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Home / Type of trip / Active / Bushcraft: fires and shelters

Bushcraft: fires and shelters

November 21, 2014 by Gretta Schifano 14 Comments

Hammock shelter, Jack Raven bushcraft with writing. Copyright Gretta Schifano

Hammock shelter, Jack Raven bushcraft with writing. Copyright Gretta Schifano

In Bushcraft course: part one I described my first evening in the woods and going to bed in a hammock. This is what happened next.

Bushcraft course: part two

I’m comfortable and cosy in my woodland hammock and I fall asleep easily. But two hours later my bladder wakes me up. The night air feels cold on my face and I can hear raindrops pattering on the tarpaulin above my head. I need to get out of the hammock, put on my trousers, boots, coat and head torch and find my way to the toilet shelter in the dark. The problem is that I only managed to get into my hammock with my friend Anne’s help. If I get out I don’t think that I’ll be able get back in again on my own. And then I’d have nowhere to sleep. The woods are silent and, as far as I can tell, everyone else is asleep so I’m on my own. It’s very dark and very cold in the woods but it’s warm and comfortable where I am, snuggled up in my sleeping bag. I weigh up my options: to go to the loo and risk having nowhere to sleep – or not. I decide to stay where I am and hold on until dawn. I spend the rest of the night dozing and waking and dozing and waking and thinking about my bladder.

It’s November and I’m on a Jack Raven bushcraft course in Kent in Southeast England with a group of friends. It’s my first experience of sleeping outside and, apart from my bladder, it’s much better than I’d expected.

When daylight comes at about 7am I extract myself gingerly from my snuggly nest of bedding, get down from the hammock and put on the layers of clothing which I’d taken off the night before. I’m pleased to find that my clothes and kit are dry despite the rain during the night. I head for the toilet shelter. The woodland is quiet in the pale morning light and nobody else seems to be awake. As I look around our camp in daylight for the first time I’m surprised by how close our hammocks and tents are to each other and to the yurt and kitchen. We arrived here in the dark the evening before and were given a torchlit tour of the site by bushcraft leader Gary Johnston. I found it hard to get my bearings in the dark.

Breakfast

I go to wash my hands and get a cup of cold water so that I can clean my teeth. Gary appears and lights the fire in the parachute tent. I go to sit on a log by the fire and wait for the water to boil in the pot above it so that I can have a hot drink. My fellow campers slowly appear and at 8 o’clock Gary’s partner Nicola calls us all to breakfast: she’s made porridge for us.

Firelighting, Jack Raven bushcraft. Copyright Gretta Schifano

Firelighting, Jack Raven bushcraft. Copyright Gretta Schifano

Firelighting

After breakfast we move to another parachute tent nearby and Gary teaches us about lighting fires. We sit on logs in a semi-circle around him and learn how to light a match and keep it alight, even if it’s windy. I’m fascinated by the different fire-lighting methods which Gary shows us including fire strikers, parabolic mirrors and wire wool – I didn’t know that if you touch wire wool with a battery it catches light. My favourite trick involves coating cotton wool balls with Vaseline to use as firelighters: Vaseline contains petrol and so is flammable. The session is very hands-on and Gary encourages us all to try out each of the methods which he demonstrates.

Wood carving, Jack Raven bushcraft. Copyright Gretta Schifano

Wood carving, Jack Raven bushcraft. Copyright Gretta Schifano

Wood carving

After a tea break our next lesson is wood carving, and this turns out to be my favourite part of the weekend. Gary starts off by laying down some ground rules: ‘Rule number one when handling knives is don’t stab yourself. Rule number two is don’t stab anyone else.’ He tells us to think about our ‘blood circle’ by holding our knives and stretching out our arms: there should be nobody within that distance of us while we’re using our knives. He then gives each of us a sheathed knife to use for the duration of the weekend course. We spread out so that we’re a safe distance from each other. We learn how to use a pruning saw to cut a length of hazel branch safely and then split the length of branch using a knife and a wooden ‘hammer’. Once we have a split section of wood we draw the shape of a rounded spreading knife onto it with a pencil. We then use our knives to carve the shape out of the wood, Gary and his patient assistant Bob teach us various carving techniques as we go along. I’ve never done anything like this before and my clumsy carving skills frustrate me but I find that I really enjoy the process of creating something from wood and I’m disappointed when it’s time to stop.

The morning has whizzed by and I’m surprised that it’s already lunchtime. Nicola has rustled up some bread rolls and things to put in them so that we can make up our own lunch. I opt for egg and tomato and find a cosy chair in the yurt by the wood burner to sit and eat.

Anne in a Jack Raven bushcraft debris shelter. Copyright Gretta Schifano

Anne in a Jack Raven bushcraft debris shelter. Copyright Gretta Schifano

Shelter building

After lunch Gary leads us through the woods to an area where there are some debris shelters made of leaves and branches. He explains how they are made and we all work to pile leaves onto one which needs some attention. Gary says that some campers do sleep in these shelters and find them cosy. I can’t imagine ever sleeping in any of them and am very happy when Gary says that if he were stranded in the woods he wouldn’t waste energy building a shelter. He says that he’d sit at the base of a tree and try to get off the ground by using something like a piece of wood instead.

