Aboriginal Briton

For many years I've had a love for the countryside and a keen interest in how to live in it using the skills and knowledge of our ancestors. On a very practical level I've always wanted to know how to survive from the land from scratch. I have gained a little knowledge over the years from books and TV but now I want to go out and put some of this stuff to the test.

So in late October I'm going into the woods and I'd like to invite my friends and anyone who is interested in this stuff to come and join me. The course will last five nights and cover the following:

Shelters - a look at some of the most basic and effective shelter types culminating in a group shelter being built by everyone
Fire Lighting - modern day cigarette lighters, matches, through to battery and magnifying glass fires, and then all the way through to fire by friction
Fire Lays - what type of fire for when (including wood selection and collection)
Back Country Cooking
Wild foods Identification and Uses - including some new ways to look at finding food
Game Trapping - investigation into simple dead fall traps through to snares and more complex trigger traps
Game Dressing - how to gut and skin your food so that it can be safely eaten
Tracking - silent movement and sign tracking
Tree Identification
Carving Techniques
Tools and Maintenance
Navigation - from compass & maps, to stars, sun and moss
Water Collection, Storage & Purification
Wilderness Safety & Hygiene
Kit & Equipment
The Psychology of Wilderness Living

Now I'm no expert in this stuff yet so clearly there's going to be no charge for this, although there may be some small donations necessary for some basic bits and bobs. I can share my knowledge in some of the areas and I know that we should have some friends experienced in game preparation, fire by friction, wild foods and even flint napping coming along. At this stage I have most of a syllabus put together covering topics for all the above headings. It's going to be a group effort with everyone working together. Essentially we'll all be helping each other to learn and understand the principles of this lore that will be with us for the rest of our lives.

My personal goal is to be able to wonder into the woods whenever I like, at any time of the year and with no kit. It's partly my desire to be able to survive at the most basic level, and partly my fascination with the Aboriginal connection to the land - to be able to sense the signs - so that a even a type of bird call tell me that there is danger or food ahead. I see this week in October to be the foundation for fulfilling these goals.

So what needs to happen? Well, first of all I'm doing this regardless of numbers, but there may be a limitation on numbers depending on the location. So if you are interested and can come along then let me know by email or phone.

Next, watch a few videos so that you can get some basic kit together. I'll list my kit here a little later… there are tons of lists available, have a look around and get a sense of what you might want to bring. Just remember to keep it simple, light and cheap. Like I say, more on the kit a bit later.

I would also like to hand each participant a section to read up on - ideally something you've already had experience with. Then, when it comes to that part of the course you can be at hand to help guide the rest of us through what you may have learned.

That's it for now, look forwards to hearing from you :)

Oh, check out this video - based in Northern America or Canada. I like this because it shows a very basic kit can be carried that is simple and cheap. Brilliant



Also, quite funny but contains some of the core principles of survival... I especially lmao with his special walk...