The latest Scouting magazine has just dropped through my door

[Maggot]

And on page 26 there is a review of the Bushcraft Show in Cumbria, and instructions of making whistles, dutch oven cooking and other bits and pieces.

Does this mean that Bushcraft is now officially 'mainstream'?

 

[Rabbitsmacker]

thats it! i'm selling my stuf to find a more obscure hobby!

 

[Mang]

Right, I'm going to come clean...I'm one of the article writers. Actually, I've done a few now but they have all been in the Cub supplement. The articles I've done (and have in the pipeline) are not trying to re-invent bushcraft but it's getting the subject out into Scoutland. On the basis of these articles, coupled with organising the Gilwell24 bushcraft base, I've been ask to consider joining a project to look at basic skills within Scouting which could be intersting.

In the current Scouting magazine, I've done the bowdrill feature...it would have been about three pages in it's original form but it was edited down...I know that the bearing won't catch fire if there's no leaves in there

 

[JohnC]

Saw that article and liked it... There has been a trend of "rediscovering" basic skills, at the troop my son's at, theres been more emphasis recently on knife work including maintainance and much more firelighting.. I'll look forward to more articles Mang!

 

[FGYT]

And on page 26 there is a review of the Bushcraft Show in Cumbria, and instructions of making whistles, dutch oven cooking and other bits and pieces.

Does this mean that Bushcraft is now officially 'mainstream'?

scouts have been making whistles and cooking on fires for decades before bushcraft was thought of

used to be the Knife and Axe course before you could use a sharp including felling (well we did )

Backwoods cooking including wrapping in leaves, Egg in a potato or orange skin , bacon frying or boiling water in a paper bag

shelters

the works

its why Ray Mears took so long he never joined the scouts

ATB

Duncan

PS have a look at recommended other reading at the bottom of the link above

and i still use the finger width method to gauge sunset

 

[Wallenstein]

I've just finished reading the magazine this weekend.

Bushcraft has always been part of scouting, just under different names (backwoods cooking, pioneering, celestial navigation etc). Now that Bear Grylls is Chief Scout those skills seem to be grouped under a single banner of bushcraft, but they've always been there.

Plus bushcraft is pretty mainstream anyway - everyone knows Bear Grylls and Ray Mears, and travel supplements are full of reviews of bushcraft campsites as an alternative to "glamping".

 

[Lee Wright]

I thought it was a well written section, nice one

 

[udamiano]

and i still use the finger width method to gauge sunset

Me too

 

[greensurfingbear]

As far as I am concerned scouting for me when I was involved was always about outdoor skill as well as learning life skills.

 

[roger-uk]

As far as I am concerned scouting for me when I was involved was always about outdoor skill as well as learning life skills.

Thats how it should be in every section - no matter what their age - Its spregressive training from 6 to 25.

 

[Big T]

I liked the article but in response to the beginning of thread since when has Scouts (although brilliant), been 'mainstream' and why would it matter?

 

[stovie]

Question is...when will they let me publish an illustrated article on deer prep...or rabbit for that matter...??? Think I might have to wait a while for that one...

 

[SimonM]

Question is...when will they let me publish an illustrated article on deer prep...or rabbit for that matter...??? Think I might have to wait a while for that one...

Have you asked them Stovie...I'm sure that there are plenty of Scouts (and Leaders) would like to see it done properly.

Austin (Mang on here) who wrote the bushy articles says thet are crying out for new articles...

Simon