Bushcraft - lets pretend or the real thing?

[stephendedwards]

Let me preface this by saying that I grew up in OZ where there are vast tracts of land that for all intents and purposes could be used for what is labelled over here "bushcraft". By contrast I find the UK countryside locked away with every wood or meadow owned by someone. Being out of doors it seems, to me at least, becomes somewhat artificial, a bit of a let's pretend exercise. If you can be bothered, you find a bit of wood, ask permission and then go and do "bushcraft" or am I very jaded and or talking nonsense? After all how many of us have had the opportunity to take up our pack and go walkabout, walking camping firelighting, cooking without let or hindrance? I guess what I am asking is where in the UK is the wild country where all these skills and kit which is packaged as "bushcraft" can be used "for real"?

Stephen
soon to be known as the miserable old sod

 

[gregorach]

Danger Will Robinson! Danger!

You can do that sort of thing in parts of Scotland, but if you walk for more than a week in any one direction you'll run out of bush.

But anyway, as long as you're making a choice about it, it's just playing. The game might get you killed, but it's still a game.

There's nothing wrong with playing in my book.

Funnily enough, in my experience Australia (Tasmania specifically) has far more restrictions on what's considered acceptable than we do in Scotland.

Anyway, firestorm breaking in 3, 2, 1....

:BlueTeamE

 

[Ogri the trog]

I think I understand your frustration,
And while it might seem, especially as you grew up in a country with such vast tracts of true "wilderness" - that we are pretending to be Bushcrafting. In mitigation, however, is it not the case that Aboriginal children would play at their way of life, under the guidance of the elders before having to do it for real?
There is no getting away from the fact that in Britain, all land is owned and every man is called to account for himself in the 21st century - there are many folk who wish for a simpler way of life, but until you truely can "drop out of society" for good - pretending is all we can hope to do.

Ogri the trog

 

[john scrivy]

try Scotland its not OZ but theres a lot of it---- hope its not to rugged for you hope you find what you are looking for cheers

 

[Shewie]

Stephen

I suppose british bushcrafters have adopted to what is now available to us. In a country which was once originally covered in woodland and meadows we have to accept the fact that there are only small pockets of "wilderness" left for us to explore. As every inch of Britain is now owned by somebody or other it is in our own interests to seek permission for bushcrafting on their land. I suppose we all do the odd "stealth" trips from time to time though.
To answer your question though, the vast majority of us are not fortunate enough to live in the Highlands, Lakes or other "wild country", so we can`t usually just grab our packs and go walkabout. We now have to plan ahead & arrange transport routes etc.
Hopefully everyone will have their own quiet piece of woodland where they can escape to to practice bushcraft and enjoy being outdoors for a short time before returning to work on Monday morning.

Rich

 

[British Red]

Yep, its a silly hobby. No sillier than hitting a ball with a stick or a kicking one or growing plants for visual appeal or any other "hobby". But a hobby nonetheless. In my view, trying to make Bushcraft out to be something that has a higher purpose or recognises the value of indiginous people or even preserves old skills is an excuse at best and pretentious at worse. Those things are all very laudable but there are better ways of achieving them than using a firebow in a garden or gathering under a parachute.

All of that said - whats wrong with a hobby?

Red

 

[BorderReiver]

Bushcraft is a collection of skills and a mind set which allows you to be happy,relaxed and unobtrusive in any type of habitat,be it the middle of a vast wilderness or in a tiny managed wood.

Doesn't have to wild an hairy to be bushcraft.

 

[John Fenna]

You could equally ask the same question of canoeing or climbing or lots of others....
You learn a set of skills that you enjoy using, that help you relax and enjoy life in an envvironment you apreciate.
If you can go for a multi day canoe trip/multi pitch climb/bushcraft expedition I am equally sure that you could drive to the destination/ take a cable car/ catch a train to the destination or find a hard time explaining why you wanted to float down the river/climb the crag/be in the woods - a famous man once said "because it is there" but this does not resonate with everyone -.
For me "lets pretend" IS the real thing, it is modern society that is unreal and occasionally I get to pretend that it does not exist, get back to the reality of the woods/mountains/moors/rivers and heal a little, in the natural environment.
I could go off on a Spiritual experience versus material decay rambling chat at this point but time is pressing....
Is everyones reality the same?

 

[pothunter]

Interesting observation, does it matter if you have large open spaces or not.

once you have acquired and practiced the skills that allow you to live outdoors does it matter how big the outdoors is.

If you want adventure just go, my youngest is off to NZ and OZ in the new year, its just different scenery and folks the skills are just the same.

I feel the frustration of living on an over populated island as much as the next man/woman and envy the French their open spaces, in the summer I drove 18 miles on a Saturday morning to go to the market and saw not another person cant do that in good old blighty.

Pothunter.

 

[Tadpole]

Let me preface this by saying that I grew up in OZ where there are vast tracts of land that for all intents and purposes could be used for what is labelled over here "bushcraft". By contrast I find the UK countryside locked away with every wood or meadow owned by someone. Being out of doors it seems, to me at least, becomes somewhat artificial, a bit of a let's pretend exercise. If you can be bothered, you find a bit of wood, ask permission and then go and do "bushcraft" or am I very jaded and or talking nonsense? After all how many of us have had the opportunity to take up our pack and go walkabout, walking camping firelighting, cooking without let or hindrance? I guess what I am asking is where in the UK is the wild country where all these skills and kit which is packaged as "bushcraft" can be used "for real"?

