Autumn is a glorious month for exploring arctic bushcraft and survival. If you are lucky, the fells will not only be ablaze with autumn colours but, more importantly, they will be full of berries and mushrooms to forage.
Our Autumn Skills School follows a similar format to Finland's Survival Guild's Summer Course (their pre-requisite for attendance on their winter course). After a preparatory theory day in which we look at wilderness navigation and give you a chance to make their own back-packs, etc, participants are stripped of most of their personal belongings ready for heading out into the wilderness with minimal clothing, tools and equipment.
In the Survival Guild Course, no food is provided apart from that which is hunted, fished or foraged and part of the purpose of the journey is to experience hunger and cold and to allow your body to work through the adaptation to them. In this course, however, since there is more emphasis on skill acquisition, we try to keep your energy and concentration levels higher. If you don't manage to catch a fish, for instance, we will provide one and still teach you how to prepare it.
By the end of your week, you will feel comfortable building a variety of quick shelters and using a variety of fire-making, techniques. You will have tried to fish and to set simple traps, to practice basic wilderness first-aid and navigation and first-aid, and you will know how to identify a wide range of berries, mushrooms and fauna.
General Information:
Programme Duration : 7 days including 2 nights in the farm, 3 nights in nature and the final night in a local family-run hotel Availability:Late August / September