bushcraft/survival course

[beanyman]

hi all, i am new to bushcraft/survival but have been interested in it for quite a while but have not actually done anything about it due to a young family and career. I have a son who is now 6 years old and was hoping to involve him in my adventure. My mission for you all if you choose to accept it is : I am looking for a course (2 or 3 day) that me and my son can attend to introduce us to the basics, shelter making, foraging, fire making, knife skills, trapping etc. However i live in the nottinghamshire area and can find no decent courses near by. I am willing to travel a shortish distance but don't want to be driving to kent or scotland or paying £300 each for me and my son. If anyone knows of a decent course close by or how i can get into this discipline then please let me know.

many thanks.

 

[shaggystu]

go along to a meet, there's plenty local(ish), just look in the "meet ups and get togethers" section of the forum

welcome to the forum too

 

[Seadweller]

Hi Beanyman. I have been running courses for 15 years now and if you wish for a 'taster' on basic skills many of the courses will take your money and give you just that. If, on the other hand you wish to become very proficient over time I would lean more toward learning each basic skill properly to a high standard. If you don't do this you will struggle with all the tasks continually. Knife skills are probably the most important followed by being able to produce fire in all conditions. Just learning how to put an edge on a knife is a lengthy process; without which all other tasks become extremely difficult. The other thing to look at is that survival and bushcraft are very, very, different beasts.
Hope this helps.

 

[zeebadee]

Hi



I second what you said beany...seem very expensive for a weekend in the woods

 

[leaf man]

it has all become a bit business orientated. that said, the local meets are great and everyone i have met was willing to share tons or skills

 

[munkiboi182]

not sure how the rules stand on here about advertising etc, but i work for www.thecanoeman.com. we do courses suiting your needs on the norfolk broads and throw in a bit of canoeing too. worth looking at.

 

[Elines]

Woodsman Bushcraft - Udamiano on here - do beginner courses at a great site near Coventry


http://woodsmanbushcraft.co.uk/index.php?id=2&sub=1

 

[ged]

... I am looking for a course ...

I would recommend trawling the Web for reading material. There's a tremendous amount of serious stuff out there. Look for things like manuals produced by and for expedition organizers and the armed forces, advice from people who look after national parks and mountain rescue teams, government publications on being prepared for emergencies. Read at least some of it before you set out on any adventures.

Then I second what Shaggystu said about local meets. Becoming, er, familiar with sleeping on the ground, sitting under a tarp in the rain and cooking on an open fire that you built yourself will not only put the bushcraft and survivalist stuff in some sort of perspective, but it will also do a lot for family bonding. I'm not saying what it will do, but it will do a lot of it.

Oh, and welcome to BCUK!

 

[spandit]

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