It’s starting to get dark and we head back to camp for tea and biscuits. The others in my group are staying at the site for another night and day but I have to go home that evening to look after my kids because my husband is leaving for India first thing in the morning. When I hand back my knife to Gary and say goodbye to the group I’m surprised to find that I’m actually disappointed to be going home early. I’d expected to be desperate to get back to some home comforts but in fact I want to stay for a second night and learn more about woodcarving and bushcraft the next day. I definitely enjoyed my first bushcraft experience.

The lowdown

Jack Raven Bushcraft offers a range of courses for adults as well as some for families with children. I went on a two-day bushcraft course which costs £180 per person including meals, activities and a hammock or tent to sleep in.

Disclaimer

Thank you very much to Mountain Warehouse who kindly provided me with some of my bushcraft kit: a very warm sleeping bag, a comfortable sleeping mat, a useful head torch some cosy fleece-lined walking trousers and 15 metres of parachute cord.

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Related

Categories: Active, Kent
Tags: bushcraft, camping, Jack Raven, woodcarving

About Gretta Schifano

I'm a freelance journalist and blogger specialising in family travel with teenagers, trips when parents manage to travel without their kids, and 50+ travel. I also write about vegetarian travel, parenting teenagers, adoption, SEN, ADHD and anxiety. My work's been published by the Financial Times, Guardian, Independent, National Geographic Traveller, Lonely Planet and others. I've lived and worked in Italy and Spain and am now based in rural south-east England with my husband, adoptive and birth kids and our dog. I previously worked as a social action radio producer for the BBC.

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Comments

  1. Trish - Mum's Gone To says

    November 30, 2014 at 8:37 pm

    Having a chuckle reading this, imagining you doing the ‘do I, don’t I go for a pee’ conversation with yourself. I don’t suppose you could have tried a she-wee and just piddled out of the hammock? No? Fair enough 🙂

    I think my hubby would love some of these tips. He thinks he’s a bit of a Bear Grylls although too keen on comfortable mattresses…
    Trish – Mum’s Gone To recently posted…Review: Mövenpick Hotel, AmsterdamMy Profile

    Reply
    • Gretta Schifano says

      December 1, 2014 at 12:11 pm

      There was talk of she-wees before we went to ‘bed’. I’ve never used one and I didn’t have one with me, strangely enough, but I reckon that a she-wee and a hammock and a sleeping bag could be a tricky combination!

      Reply
  2. Mark Frary says

    November 26, 2014 at 3:23 pm

    I love blog posts like this. I am now off to the kitchen to find some wire wool and a battery.

    Reply
    • Gretta Schifano says

      November 26, 2014 at 8:03 pm

      Be careful, it will catch light instantly!

      Reply
  3. Jennifer Howze says

    November 23, 2014 at 11:54 pm

    Ah the old “is it worth it to get out of the sleeping bag for a pee” question. It’s a classic. This course sounds amazing.
    Jennifer Howze recently posted…3 top tips for ice skating at Natural History MuseumMy Profile

    Reply
    • Gretta Schifano says

      November 24, 2014 at 12:04 pm

      It was great, I learnt so much, especially that it’s best not to drink anything before spending the night in a hammock!

      Reply
  4. Sarah Ebner says

    November 23, 2014 at 11:14 am

    What an amazing experience and it sounds like you learnt so much too (I never knew that about vaseline – fascinating). Well done you for going!
    Sarah Ebner recently posted…A Visit To The Sherlock Holmes Exhibition at the Museum of LondonMy Profile

    Reply
    • Gretta Schifano says

      November 24, 2014 at 12:10 pm

      Thank you – I think I’d prefer to go when the days are longer if I ever went again though. That way you could find your way around and get your bearings before dark.

      Reply
  5. Merlinda Little (@pixiedusk) says

    November 22, 2014 at 7:23 pm

    I dont know how I’d survive outside this month but this post just makes me want to try it out! We started camping last summer and we do it almost every week. Now I have the camping withdrawal and its not nice. Seeing your post made me wish it so much! #countrykids
    Merlinda Little (@pixiedusk) recently posted…ParticipateMy Profile

    Reply
    • Gretta Schifano says

      November 22, 2014 at 8:53 pm

      Wow – camping very week is impressive! I’d definitely recommend bushcraft, especially if you enjoy camping anyway.

      Reply
  6. Mari says

    November 21, 2014 at 10:18 pm

    I loved this review and I can understand how you were reluctant to leave as it had all been so inspiring and new. You have opened my eyes to a fun weekend
    Mari recently posted…LeapTV by LeapFrog – 1st video games console for kidsMy Profile

    Reply
    • Gretta Schifano says

      November 22, 2014 at 12:51 pm

      Thanks Mari, it was a very different experience for me and I did enjoy it.

      Reply
  7. Judith says

    November 21, 2014 at 11:59 am

    Gretta,
    I found this very interesting and hats off to you for experiencing this. The only similar thing I can remember is trying to camp at festivals when there were at least the rudiments of a comfortable life.
    I’d like to learn how to start and keep a fire going as well as knife skills but the hammock would be too much for me!
    Judith
    Judith recently posted…Jazz, cats and punsMy Profile

    Reply
    • Gretta Schifano says

      November 21, 2014 at 5:10 pm

      Thanks Jude – I actually enjoyed the experience in the end, it was really interesting.

      Reply

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This is a personal blog written and edited by me, Gretta Schifano. Sometimes I’m given products or sent on trips to review, but I always make this clear and give my honest opinion. See my About page for full details.

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