Which Woodlore / Survival Course???

[Tedders]

Not sure if I've posted this thread in the right place, I'm sure it will be moved if not.

having read a few posts I see a few of you have done courses and some of you work in the schools, my question is this:

What school would you recommend (not the one you own)?

I have done one course and didn't enjoy it, or learn much more than I already knew. I won't say the name of the school for fear of upsetting people. It was run in a military regime and the guy had a few personality issues. There was one instructor, too many students. We were told to build a shelter, then left on your own with no practical advice. Then afterwards he went round finding fault - but not constructively, just cynically, as he did with fires etc. So afetr that I've been put off until I saw the Woodsmoke and Woodlores sites,they look a little less military (i've always struggled with authority). What do you guys think. I need a non-basic course for a week, where shall i go?? :chill:

 

[James Watson]

Well I know Tom Brown Jr's not every bodys cup of tea. But I would recommend his school, and others that have spun off from his, Wilderness Awareness School, Wild Live, Trackways etc. Even If you don't believe in Toms philosophy or teaching, all the physical skills are still there.

James

 

[Tony]

Not sure if I've posted this thread in the right place, I'm sure it will be moved if not.

having read a few posts I see a few of you have done courses and some of you work in the schools, my question is this:

What school would you recommend (not the one you own)?

I have done one course and didn't enjoy it, or learn much more than I already knew. I won't say the name of the school for fear of upsetting people. It was run in a military regime and the guy had a few personality issues. There was one instructor, too many students. We were told to build a shelter, then left on your own with no practical advice. Then afterwards he went round finding fault - but not constructively, just cynically, as he did with fires etc. So afetr that I've been put off until I saw the Woodsmoke and Woodlores sites,they look a little less military (i've always struggled with authority). What do you guys think. I need a non-basic course for a week, where shall i go?? :chill:

I think that the best advice is to have a look at the school websites, find a few that you’re interested in and then call them, explain what you’re after and then go through what they’ve all told you and decide on the one that suits you. The schools you’ve mentioned are very good and would be a good place to start your search. What you’re looking for is available, with a little work you should avoid all disappointment :biggthump

 

[Adi007]

I'm going to go immediately against the grain and say that first off it is practice that makes perfect. Get a few books and read them and if you have a garden of allotment or a little patch of land you can disappear off into, use that. Practice firelighting and outdoor cooking there. Go on walks with some plantlore books and ID plants and trees you come across. Get a knife and start whittling. Read, read, read and ask, ask, ask!

Get your skills up to speed at your own pace and in your own time. Why pay in excess of £500 for basic skills that you can learn yourself. Practice makes perfect.

I'm not saying that you shouldn't go on courses, I'm just saying that £500 buys a lot of books and gear you can use to learn. If you then want to learn something specific, get a specific course that covers what you want to learn (or find someone good at it and bribe them with a good meal or a trip out). There are lots of people around with loads of skills willing to help out. If you want an experience, then go on a course. If you want knowledge and skill, put in the dirt time and experiment.

 

[TheViking]

Hi...

In this article on Woodsmokes Abo course it looks very interesting. The environment is also great on the pictures...
Sargey: anything to say?

Cheers

 

[Tedders]

Adi007...Oh I do practice whenever I can, just want to be shown first hand some of the things that I find difficult first hand. Also learning knots with a book is tedious compared to someone showing you. I have no 'woodlore' friends and to be honest I'm not overly social. But I get your point.

theviking...i've seen that too and it looks brilliant, the problem is they want you to do the basic course first - which I don't think i need to do, and certainly don't want to pay for two courses

james.... who's tom brown jnr - i've never heard of him, could you direct me to some information?

 

[TheViking]

I'm going to go immediately against the grain and say that first off it is practice that makes perfect. Get a few books and read them and if you have a garden of allotment or a little patch of land you can disappear off into, use that. Practice firelighting and outdoor cooking there. Go on walks with some plantlore books and ID plants and trees you come across. Get a knife and start whittling. Read, read, read and ask, ask, ask!

