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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What to Do If Someone Falls Into Water
Seeing someone fall into a river, lake or pond can be frightening, but the most important thing is to avoid becoming a second casualty. Scouts should understand that attempting to jump in after someone without the right training and equipment can make the situation much worse. The safest response is to raise the alarm, get…
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How to Recognise an Unsafe Riverbank
Riverbanks can look solid and safe while hiding hazards that aren’t immediately obvious. Erosion, loose ground, slippery surfaces and undercut sections can all make getting close to the edge dangerous. Learning to recognise these warning signs helps Scouts make safer decisions around rivers and streams. Look at the Ground Before walking towards a river, look…
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How to Stay Safe Around Rivers and Streams
Rivers and streams can be beautiful places to explore, but moving water can be much more powerful than it looks. For Scouts, the safest approach is to understand the hazards, stay within agreed boundaries and avoid entering or approaching water unnecessarily. Understand the Current Moving water can push against your legs and make it difficult…
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How Animals Can Help You Find Water
Animals need water just as people do, so signs of animal activity can sometimes provide clues about where water may be found. For Scouts, this is an interesting way to combine survival skills, nature observation and tracking. However, animal signs should be treated as clues rather than a guaranteed method of finding water. The priority…
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How to Follow the Land to Find Water
Understanding how water moves across the landscape is a useful survival skill for Scouts. You don’t always need to spot a stream immediately. By learning to read slopes, valleys, gullies and natural drainage, you can make an educated guess about where water is more likely to be found. This is a skill based on understanding…
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How to Recognise Signs of Water in the Outdoors
Knowing where water might be found is a useful outdoor skill for Scouts. You don’t always need to see a stream or pond immediately. The landscape, vegetation, animal activity and shape of the ground can provide clues that water may be nearby. However, finding water and finding safe drinking water are two different things. A…
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How to Set Up a Camp Kitchen
A well-organised camp kitchen makes outdoor cooking easier, cleaner and safer. Whether Scouts are using camping stoves or another approved cooking system, the cooking area should be planned before equipment is unpacked. Good organisation helps everyone understand where to work, where equipment belongs and how people should move around the area. Choose a Suitable Location…
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How to Organise a Campsite
A tidy campsite isn’t just easier to look at. Good organisation helps Scouts find their equipment, move around safely and work together more effectively. Camp can quickly become messy when tents, rucksacks, cooking equipment and outdoor gear are spread across the site. Developing simple routines helps keep everything under control. Give Everything a Place One…
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How to Set Up a Scout Campsite
Setting up a campsite is more than simply finding somewhere to put the tents. A well-organised campsite gives everyone enough space to move around, keeps equipment manageable and makes everyday camp jobs much easier. It also gives Scouts the opportunity to practise planning, teamwork and responsibility. The exact layout will depend on the site, the…
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What Is Campcraft?
Campcraft is the collection of practical skills used to set up, run and look after a campsite. For Scouts, it can include everything from pitching tents and organising equipment to setting up cooking areas, managing camp routines and leaving a site clean and tidy. Campcraft isn’t about making camping complicated. It’s about learning how to…
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