Paul Kirtley's Blog

Lily-of-the-Valley is a poisonous plant found in woodlands in the northern hemisphere, the leaves of which resemble Ramsons, the familiar wild food plant also known as wild garlic. Like Ramsons, Lily-of-the-Valley can form extensive… Read more >>

Having written articles on cold injuries and cold weather clothing, I’ve had a lot of people ask about clothing on a tighter budget than I allow myself as a professional instructor. I happened to have a conversation about this with a student of mine, Barry Smith; he offered to jot down his thoughts as he had budgeted in this way more recently than I had…Read more >>

The amount of firewood required in the northern forest in winter demands the use of an axe. Unlike staying in a cabin, however, when staying in a heated tent you are unlikely to have the use of a chopping block. So, you need to have a repertoire of axe techniques that include being able to safely split logs on snow as well as easily produce… Read more >>

Clothing for winter in the northern wilderness needs to be able to cope with a wide range of temperatures, from around freezing to -50 Celsius (-58 Fahrenheit) or lower. Protecting your extremities requires particular care and attention. In the second of two articles, clothing for the hands, feet and head is…Read more >>

Having a campfire is an elemental thing. For many it is an integral part of camping and the outdoors experience. Those of us who do choose to have a fire in the great outdoors must do so responsibly. We should understand how to leave the site of a campfire safe and clean. We should always leave a campsite as we would wish to find it and this certainly includes… Read More >>

The ability to light a fire is an essential wilderness skill. Whether you are practicing your bushcraft skills in the local woods or planning an expedition, fire-lighting skills should be at the top of your list. There are many ways to light a fire but the humble match is often overlooked in favour of more impressive skills… Read more >>

I first met Paul Nicholls as a student on a bushcraft course I was running a few years back. I was impressed by his enthusiasm and I clearly remember conversations I had with Paul about… Read more >>

A Millbank bag is a method of coarse filtration designed to remove sand, mud, silt or other suspended particulate matter such as decomposing organic material… Read more >>

We can’t tell whether fresh water it is safe to drink by looking at it. Unless, for example, the water is obviously stagnant, dirty or oily we cannot visually determine the presence of… Read more >>

For those with a realistic view of outdoor life and visiting wild places, TV’s grip on ‘reality’ can be shaky at best, infuriating at worst. So when we hear there is yet another reality show featuring celebrities facing challenges of the wild, we have good reason to be sceptical. That’s why the Discovery Channel’s new series Alone in the Wild could be surprising… Read more >>

Sometimes called a slippery adjustable loop, an adjustable guy-line knot is very useful to know, particularly for those interested in bushcraft. Whether you are setting up a small or large tarp, or even a tent, this knot… Read more >>

Since I was first allowed by my parents to use a Swiss Army Knife 30 years ago, I’ve always been a user of knives. For me, a knife has always been a tool to be used. I received an email in March 2011 from a friend who makes his living trading high quality knives. He suggested that there might be an interesting project afoot, to work with Raven Armoury on a knife for wilderness use… Read More >>

Support a worthy cause. Fight malaria and get a cool book in the process. Read more >>

Water Mint, Mentha aquatica has a wide distribution across Europe (except the far north), Asia and Africa. It is the most common of the wild mints in the British Isles but is less frequent in Scotland. It has a number of food and medicinal uses and is therefore a useful plant to know for foragers and those interested in bushcraft and survival. As its name suggests…Read more >>

Yellow pimpernel, Lysimachia nemorum, is a small hairless plant, with leaves of a similar shape and size to those of Common Chickweed, Stellaria media. Common Chickweed is an edible wild green that… Read more >>

The final production version of the Wilkinson Sword Survival Knife was something of a redesign of the original, officially renamed the Dartmoor Knife CSK185. The best way to review a piece of outdoor equipment, whether it is a knife or a canoe or anything else, is to go and use it for its intended purpose. So, it was thus I decided to get a good measure of the usefulness of the Dartmoor Survival Knife by heading out to the woods for a few days with little else to see how well this survival tool served me… Read more >>

Fomes fomentarius is a bracket fungus, more commonly known as Hoof Fungus or Horse’s Hoof Fungus. It is also known as the Tinder Bracket. This fungus can be prepared into first-rate tinder. Whichever process you are using to produce tinder from Fomes fomentarius, it is the trama… Read more >>

Folding bucksaws are a simple means of taking a large saw with you on a trip. Quick to assemble and neat to carry in a case or pack, this size of saw is a natural partner to an axe. Folding bucksaws can be packed… Read more >>

Ray Goodwin is something of a living legend of British canoeing. He has been a pioneer of the open canoe in the UK and many consider him the UK’s foremost canoe coach. Even after more than 30 years of introducing people to, and developing people’s skills in, the great outdoors, Ray continues to be an active and enthusiastic outdoorsman. I recently caught up with Ray to ask him some questions about his paddling career and his new book… Read more >>

With heavy rain being a fairly regular feature here in the UK – even during the summer – I rarely, if ever, go for a day hike without taking a waterproof jacket. This is hardly an earth-shattering revelation as I’m sure this preference is almost universal amongst those heading for the great British outdoors. What’s probably less common is packing a tarp. Including a tarp in your day-pack isn’t limited to the UK, however, as it makes sense anywhere you might have damp or cold-damp weather and you can string… Read more >>