Would you like to learn
bushcraft skills for yourself or for the benefit of your Scouting Section?
Q: What is Bushcraft?
A: Bushcraft is a range of outdoor living skills that can be used by you if you are planning on spending some time in the great outdoors. These skills can be adapted according to the weather, season or the environment that you are in and will help you to tune into, work with and respect the natural world, leaving minimal evidence of the time you have spent in the places you are visiting or passing through.
Bushcraft skills can be used alongside or in combination with other outdoor pursuits such as open canoeing where they could enable you to be more self- reliant and have more choices about the places to be travelled to/through and what kit to take e.g. swap the geodesic tent for a tarp and hammock or the gas stove for a hazel pot hanger and open fire.
The knowledge required to put bushcraft skills into practice weighs nothing & can make you feel more confident travelling further afield into/through wilder places and they have the added benefit of potentially preventing a stressful survival situation occurring in the 1st place or in the least make the survival situation more tolerable.
So if you are in woodland on a wet and windy day and you would like to feel more confident in lighting a fire so you can make a hot drink or if you are looking at planning a wilderness expedition then read on…
Q: Why choose HEAT Bushcraft & Survival Scouting Active Support Unit to learn about bushcraft?
A: We are experienced…
The HEAT Bushcraft & Survival Team has been around for a number of years. During this time the team has been sharing bushcraft skills and knowledge with leaders and children & young people involved in Scouting through events and activities both within Hampshire Scouts and beyond. A majority of the team members are attached to Scouting Sections in Hampshire and collectively we have valuable experience in other outdoor activities including open canoeing, survival skills, woodland management and natural history. Many of the team has utilized their own bushcraft skills in wilderness environments including Scotland & Sweden. A: We are qualified…
As part of Hampshire County Scouting we follow the Scout Association’s Policy, Organisation & Rules. Our Instructors have attended the relevant Scout Association training and many have attained their Wood badge.
Some of our team have National Governing Body (NGB) qualifications/awards in other outdoor pursuits including open canoeing. One of our Instructors is an NFCE qualified Bushcraft Instructor & Leader holding both The Advanced Bushcraft Award and Certificate in Bushcraft Leadership (the only accredited Bushcraft Instructor Course in the UK run by John Ryder who was previously Ray Mears’s former Head Instructor!)
A: We are recommended…
We don’t like to blow our own trumpets but if you would like to hear what people say about us contact us and we will gladly put you in touch with others who have used us
A: We are Scouts…
We are not driven by targets and sales which means we won’t hold back on course content and we will tell you as many trade secrets that we can within the allowable time constraints Q: What do you offer
Scouting Leaders?
A: We offer 7 bushcraft units which collectively equate to a typical commercial bushcraft course
Bushcraft Tools & Woodcraft
Fire
Shelter
Wild Forage
Campfire Cooking
Nature Awareness
Camp Tools & Intermediate Woodcraft
Unit ref Unit Typical Content of Unit
The folding hand saw & it’s HEAT 1 design
Using the folding hand saw
Harvesting and sustainable use of natural resources
The bushcraft knife & it’s design
Using the bushcraft knife
Cutting, splitting & an introduction to basic carving skills
Beginners woodcraft
Maintenance of the folding hand saw & bushcraft knife
Bushcraft Tools & & Tools Bushcraft an Introduction to Woodcraft to Introduction
Unit ref Unit Typical Content of Unit
HEAT 2 Methods of ignition
Tinder & Kindling
Fire lighting in good conditions
Fire lighting in poor conditions
Fire lays
Burning properties of wood
Clearing fires
Introduction to the bow drill
Fire
Unit ref Unit Typical Content of Unit
HEAT 3 Sighting shelters
Knots for shelters
Configuring & erecting tarps
Using & erecting hammocks
Natural shelters
Shelter
Unit ref Unit Typical Content of Unit
HEAT 4 Using wildflowers & trees for food & drink
Natural sources of water
The Indian well
Making ‘wild’ water safe to drink
Other natural resources
Forage
Wild Wild
Unit ref Unit Typical Content of Unit
HEAT 5 Preparing small mammals, birds & fish
Cooking with open campfires in the field
Cooking with open campfires at base camp
Campfire recipes
Campfire Cooking Campfire
Unit ref Unit Typical Content of Unit
HEAT 6 Camouflage & concealment
Tuning into nature & using our senses
Animal sign
Stalking
Nature Awareness Nature
Unit ref Unit Typical Content of Unit
HEAT 7 Camp saws
Large wedges
Axes
The safe use of the Scout axe
Using the Scout axe for limbing, splitting & cleaving
Care & maintenance of the Scout axe
Intermediate woodcraft
Woodcraft Camp Tools & Intermediate Intermediate & Tools Camp
Q: Can I attend as few or as many units as needed & in any order?
A: ‘Yes’ with the exception that you must have attended HEAT 1 before attending HEAT 7
Q: Can I attend all the units at once over a weekend?
A: ‘Yes’…ask us for more details
Q: When are the individual units run?
A: Every other Monday from 7pm - 9.30pm (term time)
Q: Where are the evening units & weekend courses run?
A: Hambledon, Hampshire
Q: What is the cost?
A: A donation of £5 per person for each individual evening unit or £35 per person for the complete self- catering weekend course
Q: How do I find out more?
A: Send an Email to:
to begin your journey…