Example Activities, Destinations and Format
Monthly scheduled courses available, and tailored activities.
Hosted at our Gloucestershire woodland base, or partner sites in South West England and South Wales.
Chance to meet and familiarise with local resources, learn new paths, views, and skills, with others or as an individual.
Based in an off-grid woodland spot, at the northern tip of the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire, a brief walk from parking.
Our fire-circle and bushcraft skills area provides all we need for an outdoor-learning retreat.
Further afield, we enjoy simple woodland and farm-based facilities.
Bring your own outdoor gear and lunch, and enjoy stepping away from modern technology.
For overnight camps, also bring some camping equipment.
Talk to us if you need any guidance about clothing, equipment, or activities.
→ See our course details below.
→ Then check our upcoming dates for planned activities and locations.
→ Contact us for any bespoke enquiries about dates and topics, and see our essential kit list.
Outdoor Skills Covered...
All of the following skills form the basis for our themed courses, each with a different focus, but with flexibility to follow your interest.
Bespoke sessions can be arranged to provide focused learning on specific topics or for broader coverage, throughout a planned day or weekend.
Our scheduled, monthly, 1 or 2 day courses and outings provide guided practical experiences, following a selection of off-grid topics - campfires and cooking, woodcrafts, navigation, fireside reflection and more....
| (bark, leaves, shape, habitat, edibility, toxicity and folklore) |  |
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| (edibility and toxicity of green leaves around us) |  |
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| (different sources of ignition, tinder, and progression to a usable fire) |  |
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| (variation, handling, law, and maintenance) |  |
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| (siting, structure, and suitable cover) |  |
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| (finding water and purifying it for survival) |  |
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| (sourcing and making) |  |
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| (compass, maps and natural indicators) |  |
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| (greenwood carving and fixings for simple tools and structures, etc) |  |
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| (stews, breads and grills) |  |
Bookable Themed Courses...
Each course is focussed around specific skills, but also allows flexibility to follow your interest.
Courses are tailored to run for half days, full days, or two days with optional camping - see our regular scheduled events.
Bespoke events can be arranged for organised groups and at alternative locations, please contact us to discuss.
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Bushcraft Immersion - Survival, Shelters and Sourcing |
Covering the basics for outdoor, off-grid survival, over a full 1-2 day practical introduction course, aligned with the Institute of Outdoor Learning Bushcraft skillset. All set around our woodland firecircle for an off-grid cuppa too!
This c… (click for more details) |
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Family Bushcraft Day |
Bring your child for free!
Practical, relaxed family off-grid woodland experience + skills day in our Gloucestershire woodland base.
tree identification and folklore
basic fire lighting
shelter builds
cook-your-own fresh bread
Next Dates
See Booking page, and contact us f… (click for more details) |
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Fire, Food and Forage |
Campfire-focused practical skills course, involving finding the right natural resources to eat or as fuel.
Practice starting a fire from 6 fundamental sources of ignition (friction, solar, electric, percussion, chemical, compression), progressing to prepared kindling.
Learn… (click for more details) |
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Guided Hike + Camp |
A casual hillside or woodland walk (around 5-10km) with a blend of navigation, tree/plant ID and general conversation on the way, followed by a some woodland crafting, fireside group-cook and off-grid camp.
Camping is optional, and using own equipment.
Contact us with any spec… (click for more details) |
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Navigation Excursion |
Relearn practical navigation skills without using electronics. Find your way around the hillside, identifying and discussing woodland resources and foraged foods on the way.
We lead you on a gentle guided hike in semi-remote UK countryside; and give you the opportunity to de… (click for more details) |
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Treelore Guided Walk |
Learn the tales, and link folklore and mythology to the practical value of each tree. Join us for an introduction to identifying the trees and relearn the forgotten knowledge and folklore.
