LATEST OUTDOOR GUIDES
Keep up to date with the latest guides, activities and resources from Survival Guides UK. Explore new articles covering outdoor skills, survival, Scout activities, camping, navigation, knots, fire safety and practical skills.
Our latest posts are designed to help Scouts, youth groups, leaders and anyone interested in outdoor learning develop practical knowledge and confidence. From new activity ideas and survival skills to useful how-to guides, check back regularly for the latest resources.
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How to Tie a Reef Knot | Simple Step-by-Step Guide
The reef knot is one of the simplest and most useful knots to learn. It is used to join two ends of similar-sized rope or cord when you need a temporary connection that can be untied easily. It is important to learn the correct sequence because a reef knot can look right while actually being…
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Advanced Navigation in Difficult Terrain
Navigation becomes much more difficult when the landscape stops giving you obvious clues. A clear path, visible hilltop or distinctive landmark can make navigation relatively straightforward. Dense woodland, steep slopes, poor visibility and featureless terrain remove many of those clues. This is where strong navigation skills become particularly important. In difficult terrain, you need to…
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Navigating Without Relying on GPS
GPS and digital mapping can be extremely useful outdoors, but they should not be the only navigation skills you have. A phone can lose battery, lose signal, become damaged or simply stop working when you need it most. Electronic navigation can also make it tempting to follow a moving dot without understanding the landscape around…
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Navigation Checkpoints: How to Stay on Course
Good navigation is not simply about reaching your destination. It is about knowing where you are throughout the journey. A navigation checkpoint is a planned point on a route where you stop or pause to confirm your position, check your progress and prepare for the next section. Checkpoints are particularly useful on longer or more…
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Planning and Navigating a Complete Route
Being able to take a bearing is one skill. Being able to navigate an entire route is another. A successful route requires more than knowing which direction to walk. You need to understand the terrain, identify useful navigation features, decide where to check your position and have a plan for what to do if something…
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Using a Map and Compass Together
A map tells you where you are and where you want to go. A compass helps you keep moving in the right direction. Using the two together is one of the most useful navigation skills you can develop. A compass on its own cannot tell you exactly where you are. A map on its own…
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Taking and Following Bearings Over a Route
Knowing what a bearing is and knowing how to take one are important navigation skills. The next step is being able to use bearings successfully while travelling. Following a bearing across open ground sounds simple: set the compass, point in the right direction and walk. In practice, things such as uneven ground, obstacles, poor visibility,…
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Quick Shelter Builder Challenge
Your shelter needs to provide protection from the conditions. Put the construction stages into the correct sequence. Drag and rearrange the steps into the correct order and let us know how you did in the comments below. For more challenges like this, join us and head over to the members section where we have lots…
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How to Wash Clothes While Camping
Washing clothes is not usually the first thing people think about when planning a camping trip. But on a longer camp, expedition or family trip, clothes can quickly become muddy, sweaty or wet. The good news is that you do not need a washing machine to deal with basic camping laundry. With a small amount…
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How to Keep Food Cold While Camping
Keeping food cold while camping can be surprisingly difficult. At home, you can simply put everything in the fridge. At camp, you may have a cool box, ice packs, frozen food and a warm day to deal with. The key is to start with cold food, keep it insulated and avoid letting warm air into…
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