Get your skills up to speed at your own pace and in your own time. Why pay in excess of £500 for basic skills that you can learn yourself. Practice makes perfect.

I'm not saying that you shouldn't go on courses, I'm just saying that £500 buys a lot of books and gear you can use to learn. If you then want to learn something specific, get a specific course that covers what you want to learn (or find someone good at it and bribe them with a good meal or a trip out). There are lots of people around with loads of skills willing to help out. If you want an experience, then go on a course. If you want knowledge and skill, put in the dirt time and experiment.

Dare to be wise........
Clever words Adi! Exactly my opinion too. There's a chinese say that goes:

"What I hear, I forget.
What I see, I remember.
What I try, I master"

An it's quite true....

 

[boaty]

I'm going to go immediately against the grain and say that first off it is practice that makes perfect

I'm going to slightly disagree with Adi :yikes: Practice makes permanent - if you practice a skill incorrectly then you will perform that skill incorrectly. Sometimes just watching someone for 10 seconds is enough to show you where you've been going wrong and make ligtbulbs appear over your head!

Read, read, read and ask, ask, ask!

Nothing to disagree with here!!!

 

[Kath]

, the problem is they want you to do the basic course first - which I don't think i need to do, and certainly don't want to pay for two courses

I've always wondered this about courses - how fussy are the schools about everyone doing the pre-requisite courses first???

 

[Adi007]

I'm going to slightly disagree with Adi :yikes: Practice makes permanent - if you practice a skill incorrectly then you will perform that skill incorrectly. Sometimes just watching someone for 10 seconds is enough to show you where you've been going wrong and make ligtbulbs appear over your head!

Agreed :biggthump ... but practice what works and you won't go far wrong. Also, don't fear experimenting ... at the meetup I was amazed at the diversity of ways to do one thing ... most worked which made them just fine!

 

[TheViking]

I've always wondered this about courses - how fussy are the schools about everyone doing the pre-requisite courses first???

Yes, it would be a little missy if RM came and wanted to do a course and got sent away, with the reason that he hadn't done the basic first....

 

[James Watson]

james.... who's tom brown jnr - i've never heard of him, could you direct me to some information?

have a look at www.trackerschool.com
He was taught from the age of 7 to 18 by an Lipan Aphace scout.
He's written 16 books. If you want to read them start with his first The Tracker or read The Scout.

 

[sargey]

I've always wondered this about courses - how fussy are the schools about everyone doing the pre-requisite courses first???

i've done higher level courses with woodsmoke and cambrian survival. i can highly recommend both of them. i haven't done either of their basic courses.

i've met guys who have been on basic courses, and the skill level achieved in a week is surprising. books are good, but will only take you so far.....

if you want to get on a course, but you're unsure, get on the email and/or phone. you can explain what you have done in the past, and maybe find out more of what's required, or what you will be doing on the course. i have spoken to chief instructors/school owners and been put off by them, better to find out if you're going to get along before shelling out the dosh eh? but in all cases, the school owners/instructers have been incredibly helpful.

tedders, i bet i can guess which school too! :shock: ):

cheers, and.

 

[ScottC]

I would reccomend Tamarack Bushcraft, I have done 2 courses with them and both were excellent and I walked away with lots of knowledge and practice. On both courses there were about 6 students in all and 3 instructors, the principal instructor really knows his stuff and i believe he has visited the Hadza Bushmen in Tanzania a few times. The prices I think are quite cheap especially as you get some kit to take away with you.

Here is a link to my thread on how the campcraft weekend course i did with them went

http://www.bushcraftuk.net/community/showthread.php?t=2626&highlight=TAMARACK

 

[acw_akkermans]

I would definately agree with the advice given earlier. Check out different web-sites, and give interesting schools a ring.

There is a lot you can learn by yourself, however, it would cut down on a lot of learning time to be mentored by someone who already has the skills. Not only can this person explain things in a way a book can't, but there's also a lot of books out there with unclear descriptions or even mistakes. Books can also be interpreted in a different way then was originally intended.
There may also be skills that just don't seem to work for you. Having an experienced person there gives you an extra chance of figuring out why.
Some skills are also frustrating to learn, such as the bow-drill. Again, an instructor can give you that extra drive and support.

