justify what you do?

Cheers

 

[Banjobill]

As I said above, it is good to stop and re-evaluate why you do something.

For me, I was in danger of falling into the trap of thinking that I must have all the latest gear, best knives, expensive tarps, axes etc etc. There is a very rapidly growing market ready to sell you the dream.

But thinking about the above question has made me stop and check both what I was doing and why.

For me, I found that I was just swapping one lot of 'stuff' for another lot of 'stuff', and starting to miss the whole point of what bushcraft should be

So my bushcraft going forward, will be simpler.....perhaps more fundamental.

Oh My God ....I'm turning into a 'Born Again Bushcrafter'

And as for TEOTWAWKI....can't come soon enough for me. I've always thought this planet would be much nicer if there weren't so many damned people

 

[torjusg]

Wadda you know, Torjus? :Thinkingo

1. The UK is one of the most petroleum-dependent countries in the world.
2. You are now a net importer of natural gas, a market expected to become very tight in the future (also in the near future).
3. The country is highly overpopulated and thereby very vunerable for climatic or societal changes.
4. Your own oil reserves are being rapidly depleted.
5. You are heavily indebted to other countries.

Conclusion: The world's oil production is as a whole close to peaking. Meaning everything will become very expensive (as an accumulative effect of the energyprices). Consumerism is coming to an end, tomorrow you may have to be creative and make at least parts of the things you need to survive and perhaps even forage a substantial amount of the food you need. Then bushcraft will come in handy and you can sell the "stupid" things you make to your pubfriends.

Good luck and enjoy your hobby while it still is one....

PS! Norway will be going bad as well, but perhaps not as quickly and maybe not as hard.

Torjus Gaaren

 

[British Red]

The people that try to belittle or scorn anothers hobbies perhaps have little of true meaning in their own lives and are, perhaps, jealous that someone else has managed to find a degree of peace etc.

Couldn't agree more Jamie - great post (of course that applies to scorning others beliefs and hobbies as well - never really understood those that need to pour scorn on lightweight backpackers, people into survival more than Bushcraft, ramblers etc. - insecurity as you suggest perhaps ). Anyway, a great motto for us all to follow

Red

 

[British Red]

1. The UK is one of the most petroleum-dependent countries in the world.
2. You are now a net importer of natural gas, a market expected to become very tight in the future (also in the near future).
3. The country is highly overpopulated and thereby very vunerable for climatic or societal changes.
4. Your own oil reserves are being rapidly depleted.
5. You are heavily indebted to other countries.

Conclusion: The world's oil production is as a whole close to peaking. Meaning everything will become very expensive (as an accumulative effect of the energyprices). Consumerism is coming to an end, tomorrow you may have to be creative and make at least parts of the things you need to survive and perhaps even forage a substantial amount of the food you need. Then bushcraft will come in handy and you can sell the "stupid" things you make to you your pubfriends.

Good luck and enjoy your hobby while it still is one....

PS! Norway will be going bad as well, but perhaps not as quickly and maybe not as hard.

Torjus Gaaren

An articulate and polite reply Torus - you have rep

 

[Scally]

For me its about learning more about my ancestors and how we involved from those early mistakes and tools onwards? whom still thinking!! good question

 

[Ogri the trog]

Yep, All of the above and more yet.
A degree of independence - something I can do on my own without help from anyone else - I remember a long time ago a question was posed about what an individual human can accomplish on his own - even making a cup of tea can involve many hundreds of others if you use shop bought teabags and an electric kettle.
An element of realism as has been mentioned before.
A connection with our primative ancestors.

So your answer of "Because I like it!" is as valid as any of his arguements against it.

ATB

Ogri the trog

 

[sandsnakes]

With my other hat on i would say its less damaging than prozac and more effective than amytriptaline for many. The effect i notice for one that leads a stressed life is the ease with which I sleep under a tarp on hard ground, when i can be awake all night in a soft bed.

The choice of reductionisum- one tarp, one spoon, one etc, etc

The act of reductionisum to the point where I am in charge, for a small time, of my entire destiny. If I want a hot meal i make a fire and cook it, it is 'my' fire, not the gas companies. In the woods i have a greater responsibility for my self, i am in fact in charge of 'me'. This is rare in our society as everyone has a boss, client, customer who actually 'forces' us down a path of sometimes unwanted actions and emotions.

I aquire skills that are unusual and I am forced to confront my fears, apart from that most 'bushies' are an easy going bunch. There are a few crackpots amongst us but they are harmless and sometimes amusing, apart from the anti-camo freaks. I find being worried about what someone else is wearing is a bit odd, but fear not my rates are resonable and the couch is comfy! Seriously we are not racist or antagonistic, in this day and age thats a bigge


Sandsnakes (getting psychological on you all)

 

[JonathanD]

1. The UK is one of the most petroleum-dependent countries in the world.
2. You are now a net importer of natural gas, a market expected to become very tight in the future (also in the near future).
3. The country is highly overpopulated and thereby very vunerable for climatic or societal changes.
4. Your own oil reserves are being rapidly depleted.
5. You are heavily indebted to other countries.

Conclusion: The world's oil production is as a whole close to peaking. Meaning everything will become very expensive (as an accumulative effect of the energyprices). Consumerism is coming to an end, tomorrow you may have to be creative and make at least parts of the things you need to survive and perhaps even forage a substantial amount of the food you need. Then bushcraft will come in handy and you can sell the "stupid" things you make to your pubfriends.

