If there's anything I've learned it's that you don't have to go far to learn bushcraft. Often beginners (myself included) get carried away in the early days and want to go into a quiet woodland and immediately start building a shelter and a fire and other unneccessary things. Firecraft and shelter building are of course valuable skills (and very fun) but you can play around with these at a later date, perhaps on private land with permission.
I would advise you buy a map of your local area and look to see what is available to you immediately, and go out every evening/weekend and see what you can find. I discovered a brook running through the town I live in which is surrounded by a very small urban woodland, and by spending time there I discovered my love of foraging. I know which trees grow there, which mushrooms are growing at different times of year and which of the plants I can eat, and I spent hours just watching the wildlife. I've lived here for around 5 years and I didn't even know it was there! I have however spent an absolute fortune on books!
Once I'd learned about the things on my doorstep I ventured out further and walked the canals in my area learning more and more as I went along, eventually going out into Wales, the Lakes, and beyond. Strangely enough some of the best woodland I've been to has been in or near to populated areas!
So you don't need to go wild camping to begin with, build a good knowledge base and your natural curiosity will lead you further afield. Start small though, acorns and oaks and all that! Also there is only so much you can learn from a book or video, getting away from people (although pleasant) isn't what you should be doing. Get involved and meet like minded people in your area, you will learn a great deal from them and I bet they would be glad to pass their knowledge on to a beginner such as yourself.
All the best,
W
