Five Senses is a blend of ancient and modern skills to help you explore outdoors with confidence and awareness.
Learn how to:
Here is more about what you can do:
Making fire with your own hands.
You may think you don’t need the skill in the modern world — a match, an electric switch is quicker. But then you’d be relying on someone else to provide you with your warmth.
Learn to make a fire and take ownership of one of the essentials of life. Know you can produce life-giving heat under any conditions: rain, snow, high winds. Once you do, the satisfaction and exhilirating sense of achievement will never leave you.
Learn more about Firemaking courses >
In this world of Sat Nav, why bother? When something else can tell you where to go, why do you need to know how to do it? You don’t, as long as you never leave the well-trodden path.
For those who like finding a new way, an unexplored valley, an uncharted ruin — navigation is the key. Learn to find your way not just with compass and map, but by starlight and moon, wind and sun, and you’ll never be lost again.
Learn more about Navigation courses >
5 star camping is about being really comfortable and having real fun too.
If you like the ‘idea’ of camping but hate the discomfort, horrible plastic equipment, the boredom and feeling like you don’t know quite what you are doing – this course is for you!
Learn more about Comfy Campcraft >
We teach bushcraft survival focusing upon self-reliance and the minimal amount of kit; inspired by the Stone Age in Orkney. We emphasise using your hands, brain and senses to be safe and feel good outdoors. We are proud to often practice without knives or any modern tools, and to improvise, as in real emergencies. You can bring kit if you want though!
Learn more about the Bushcraft & Survival courses >
Orkney is full of amazing sights, many of which are regularly missed by visitors because they’re not in the guidebooks. We’ve spent years exploring, finding our favourite locations and tailoring them to the kinds of experiences our guests most want to have.
Tell us a bit about what you’re looking for and we’ll come up with your magical holiday.
Learn more about the 3 Day Orkney Experience >
Hidden gems. We love finding the places few know about, the views that surprise, the hidden nooks and crannies of our island that make us smile.
Our job is to find these places and then make it easy for you to enjoy them. Come find out for yourself on our next half-day walk, taking place regularly throughout the year and see if we don’t surprise you.
Learn more about Guided Orkney Walks >
Whether you’re a family spanning different generations, a group of friends looking for a memorable event, a teacher wanting to develop natural skills with their class, or a work group needing to build a better team, we’d like to hear from you.
While we’re based in Orkney, we regularly travel throughout Britain for scheduled events. So if you would like us to come to you, you simply need enough people (usually 6 – 12) for us to arrange a special event at your location.
Get in touch with your ideas and we’ll find a way to make it happen.
“Having used Five Senses for input with the Orkney Branch of the Young Archaeology Club (age range 8 – 13, membership from several Orkney Primary Schools) I have to say that the quality of interaction with the children, the content of the experience, and the high motivation factor were all really impressive.
So much was this the case that I have booked a half day for my own school to launch our Fuel and Power Topic with a spark!
Several other of the commonly used cross curricular, science or history based Topics in Primary would be greatly augmented by such an experience as we had, especially several involving past civilisations or pre-history, or those considering materials and their properties.
The level was right, the risk assessment and health and safety issues were addressed, the personnel were SO enthusiastic and engaged the children without exception and for the whole duration of the afternoon. The children worked as a team, eagerly, each having hands-on experience and all gaining so much knowledge, in theory and in practice, about materials, past times, the creation and maintenance of fire, its significance to various times, cultures and peoples, its dangers and safe management.”
- Sue Whitworth, Leader Orkney Branch, Young Archaeology Club and Head Teacher, Evie Primary School