Good luck and enjoy your hobby while it still is one....

PS! Norway will be going bad as well, but perhaps not as quickly and maybe not as hard.

Torjus Gaaren

Holy Crap!!!

That's it! I'm grabbing my hat and my knife and heading to the woods

If you look on the bright side though, all those ignorant non-bushcrafters will make darn good eating....

 

[JonnyP]

There are a few crackpots amongst us

And I apologise for it.............

 

[sargey]

bushcraft is something difrferent to everybody. some feel it is the persuit of primitive skills, to others it's the wilderness travel and living or eco tourism. to me it's about getting out and involved in the woods. most of the time that's simply a walk in the woods, best done early on a frosty morning. make a cup of coffee and cook some bacon on a small open fire.

but as to why or what point there is to bushcraft, i'll hand over to richard graves who wrote the first bushcraft book, it remains one of the very best.

introduction

The practice of bushcraft shows many unexpected results. The five senses are sharpened, and consequently the joy of being alive is greater.

The individual's ability to adapt and improvise is developed to a remarkable degree. This in turn leads to increased self-confidence.

Self-confidence, and the ability to adapt to a changing environment and to overcome difficulties, is followed by a rapid improvement in the individual's daily work. This in turn leads to advancement and promotion.

Bushcraft, by developing adaptability, provides a broadening influence, a necessary counter to offset the narrowing influence of modern specialisation.

For this work of bushcraft all that is needed is a sharp cutting implement: knife, axe or machete. The last is the most useful. For the work, dead materials are most suitable. The practice of bushcraft conserves, and does not destroy, wildlife.

R.H.G.

graves' bushcraft online.

 

[British Red]

And I apologise for it.............

Me too (or should that be cracked billy )? Care to form a lunatic fringe?

 

[Toddy]

1. The UK is one of the most petroleum-dependent countries in the world.
2. You are now a net importer of natural gas, a market expected to become very tight in the future (also in the near future).
3. The country is highly overpopulated and thereby very vunerable for climatic or societal changes.
4. Your own oil reserves are being rapidly depleted.
5. You are heavily indebted to other countries.

Conclusion: The world's oil production is as a whole close to peaking. Meaning everything will become very expensive (as an accumulative effect of the energyprices). Consumerism is coming to an end, tomorrow you may have to be creative and make at least parts of the things you need to survive and perhaps even forage a substantial amount of the food you need. Then bushcraft will come in handy and you can sell the "stupid" things you make to your pubfriends.

Good luck and enjoy your hobby while it still is one....

PS! Norway will be going bad as well, but perhaps not as quickly and maybe not as hard.

Torjus Gaaren

Hmmmm,
Please let us all refrain from turning this thread into a political minefield but I feel it important that the other side of the arguement is given too.
To obtain British statistics is a trawl through long lists, this link is the CIA world factbook file for the UK. The economic precis says your view is misleading.

https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/print/uk.html

And there is no scientific concensus that the Gulf stream movement is going to leave us cold either.
http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/3988/newsDate/05-Oct-1999/story.htm
http://www.intute.ac.uk/sciences/spotlight/issue17/atlantic.html
http://www.wunderground.com/education/abruptclimate.asp


Can we let this lie here, with both sides having had a say, and return the thread to the original discussion?

Thanks,
Toddy

 

[wingstoo]

Nooo, there would be too many members...

LS

 

[JonnyP]

Nooo, there would be too many members...

LS

Excellent.........Made me laugh that.............

 

[Abbe Osram]

For me its the first step out of a dead end road. Everyone who moves still forward into the dead end road might think about me that I am a backwards orientated romantic or simply being nuts. This type of people like to give comments like this;" You cant turn the clock backwards, development and growth has to go on etc etc. I am wondering and studing how people survived by their own hands in that I hope I am buying time. I am on the way "back" out of the dead end road, moving forward into independence and knowleadge. Thats what I hope.

When the supermarkets are running out of stock, the water is getting sparse. I moved out and away from the masses and live there where people think its impossible to have a good life, when people are more and more used to the extravagant lifestyle, I learned to kill, dress and butcher an animal. While the today generation doesnt know anymore how to boil potatos, I am going to learn how to grow them.

Now I am learning to build a roof on my cabin, thats cool as I never had a clue about all the stuff a person has to think about first. Last year I got my hunting liscense and I am learning every day knew things. Going backwards is for me going forward. I believe too that in our lifetime we will be in for a big schock when our way of life crashes like the Sovjetunion, the berlin wall or Albanien. Suddenly the air went out and they collapsed.

Bushcraft for me is a road I travel, backward but forwards, buying time, learning when I still have the time for it. With the oil peak looming or going on right now I believe Bushcraft, Woodcraft or Backwoods living is a serious education.

cheers
Abbe

 

[Spikey DaPikey]

What is the point of bushcraft in the UK?

What is the point to anything ?

 

[SowthEfrikan]

@ Spikey - exactly right. :You_Rock_

Killing and butchering animals? Aikona. Not this little wussie.

If the end of the world is nigh it's really a good reason to have as much fun as is possible.

 

[Martyn]

...never really understood those that need to pour scorn on lightweight backpackers, people into survival more than Bushcraft...

Roger that!

"When you need it, and don't have it... you sing a different tune."

 

[British Red]

Can we let this lie here, with both sides having had a say, and return the thread to the original discussion?

Thanks,
Toddy

Apparently not Toddy still, lets sympathise - "perhaps have little of true meaning in their own lives "

Red