Recent content by Springchicken

And is it still possible to get hold of a genuine, French-made Laguiole?

A bit of a change on the tick-tock front: I got fed up with the failure of my earlier-posted Omega to keep time to their much-vaunted METAS standards, even after adjustment, so I went for a Vertex instead. It's brilliant: accurate, hard wearing, clear and a British company!

Gorge

Strop

Limestone

I use a pair of Black Diamond poles but only when I'm backpacking, as they are also the supports for my Hilleberg tent. I'm undecided about their usefulness while actually walking: yes, they give support on the downhill bits and add impetus going uphill but they also get in the way quite often...

I almost forgot: please p.m. me if you are interested in this gem of a knife. Many thanks!

This one is No. 002, making it the first one sold to the public (Simon Fearnhamm kept No. 001). A beautiful and beautifully-made knife, hardly used and so in superb condition. Price includes postage to U.K. mainland addresses. Price: £450

I cannot speak for courses endorsed by the IOL but those associated with the NCFE do have a degree of rigour attached to them. To have a course validated by the NCFE, the provider has to produce a detailed curriculum and assessment criteria that are scrutinised by the college; then, there is...

While out this morning, walking my dogs, I came to the conclusion that pretty much every skills-based profession - law, medicine, mountain guiding, accountancy, architecture and teaching to name but a few - requires that certificate. After that, it is down to the individual to develop, refine...

I'll grant you that the concept of a 'bushcraft instructor' does present challenges but I have at least offered an imperfect solution that might ameliorate the situation. What would you suggest? It is easy to damn things as they stand but perhaps it might be more constructive to suggest a way to...

It is pretty obvious that experience is the key element to becoming a 'bushcraft instructor'; it is a truth that extends to nearly every area of work. The challenge, then, is to provide a more meaningful qualification system that places greater reliance on accumulated experience over a 'bit of...

I try and have a mix of mown and untouched: I try and keep what I grandly call 'the lawn' under my enormous walnut tree short-ish, leaving the little clump of cowslips well alone; elsewhere, I mow paths until the flowers have done their thing. It's not ideal but I reckon the bees can get their...

Well, you never know...! I was intrigued by Greg's fulsome essay and felt that that, at least, deserved a response, hence my contribution to what is an age-old but nevertheless interesting discussion.

While I would agree with a lot that Greg has said, the 'bit of paper' is only a marker on your journey to proven mastery of the skills required in bushcraft. That 'bit of paper' indicates to potential clients that you have undergone some formalised, (one would hope) rigorous training and passed...