Stephen
soon to be known as the miserable old sod

Even a week/month whatever in the outback is “just pretend” you prepare, and plan, take your time. No doubt you drive there, tell your mates where you are going. Call it what you will it’s just a glorified camping trip.
No matter where you go, it is just pretend. A week in the artic wastes, a month in the back woods of America or Canada. You play and go home to what ever you call civilisation. It does not matter where you live, you can get out and touch nature. When I was young, I wild camped nearly every summer holiday, walking and carrying all my kit, to me that was as great an adventure, as camping in the Rockies would be to an American kid my age.

To denigrate the British bushcraft experience just because it is not what you have back home is not really understanding the whole point of bushcraft. Ray Mears when he went to Australia adapted his kit to suit the country, same when he went horseback riding along the Rockies, or even for a week in the woods local to where he lives. He still had a great time I am sure. It’s not about where you learn your skills or the place you play.
Were it to be so, then no one who learns his skills in the garden or on an organised course, or even from a mate in the local wood, is a bushcrafter. If the only place to learn is in the wild wild lands, then none of us are anything more than campers.
Even you, who grew up playing in the outback, you just a camper with a bigger back yard.
I don’t care what people call me, bushcrafter, wildcamper, Ray Mears wannnabe, just playing pretend. By pretending I am keeping alive the skills passed onto me by my grandfather and passing them on to my daughter. Who at nearly nine still thinks that pretend play is worth all the effort, even if it’s just make-believe.

 

[JonnyP]

Tis certainly a hobby to me, but some of what I learn is keeping the old ways alive, and I am certainly in favour of that....Also gives me good skills if I should ever get stuck in true wilderness areas...

 

[Matt Weir]

Yes it's a hobby, playtime for grown ups but I love it

 

[Tengu]

You could say that the aborigines are just playing, not taking their place in a great civilisation that protects their wilderness for them.

My analogy is self sufficiency, something you can do anywhere you hapen to live, not just in a rural area with plenty of space.

Britain has not been wild for many centuries, even the neolithic folk cleared a lot of woodland.

 

[Steve R]

the UK countryside locked away with every wood or meadow owned by someone.

Very true.

it is modern society that is unreal

That too.


We just have to make the best of what we have.

 

[Martyn]

Let me preface this by saying that I grew up in OZ where there are vast tracts of land that for all intents and purposes could be used for what is labelled over here "bushcraft". By contrast I find the UK countryside locked away with every wood or meadow owned by someone. Being out of doors it seems, to me at least, becomes somewhat artificial, a bit of a let's pretend exercise. If you can be bothered, you find a bit of wood, ask permission and then go and do "bushcraft" or am I very jaded and or talking nonsense? After all how many of us have had the opportunity to take up our pack and go walkabout, walking camping firelighting, cooking without let or hindrance? I guess what I am asking is where in the UK is the wild country where all these skills and kit which is packaged as "bushcraft" can be used "for real"?

Stephen
soon to be known as the miserable old sod

Wild country in the UK? You're kidding right? Parts of Scotland are pretty remote, but nothing like Oz. For the most part, we just find a little bit of green and play "lets pretend".

You do the best with what you've got. No point being jaded, you cant do anything about it, you cant turn the UK back into wilderness.

I suppose you could stay in and read a book - or watch TV?

 

[commandocal]

In Egland, i doubt you would need to use Bushcraft skills to survive since there is hardly anywhere remote to need to use them so to be honest they are not needed -i prefer to call it survival skills since i only learn stuff that will help me - in Scotland and Wales there is maybe a few places you can just go and live off the land without any hinderence - But to do that in england is almost guarentee No,No there is people everywhere - Thats why that Chris guy ran away to Alaska small population and he could just run away. I didnt think their was any places in Oz like that now.

 

[Grooveski]

try Scotland its not OZ but theres a lot of it---- hope its not to rugged for you hope you find what you are looking for cheers

Even in Scotland "Bushcraft" is often frowned upon by landowners. It's not a word I would use when asking permission, "Camping" holds fewer connotations of interference.
The access laws may allow camping but within the fine print are restrictions on foraging, hunting, etc and the non interference policy means that even though you are allowed a fire practicaly all types of firewood bar driftwood could cause you to break the access agreement, depending on the landowners point of view.
...so really it's not so different from other parts of the country. Without permission you can still expect a bad reception if you just wander into a wood and start building shelters or running unnecessary fires all day or the likes.

I know I've spouted all this prattle before(Oh no, it's crazy ant guy ) but I'm not trying to pee on anyones fire and certainly not trying to discourage folk from venturing north. Keep reading comments about Scotland being bushcraft friendly though.
(Crazy ant guy actualy got a couple of rep points at the time for having the nerve to speak out, that was a surprise)


I'm not a particularly bushcrafty person, my hobby is getting the hell out of town. I'm lucky I guess to have a pal with land to play on but I have to follow the rules of the game and with the land being a conservation area the rules are pretty strict.

 

[jojo]

Insofar as I can only do "part time" bushcraft, yes it is a hobby for me. I learn to make things, learn to light a fire, brew a bit of tea on a small tin wood stove. I am learning skills that are thought to be obsolete by most "modern" humans.. But, people have actually died of hypothermia within a few hundred yard of "safety" . The outdoors can still be dangerous particularly for most modern humans who haven't got a clue about self preservation, the weather,how to light a fire. Cold rain is still capable of killing you even if you are not far from safety. So I think all these skills I am slowly learning are still worthwhile and make my few days out in the country more enjoyable because they give me added confidence in my ability to look after myself "out there".

 

[Grooveski]

No point being jaded, you cant do anything about it, you cant turn the UK back into wilderness.

You can try .

There's a push these days to replant quite a few forests. It's a popular way for many to get out of town.
It appears a drop in the ocean though when you look at the scale of the problem.

 

[JonnyP]

Hey nice one Grooveski....Looks like the place you are taking em to has lots though.. Or is that where you came from...?