Bushcraft Training

Bushcraft is an established and growing sector of the outdoor industry with increasing numbers of outdoor practitioners now including bushcraft elements in their day-to-day activities. We offer the following Bushcraft courses:

Advanced Bushcraft Training Days £90

Overview
Itinerary
Course Dates
Downloads

The Overview for the Advanced Bushcraft Training Days includes the following:

Interested in advancing your bushcraft knowledge and skills? Join us on our Advanced Bushcraft Training Days. Consists of a high-quality training course, consolidated experience, assessment of
bushcraft competence and lots of practical development. These training days meets the training requirements for the IOL Bushcraft Competency Diploma.

Our 2025 training days and the modules that will be covered are below:

July 28th –

Fire use & management
Establishing fires and leaving no trace
Bow Drill
Campfire Cooking

July 29th –

Water sourcing, filtering & purification
Debris Shelter Construction and bedding
Pitching tarp shelters, knots and lashings

August 23rd –

Tree identification and uses
Plant identification
Cordage from natural materials
Natural Navigation

August 24th –

Safe use of edged tools and knife law
Safe use of axes
Carving and tool maintenance
Making natural containers

September 10th –

Animal Tracking and awareness
Trapping, snaring and fishing
Game preparation

September 11th –

Fire use & management
Establishing fires and leaving no trace
Bow Drill
Campfire Cooking

Who is this course for?

Anyone looking to further advance their Bushcraft training, knowledge and skillset.

Pre-requisites

There are no pre-requisites if to attend the Advanced Bushcraft Training Day. However if attendees want to count this towards the IOL Bushcraft Competency Diploma they must have completed the Bushcraft Competency Certificate prior to attending.

Accommodation

If you plan to camp in the woodland, overnight during your course, then you will need to bring all of your associated camping equipment yourself. Such as; tent/shelter/tarp/hammock etc, sleeping gear, cooking kit, eating kit & utensils, food, wash-kit, toiletries, towel, spare clothing etc. If you do wish to camp then please let us know via email beforehand. Drinking water is provided onsite for you to use. Please be advised that this is a private woodland-camping location but there are no toilets and showering/washing facilities, it is a wild-camping site and all waste MUST be removed from the site. Or you can stay at Dalraddy Caravan Site or at Aviemore.

Registering this course for the IOL Bushcraft Competency Certificate? Attendees who want to use this course for their IOL Bushcraft Competency Certificate must register with us at info@backcountrysurvival.co.uk and pay an add on fee of £35. IOL Bushcraft Courses – Backcountry Survival Ltd

What do you do once you complete the course?

Assessment for the Bushcraft Competency Diploma (BCD) requires a completed Bushcraft Competency Logbook demonstrating a further 120 quality hours of consolidated bushcraft experience since completing your Bushcraft Competency Certificate. Supporting evidence should include a mix of guided learning, self-learning, reflective practice, instructing/teaching, mentoring, etc. On completion of this, a 2 day assessment course is to be completed.

The Itinerary for the Advanced Bushcraft Training Days includes the following:

At Backcountry Survival we are delivering these over a series of IOL Bushcraft Competency Diploma Days:

July 28th –

Fire use & management
Establishing fires and leaving no trace
Bow Drill
Campfire Cooking

July 29th –

Water sourcing, filtering & purification
Debris Shelter Construction and bedding
Pitching tarp shelters, knots and lashings

August 23rd –

Tree identification and uses
Plant identification
Cordage from natural materials
Natural Navigation

August 24th –

Safe use of edged tools and knife law
Safe use of axes
Carving and tool maintenance
Making natural containers

September 10th –

Animal Tracking and awareness
Trapping, snaring and fishing
Game preparation

September 11th –

Fire use & management
Establishing fires and leaving no trace
Bow Drill
Campfire Cooking

These training days meet the teaching requirements for the IOL Bushcraft Diploma Course. You must complete the following modules:

Safe use of edged tools and knife law
Establishing fires and leaving no trace
Bow Drill
Water sourcing, filtering and purification
Debris shelter construction and bedding
Tree identification and uses
Natural navigation
Cordage from natural materials
Fire use and management
Pitching tarp shelters, knots and lashings
Safe use of axes
Animal tracking and awareness
Campfire cooking
Plant identification

Optional units – 2 of these will be covered:

Carving and tool maintenance
Game preparation
Making natural containers
Trapping, snaring and fishing

