Wilderness Bushcraft Blog: Paul Kirtley

How To Make Fantastic Feathersticks

by Paul Kirtley

Feathersticks are extremely useful under certain circumstances. Yet many people who enjoy bushcraft, survival skills and outdoor life are not particularly well practised in the skill of making them. Many books, particularly those involved with survival training, contain images of what are often referred to as “fuzz-sticks”. These are little more than twigs with a […] Read more >>

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Know Your Ash From Your Elbow: How To Identify An Ash Tree

by Paul Kirtley

Common ash, European ash or just “ash”, Fraxinus excelsior, is a common and widespread tree of northern Europe, including the UK and Ireland. Ash trees make up a significant proportion of British hedgerows and are a key component of many mixed deciduous woodlands in the UK. In the summer of 2013 a friend of mine […] Read more >>

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Way Out North: A Boreal Forest Foray

by Paul Kirtley

Recently a couple of the Frontier Bushcraft team and I took the opportunity to get away for a short foray in the northern wilderness. We only had a week to spare in between teaching and guiding commitments. Our destination area has no hiking trails and we were likely to see few people. The idea was […] Read more >>

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Urban Wear Fit For The Wilds? UNIQLO Ultra Light Down Gilet

by Paul Kirtley

Sometimes life produces interesting coincidences. Last month I was travelling on the London Underground – something I do only infrequently. I noticed a poster advert for UNIQLO Ultra Light Down Jackets. Not only did the words ultra, light and down catch my eye, but so did the price. £59.90 The outdoor clothing industry has always […] Read more >>

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Rosebay Willowherb: Taking The Pith

Rosebay willowherb, Chamerion angustifolium (also known as Epilobium angustifolium) is a widespread plant of the Northern Hemisphere. Known as Fireweed to many, particularly in North America, this name reflects the plant’s appearance following forest fires and other events which leave the earth scorched. With greater light on the earth again, C. angustifolium seeds then germinate […] Read more >>

Five Survival Plants Every Forager Should Know

In a previous article I outlined a realistic approach to survival foraging. In such a situation, you would have nothing stored or preserved from previous seasons, little or no gathering or processing equipment (such as baskets, bags or grinding vessels), limited experience and possibly little or no familiarity with the geographic area. In short, if […] Read more >>

How To Pack A Bushcraft Camping Outfit

I get a lot of people asking me how I pack all of the kit I need to take to the woods. Particularly, a while ago I wrote an article with some photographs about what I actually take with me. But I’ve had a lot of questions about it – how do I get it […] Read more >>

The Difference Between Foraging and Living Off The Land: Bushcraft Show 2013 Presentation

I was among the expert speakers on the main stage at the Bushcraft Show 2013. Since then, I’ve had a lot of people asking me about the content of the talk and I’m delighted to be able to share it here on my blog. The video combines a recording of my talk with the slides I used for the presentation… Read more >>

Survival Foraging: A Realistic Approach

There are many edible wild plants. Leaves, shoots, flowers, berries, nuts, seeds, roots, and bark of different plants and trees can provide us with some form of sustenance at different times of the year. What’s more, foraging is fashionable, having featured on several TV programmes in recent years. Wild foods are even showing up on […] Read more >>

Boost Your Bushcraft With Urban Botany

Urban Bushcraft is a phrase which appears to be gaining popularity. Certainly, I see and hear it more frequently now than a couple of years ago. In the UK 80% of the population live in urban areas *. It’s a similar story in other European countries – 77% in Spain, 74% in Germany, 83% in […] Read more >>

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