In this episode, I chat with my good friend and colleague British canoeing maestro, Ray Goodwin. We discuss wilderness expeditioning in canoe. Specifically we talk about the mindset and attitude you need in order to make the right decisions, particularly while you are in wild and remote settings. But we also talk about…
In this episode I talk with Dr Sarita Robison, Senior Lecturer in the School of Psychology at The University of Central Lancashire (UCLAN). Dr Robinson studies human behaviour in response to life-threatening situations and has been involved with research into survival psychology since 1999. We discuss…
“You never stop learning”, is a phrase you may well have heard in relation to bushcraft. In fact, it’s become a little bit of a cliché. To me it’s unfortunate that this phrase runs off people’s tongues a little too easily; because wrapped up inside it, is a real nodule of truth that we…
The English Canoe Symposium happens once every three years as part of a tri-annual rotation with the Scottish and Welsh canoe symposia. It is held at the YMCA Lakeside, on the shores of Lake Windermere in the English Lake District. In the past I’ve run camp craft sessions at the Welsh Canoe Symposium and…
The wild carrot, Daucus carota, is a widespread and relatively common species, native to Europe and Asia. It has been introduced and naturalised in Australia and North America, where it is often referred to as Queen Anne’s Lace. This species also lends its common name to what is often referred to as the carrot family, […]
To me, the attraction of going further afield boils down to the differences that other geographies offer that the UK might not. On the face of it, this is an obvious statement. But before you just stick a pin the map at random, I think it’s important to be clear…
We were sitting high up in a mountain valley overlooking trees and surrounded by peaks. We’d set up our tents on a small, relatively flat, grassy area. The nearby stream provided us with water and we had collected up some firewood. As our small campfire became established, it didn’t seem particularly important. It had been a hot day, we had sweated our way up and out of the main valley in the afternoon sun and in the evening it was still pleasantly warm…
I’m often asked about bushcraft skills and camp set ups for heading into the woods for a weekend. Quite a few readers of this blog – and viewers of my YouTube channel – have asked for articles/videos regarding skills to help with getting out into the woods overnight – sometimes for the first time. It’s great so many are keen to get out amongst nature…
Wilderness cabins, huts, hytte, cottages, bothies – whatever your name for these footholds in the wilds – are intriguing places. They tell you something of their owners and users. They can also inform you about the environment in which they are placed. In the north woods, a well outfitted cabin indicates how cold it gets in winter and what skills are important for survival there. We came across one such cabin on the Bloodvein River. It was called the Stagger Inn and was one of only two cabins we passed on 225km (140 mi) of river journey.
People are always interested in other people’s gear. It’s certainly an area I’m asked a lot of questions about. As I get older, I’m less and less interested in outdoor clothing and equipment for any reason other than function and reliability. That said, I understand it can be instructive to compare and contrast…. so here goes…