Date	Time	Spaces	Price	Book
28 July 2025	09:30 - 17:00	12	£90	Book Now
29 July 2025	09:30 - 17:00	12	£90	Book Now
23 August 2025	09:30 - 17:00	12	£90	Book Now
24 August 2025	09:30 - 17:00	12	£90	Book Now
10 September 2025	09:30 - 17:00	12	£90	Book Now
11 September 2025	09:30 - 17:00	12	£90	Book Now

The Overview for the 2 Day Introductory Bushcraft Course includes the following:

A 2 Day Bushcraft Course covering bushcraft skills and knowledge suitable for bushcraft enthusiasts wanting to develop their skills. This course also meets the training requirements for the IOL 2 Day Bushcraft Competency Award.

Covers five bushcraft subjects

Pitching tarp shelters, knots and lashings
Campfire cooking
Safe use of edged tools and knife law
Establishing fires and leaving no trace
Water sourcing, filtering and purification

Who is the course aimed for?
Anyone interested in learning or developing their Bushcraft skills.

Accommodation

What can you do after completing the award? You can progress onto our 3 or 5 Day Bushcraft Course, any of our Survival Courses or our Woodland Skills Leader Course.

Registering this course for the IOL Bushcraft Competency Award? Attendees who want to use this course for their IOL Bushcraft Competency Award must register with us at info@backcountrysurvival.co.uk and pay an add on fee of £35. IOL Bushcraft Courses – Backcountry Survival Ltd

The Itinerary for the 2 Day Introductory Bushcraft Course includes the following:

This 2 Day course will cover the following and will have to demonstrate knowledge, skills and behaviour in them:

Edged Tools – Knife and Saws

The current UK Knife Law
Explain and demonstrate the key dangers and safety considerations of the use of a blade.
Demonstrate safe/competent usage of a fixed blade
Demonstrate the safe/competent use of a bow and folding saw.

Fire

Demonstrate at least three ignition sources from the following list and describe the advantages and disadvantages of each method demonstrated.
Have knowledge of a selection of tinder from the following list and explain the preparation and use of the tinders discussed. Describe any environmental considerations.
Have knowledge of a selection of man-made tinder from the following list and explain the preparation and use of the tinders discussed. Describe any environmental considerations.
Gather fuel and then build and light a fire in a timely fashion showing due consideration to location and environmental considerations.
Maintain a fire long enough to boil half a mug of water, demonstrating consideration to the size and type of fire and environmental impact.

Water

Know at least five different sources of water and be able to comment on the advantages/disadvantages of each.
Know how to use a ground well to obtain water.
Know at least four different indicators of water
Filtering and purifying water.

Tarp shelters and knots

Explain how to site a tarp shelter taking into account safety and other environmental factors.
Different tarp configurations.
Natural cordage.
Knots and lashings

Campfire cooking

Know about the properties and nature of different firewood and its suitability for various methods of cooking with respect to ember production, flames,
smoke etc.
Cooking on a fire.
Different methods of cooking.

Date	Time	Spaces	Price	Book
18 September 2025	09:30 - 16:00	8	£180	Book Now

3 Day Intermediate Bushcraft Course £250

Overview
Itinerary
Course Dates
Downloads

The Overview for the 3 Day Intermediate Bushcraft Course includes the following:

A 3 Day Bushcraft Course covering bushcraft subjects suitable for all bushcraft enthusiasts wanting to further develop their bushcraft knowledge and skills. This course meets the training requirements for the IOL 3 Day Bushcraft Competency Certificate.

Who is this course for?

Bushcraft enthusiasts, outdoor instructors, scouts leaders, teachers or anyone who wants to learn about Bushcraft skills.

Why Attend?

This 3-day training course is practical and relevant for anyone who has an interest in Bushcraft. It is also beneficial to instructors, leaders and teachers working in all areas of; outdoor learning, education, personal or professional development, outdoor therapy, expeditions, etc. It is also a great course to develop your own bushcraft skills and knowledge.

Accommodation

What can I progress onto after this?

Any of our Survival Courses or our Woodland Skills Leader Course.

The Itinerary for the 3 Day Intermediate Bushcraft Course includes the following:

This course includes the following elements:

Safe shelter construction.
Safe use of tools and knife law.
Establishing and maintaining fires by; bow drill, fire-steel, flint and steel and other methods.
Leaving no trace.
Water sourcing, filtering and purification.
Tree ID & uses.
Natural navigation.
Cordage making from natural materials.