Besides all the above reasons for attending a course, it is also a lot of fun!

Many regards,

Anthonio Akkermans

P.S. Not all courses are 500 Pounds... There are plenty of week-long courses available for half that price or even less!

 

[Stuart]

you cant go wrong booking a course with woodsmoke or woodlore they are both exellent schools

if you are not ready to spent the cash yet ask around and somone here will take you out for a weekend or two and cover the basics

 

[jakunen]

Bearclaws Greenhorn is a very good basic course (check out my review on the site). http://www.bearclawbushcraft.co.uk/courses.htm

Very good, few students per instructor, fairly flexible corriculum.

Some schools, like Wilderness Living, http://www.wildernessliving.co.uk/, do require you to do a 'foundation course' before doing some of the more advanced courses, basically so that they know they won't have to go over the same basic bits every time.
As does Bearclaw for the Tracking course - you've got to do them in order, quite sensibly.

 

[jamesdevine]

It is certainly a good Idea to have look at the schools page and check out as many if not all of them before you make our choice.

I recently worked out all my frustration with the bow drill on week long course with Wild-Live and not learnt this and many other skills but somethings about myself that I did already known and somethings I had forgotten. I have not hand so much fun or been so relaxed in the outdoors since I was a kid not only that I have manged to keep some of that with me.

Being able to work through the difficulties, learn new things, spend time with friendly people around a campfire and be totally satisfied weeks later it will worth the effort of few phone calls and e-mails. Your pocket can me better off as well.

I will be back with Wild-Live next year.

James

 

[Ginja]

Some good advice on this thread ...! Especially the idea of teaching yourself, rather than forking out on an expensive course - definitely the most satisfying and economical method (though be sure to 'keep it safe' for yourself and those around you - common sense really, don't mean to sound like yer mom!).

As for courses, I've only ever been on one but would highly recommend it. It's run by Mick 'Ginge' Tyler (ex-SAS) of the Breakaway Survival School, Hereford. Sounds kinda military on the surface, granted, but in reality is quite the opposite. Despite Mick's credentials (he taught survival to the SAS for 30 odd years), the school is very down to earth, friendly and welcoming, attracting a mix of students, yes - men and women! - from all over the UK. And Mick is a top class bloke ... very witty, eccentric, oodles of expertise, a refreshing no-nonsense approach, plenty of stories from his time in Malaysia, plus he's a great leveller of anyone who comes along expecting a hard mans' boot camp ("wot's that big knife for, religious purposes?" and so on ... ).

The Breakaway Survival School website is at:

http://www.breakawaysurvival.co.uk/

... but I warn you now the site is a bit... No frills ... just like the school itself. Best thing is to contact Mick direct - his details are on the website, otherwise you can call him on: 01432 267 097 or email: mick@breakawaysurvival.co.uk

It's one of (if not THE) original survival schools in the UK, and certainly the most respected. Just bear in mind that you won't be whittling spoons ...

G

 

[jakunen]

I'm not touting for any of the schools here, but...

The trouble with trying to teach yourself is that:
1) trying to learn how to tye a knot from a book can be a nightmare!;
2) the instructor may be able to see where you are going wrong and point out how to correct things you're struggling with;
3) trying to learn fungi from a book, for example, can be downright dangerous (hence the reason I don't like teaching people how to ID them and I'm joining a group to find out how to ID them properly from someone who really know's what their talking about!);
4) the school will generally have examples of good AND bad kit and thus save you money/pain;
5) you are able to draw on a much broader base of knowledge as there will be others there who will have knowledge and experience.

Self-learning IS great and has a huge sense of achievement attached to it, but never be too proud to admit that others can help you (Been there, done, it, made a prat of myself). Even if you do have to pay them.

And ask yourself this, is £150 for example,for a course really all that much when compared to the lifetime of knowledge and experience you will be building for yourself?