Which of them have healing properties and which might be deadly? Which materials are g… (click for more details) |
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Wood Crafting |
Learn a variety of "levelling up" for your camp using woodland natural resources and simple off-grid hand tools. Make some cord from natural fibres, once you've learnt how to source and prepare the fibre; make wooden hand tools, usable for further woodcrafts or for food preparation… (click for more details) |
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Woodland Fireside Retreat |
Take a moment to sit in the woods, switch off, reconnect with nature, and appreciate what's around us, as the seasons turn.
Bring a mug, enjoy a fireside snack and conversation, maybe some basic crafts or games.
Contribute to building or lighting a group campfire too.
O… (click for more details) |
Who Are the Courses For...
We mainly offer courses for adults interested to spend more time outdoors, to learn more about ways to live amongst the natural environment.
Sessions with youngsters/teens can also be run, with responsible parents alongside to help guide.
Our courses are valuable for team-building activities, executive leadership development, and for woodland mindfulness.
There are unquantifiable personal development experience during our courses, such as improving awareness using all senses and in self-control and patience.
Maybe you want an off-grid retreat, maybe you appreciate traditional crafts, maybe you want to challenge what you know.
We can tailor courses to suit any need.
Example Activity Structure...
All timing and activities are flexible. We want you to enjoy and unwind, thinking of this as an off-grid retreat rather than a challenge.
Specific details for arrival, required kit and focus of the activities will vary (as advertised on our upcoming events page) and will be sent to you in advance.
Example Woodland Bushcraft (1 day)typically includes a simple campfire meal or snack.ARRIVAL
MORNING
AFTERNOON
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Example Guided Hike + Camp (2 day)overnight usually at a small, farm-based campsite with simple facilities.ARRIVAL
DAY 1 ACTIVITY - Local Hike and Skills
DAY 2 ACTIVITY - Refresh and Enjoy the Wild
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Base Locations...
May Hill Woodlands
(nr Gloucester)
varied woodland, rich in quality tree-life and wildlife, accessible from the local village and nearby long-distance footpaths (Gloucesteshire Way, Wysis Way). we are lucky to have our bushcraft base here, from which we hold our fireside group-cook and dedicated outdoor skills sessions. the site has nearby parking within a short walk, and off-grid facilities, making it also good for overnight "wild" woodland camps.
Black Mountains
(nr Abergavenny)
a diverse set of valleys and ridges, with some areas of dense forest, sprawling moorland and hidden farms. this is an area shaped by ice-age glaciers and provides some deep twisting valleys, hiding a quieter set of paths and spaces for truely "getting away from it all". the remote tranquility of this area makes it particularly special, as well as the variety of woodland and moorland foraged treats - strawberries, bilberries, woody sorrel and hazelnuts.
Cotswold Vale
(North Gloucestershire to Herefordshire)
we like this as an alternative to the typical UK national parks, also being our home territory - there is a diversity of rocky edges, bubbling streams, distant views, woodland and farm-estates to enjoy. Ancient woodlands, plantations and coppices provide rich material for foraging, tree ID, shelter building and natural crafts like cord-making and greenwood carving, and there's a surprising amount of geocaches!
Further Afield:
Brecon Beacons
a range of peaks forming interlocking horseshoe ridges and with lower forests and waterways - great for small or long hikes. renowned for being rainy. plentiful wild food. stunning skylines.
Dartmoor
truely a region to escape into (or from, during the annual Prison Break challenge!). you can stay on well trodden paths or explore whichever direction you choose and will always find something of interest, whether it's a tor, leat or old quarry. wide moorland with areas of forest, occasional sea views and rockclimbs. on top of that, we love a good wide-game or "letterboxing" treasure hunt here too! a true outdoor playground.
Snowdonia
in a landscape that truely reflects the legends of the home of dragons, you will find tranquil sunny streams and harsh, clouded rock edges. the views are spectacular whether heading down a hidden valley or climbing one of the peaks around Yr Wyddfa. we can show you how the landscape was altered by industrial works and rediscover ancient pathways.