I have just got back from a weekend up in Scotland at Backwoods Survival School run by Patrick McGlinchy. It was the Backwoodsman course that the lads from the NIBA wrote about here. I didn't get much time to take pictures (anyone who has been on this course will understand why
) but their photo's in that thread give a good indication of what goes on.
I was one of seven on this course all with varying levels of experience and Patrick was able to seamlessly incorporate different levels of the same subject to facilitate individual abilities. If you already knew how to do something he taught, he showed you another way do it, use different materials etc. and made sure you stuck at it until you got it. For absolute beginners he had patience and an ability to coax one last attempt at something out of them to ensure that everybody left the course with a sense of achievement.
Andy was Patricks assistant instructor over the weekend and had an uncanny knack for appearing just when you needed a quick word in your ear to get you back on track when things were going against you. Thanks Andy.....
After the course we were brought back to Patricks house to have some tea and cake... Thanks Shona and to see some of the crafts that Patrick has made over the years. Some of you will have seen the photographs of Patricks work over the years so will know what I am talking about when I say the bar is set pretty high.
What makes Patrick different from any other Bushcraft Instructor ?
I can't claim to know that many but spend even ten minutes with Patrick and you will have learned something. This man lives the life for real, this is not a part time job for Patrick, woodland skills are part of his daily life. His enthusiasm for the skills is infectious and his ability to pass on the knowledge is second to none. All the things we talk about on here and elsewhere Patrick has actually done. Patrick has spent years upon years recreating the tools our ancestors would have used. He can do more with, and I know he hates this word, "primitive" tools than most can do with modern kit. Patrick teaches from experience and many years of practicing the skills. His knowledge may have begun by reading but it was in the actual doing that he learned what he now teaches which means his students get the benefit of a short cut to hard earned knowledge.
After the course was over and the rest of the students had headed home I was lucky enough to be the beneficiary of generosity and hospitality above and beyond the call of duty from Patrick and Shona, for which I am very grateful. They know how to look after their students at Backwoods Survival School and that all I will say on that in case I embarrass Patrick.
There seem to be hundreds of Bushcraft Schools out there at the moment and it can be hard to choose which school offers the best training and value for money. Patrick never clocked off on this course and was answering questions well into the wee hours on both nights. During the course we had Patrick and Andy teaching us for around 30 hours, thats only £4.30 per hour for instruction when you break it down. Good value in anyones book.
I dont want to go into too much detail about what goes on during the course in case I ruin the surprise but if you are looking for a bushcraft course in the UK you will not be disappointed in what Patrick has to offer.
Andrew
) but their photo's in that thread give a good indication of what goes on. I was one of seven on this course all with varying levels of experience and Patrick was able to seamlessly incorporate different levels of the same subject to facilitate individual abilities. If you already knew how to do something he taught, he showed you another way do it, use different materials etc. and made sure you stuck at it until you got it. For absolute beginners he had patience and an ability to coax one last attempt at something out of them to ensure that everybody left the course with a sense of achievement.
Andy was Patricks assistant instructor over the weekend and had an uncanny knack for appearing just when you needed a quick word in your ear to get you back on track when things were going against you. Thanks Andy.....
After the course we were brought back to Patricks house to have some tea and cake... Thanks Shona
and to see some of the crafts that Patrick has made over the years. Some of you will have seen the photographs of Patricks work over the years so will know what I am talking about when I say the bar is set pretty high. What makes Patrick different from any other Bushcraft Instructor ?
I can't claim to know that many but spend even ten minutes with Patrick and you will have learned something. This man lives the life for real, this is not a part time job for Patrick, woodland skills are part of his daily life. His enthusiasm for the skills is infectious and his ability to pass on the knowledge is second to none. All the things we talk about on here and elsewhere Patrick has actually done. Patrick has spent years upon years recreating the tools our ancestors would have used. He can do more with, and I know he hates this word, "primitive" tools than most can do with modern kit. Patrick teaches from experience and many years of practicing the skills. His knowledge may have begun by reading but it was in the actual doing that he learned what he now teaches which means his students get the benefit of a short cut to hard earned knowledge.
After the course was over and the rest of the students had headed home I was lucky enough to be the beneficiary of generosity and hospitality above and beyond the call of duty from Patrick and Shona, for which I am very grateful. They know how to look after their students at Backwoods Survival School and that all I will say on that in case I embarrass Patrick
.There seem to be hundreds of Bushcraft Schools out there at the moment and it can be hard to choose which school offers the best training and value for money. Patrick never clocked off on this course and was answering questions well into the wee hours on both nights. During the course we had Patrick and Andy teaching us for around 30 hours, thats only £4.30 per hour for instruction when you break it down. Good value in anyones book.
I dont want to go into too much detail about what goes on during the course in case I ruin the surprise but if you are looking for a bushcraft course in the UK you will not be disappointed in what Patrick has to offer.
Andrew
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