Learn essential survival skills including shelter building, fire lighting, navigation, first aid, outdoor safety and practical skills to survive in the wilderness.
One of the best things about campcraft is being able to make something useful from a few simple materials that you find around camp. A camp gadget doesn’t have to be complicated or impressive. Even a simple hanger can make life at camp a little easier. Making your own camp gadget also gives you a…
Having a fire outdoors can be one of the most enjoyable parts of camping, but the job isn’t finished when you stop cooking or decide you’re ready to leave. A fire that looks like it has gone out can still contain hot embers capable of starting another fire. Learning how to leave a fire site…
Setting up a tent is one of the most useful camping skills you can learn. The first few times it can seem confusing, especially when you’re faced with poles, pegs and a bundle of fabric, but it becomes much easier once you understand the basic process. You don’t need to do everything perfectly straight away….
Planning a walk is part of the adventure. You don’t need to plan every minute or create a complicated route, but taking a little time to think about where you’re going, how long you might be out and what you need can make a walk much more enjoyable. Learning to plan a short walk also…
Being able to follow simple directions is an important outdoor skill. Whether you’re walking with your family, taking part in an activity or exploring with a group, you need to be able to listen, understand what you’ve been told and use the information around you to work out where to go next. It doesn’t mean…
Understanding directions is one of those outdoor skills that seems simple at first, but becomes incredibly useful once you start exploring. Knowing the difference between north, south, east and west gives you a basic way of describing where things are and helps you make sense of maps, paths and the landscape around you. You don’t…
Knowing when to ask for help is an important outdoor skill, but it is one that can easily be overlooked. When you’re exploring somewhere new, something doesn’t feel right or you simply don’t know what to do, speaking up can make a situation much easier to deal with. Asking for help isn’t a sign that…
Outdoor equipment doesn’t have to be expensive to be useful, but it does need looking after. A muddy pair of boots, a wet jacket or a camping stove left dirty after a trip can quickly become a problem the next time you need it. Learning to look after your own equipment is one of those…
What you wear outdoors can make a surprisingly big difference to how much you enjoy yourself. A sunny morning can turn into a cold, wet afternoon, and a pair of shoes that feel fine on a pavement might not be so comfortable after a few hours on a muddy woodland path. Choosing outdoor clothing isn’t…
A thunderstorm can turn an enjoyable camping trip into a serious situation surprisingly quickly. The rain itself might not be the biggest problem. Lightning, sudden gusts of wind, falling branches and rapidly changing conditions can all make being outdoors hazardous. The good news is that you don’t need to be able to predict exactly where…
