Looking for a bushCRAFT course... :)

[outdoorgirl]

With the emphasis on 'Craft'...

I've looked over most of the websites for Bushcraft courses and haven't really seen what I'm looking for - but then, maybe you've seen a site I haven't, or have been on a course that actually fits the bill (more or less), or could run one if enough people wanted to give it a go...

What I'd like to do is have a course (at least a weekend, preferably a week), where I went out into the 'wilds' - i.e. away from as many other people as possible; actual wilderness would be great but not entirely necessary - and learned how to make myself comfortable and entertained in camp. Campcraft, as we used to call it in the Girl Guides. Making seating, pot holders and tripods, racks to keep kit off the ground (not so much shelters and beds - they get covered on all basic / journeyman style courses), tables & benches if there was enough material to hand (as per the bamboo table & bench in one of Ray's programmes), cooking, eating and drinking vessels, foraging containers, spoons and other cooking / eating utensils - anything else along those lines. I also enjoy camp cookery, so combining the two pasttimes would be my ideal course!

If it was a week long course, a different method of fire starting could be introduced each day, or one could simply spend the time perfecting a particular method they wanted to work on.

Different methods of making twine from various sources could also be covered - this would then be used when lashing things together to make the various items as listed above. Even glues could be covered if there was the time and resource available.

So, does my dream course exist? Would you be interested in such a course?

If this doesn't interest you, what's your dream course?

ODG

 

[Laurence Dell]

Sounds a lot like the Camp craft course that Woodlore run, I did it this Summer and it covered a lot of the things you mentioned.

http://www.raymears.com/

The only problem you might have apart from the price is that the course is very structured and doesen't really allow for too much deviation into anything too complicated. However you will pick up most of the skills to enable you to continue developing projects by yourself after the course.

A lot of the stuff not covered on this course like firelighting and making natural cordage for example are coverd on the Fundamental course that they do.

 

[Toddy]

Hey ODG If you organise one I'd like to come too.....this sounds like fun. Eric talked about something like this, called a Paleo weekend. Troy's setting up a new site, maybe we could persuade him to run one like this?

Cheers,
Toddy

 

[Borneo Wildman]

ODG
Last year I found some one day courses (friction fire-lighting and green woodworking) being run locally to me (Devon). I was really impressed with both of them, and I am suggesting that you also look into green woodworking as a possible place to find the skills you are after.

Our course covered make bowls, spoons, vessels, bit if bark containers, benches and seats (only enough time to do one!) We had a lovely fire going all day and it was less bushcraft and more woodcraft.

Hope that helps?


Oh, as for my perfect course...I would have a mixture of walkabout and group meets and survive from everything around me. To be shown how to forage properly and not be given a rough idea, and here's your pre-prepared evening meal. But I wouldn't want to pay £500 to be left alone with no food for a week!

 

[spoony]

these look ok

woodsmoke courses

 

[JoshG]

these look ok

woodsmoke courses

The prices for Woodsmoke courses are insane, and Booking a Woodlore course seems to be near-impossible, and I couldn't see their prices being any cheaper!

 

[qweeg500]

I've been on 3 Woodsmoke courses and am considering a 4th. Ive been very very happy with all of them. In view of the instruction I received and the locations involved I thought they were good value. These prices are on a par with other schools I've checked out.

When considering price remember a good school has hefty overheads like insurance, land rental, equipment, training (i.e. first aid, mountain leader etc.) and sometimes they will feed you aswell or give you a free training knife to boot. They have to pay themselves too.

£500-600 IMO is not unreasonable for a weeks course. If a course was much cheaper I'd like to know why, and I'd be careful to make sure they are properly insured and are adequately qualified.

The Woodlore courses are notorious for how long you have to wait to get one one but they have frequent cancellations. If you get on their mailing list then you'll get notified of any cancellations. I've had to cancel one myself which was promptly offered on their e-mail list.

Getting back to the subject Outdoorgirl; I'm not sure I've seen the course you describe. The Woodsmoke Axe Workshop looks like part of it with stuff like making bowls, spoons and sawdogs. There's a bit on tree-felling, making a paddle and making a bucksaw. Not just axes are used but the majority of the work is with an axe. The cordage, birch bark and cookery parts you want are covered in separate courses.


Matt

 

[Viking]

There are a lot of shools out there but the best shool is expereience. Whuy not try for yourself. Go out for a week and do what you want to do, what you will learn you will not easily forget then and you will also find new ways to do things.

But if you want to go with a school contact the diffrent shools and ask if they have what you are looking for, it might be worth to have private lessons if you want to learn something particular.

I often teach people for free, just because I like it. Maybe there is someone near you that are willing to teach you?

 

[chris chris]

Originally Posted by qweeg500

"500-600 IMO is not unreasonable for a weeks course. If a course was much cheaper I'd like to know why, and I'd be careful to make sure they are properly insured and are adequately qualified."

I personally think 5 to 6 hundred quid for a weeks course is ridiculous, I think around 400 is more reasonable.

There are many reasons why other schools courses are cheaper. One that comes straight to mind is they have not the celebrity status that Ray Mears has..........so, all the other schools are competing for busineess in a competetive market.

I've found that the schools that just run courses in the summer season are more exspensive than the ones that operate 12 months a year.

But, your right - it is all down to the individuals opinion about cost

ODG - hope you get your ideal craft course

Chris