Bushcraft and Survival courses
Bushcraft is art as well as skill. It is a way of life, living as part of nature.
Survival is about knowing what to do, in what order, fast and effectively.
Learn both in a friendly way that’s in tune with nature, that does not compromise our future survival on this planet.
Five Senses teaches 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!
Orkney is a testing environment where you feel the need for shelter and fire but there are few trees. It is not so easy without a handy woodland and metal tools, so Orkney is the perfect environment to learn bushcraft survival. Malcolm brings this skill to the limits of our abilities, working with wet materials in windy conditions. Often with no pre-made tools. String from plant fibres or your boots. Water, food and tools from local raw materials. Maybe you have no flint & steel or magnesium striker? Friction fire is one answer.
Most important of all is having the skills, knowledge, awareness of resources and the right attitude. Or ‘skara’, after the 5,000 year old village in Orkney called Skara Brae.
There are two lengths of course, the 2 Day and the 5 Day, and both can focus more on the survival or bushcraft, depending upon your interests. (There are also various other lengths and options, see the events page or ask us to put on a tailor made course for you, in a location of your choosing).
Typically courses run over Weekends or Monday to Friday.
As well as a bit of theory to help you understand and remember what to do – a bit like First Aid’s ABC, you will learn what emergency kit to prioritise over fancy gadgets, how to make a survival kit for free, how to improvise and use natural resources.
In 2 days we’ll cover making fire and shelter, wild food foraging, basic navigation, cooking on an open fire, useful tools and tips, sustainable use of resources, leaving no trace, rescue, purifying drinking water without gadgets, safety and hygiene.
We’ll teach you as much as you can learn and make sure you enjoy the process. Most of all we will connect with nature, enjoy the wood smoke, eat great food cooked over your own fire and have peace and quiet under the sun and stars.
Accommodation is not included and depending upon location we might be using a bunkhouse, wild camping or very wild camping. You are welcome to use your own creation. The choice is yours. Maybe we run a course close to home or a B&B? We are flexible. On the 5 Day, expect to sleep out in a shelter you have made for at least part of the time. If you want to you can do it.
Shelter is essential for humans. Simply think of it as anything that will keep you safe and the right temperature with your hands and brain working. This includes fire, and clothing, natural and man-made structures.
We create various types of shelter to suit your needs, ability, available time and the environments.
A shelter has four main components – a ‘skin’, to keep off wind and moisture, a ‘frame’, to give it shape, ‘insulation’, to keep you warm enough, maybe include fire here, ‘draft proofing & ventilation’ to control airflow, heat plus fumes and moisture.
In Orkney and Highland Scotland there are few trees, so a shelter builder here has to think smart and quick. Survival is not a game. We take lessons from the Stone Age in Orkney, where stone, earth and turf were used where wood was not available. Where seaweeds, grasses, rushes, bracken and heather are valuable resources. Some willow, birch and sycamore can be used too.
People in the past fashioned these into admirable homes and resources so we do too.
You will learn how to apply survival techniques to wherever you might find yourself – so if there are no trees, we’re gonna find alternatives – cos we’re not giving up.
Five Senses teaches shelter building that is fun, but more importantly that is practical and suited to the situation and your resources. We look at how shelter fits into survival and body temperature, maintaining use of your body and thus control of your situation. We look at quick v fancy, at emergency survival and making it through the first 48 hours. Once you have mastered this you can progress to alternative forms and uses.
The balance between survival and bushcraft in these courses is up to you. The above list is just a flavour of what we can do but remember, this takes a life time to master. It takes time and effort to learn. Focus on what you most want and learn it well.
Courses are ideal for families, mountaineers, bushcraft enthusiasts, groups of friendly people and individuals who care about nature. Ideal for women only groups too. Children are welcome if accompanied by an adult but generally a family event will be seperate from adult courses. Both beginners and more advanced outdoors folk are welcome, we adapt to your skill level and a mix of abilities in a course is good, it teaches more to participants and is a more realistic tribe setting. Helping each other is important.
No previous experience is necessary but you might want to consider the Comfy Camping as a gentle introduction, to feel your way into the joy of outdoor life.
2 Day Bushcraft & Survival £165
5 Day Bushcraft & survival £330
Children are half price, from 7-16 years, full price above and below that age. There is no upper age limit. People with special needs and varied abilities are very welcome.
Food is partially provided, including such delights as teas, porridge oats, unusual flours (for bannocks), some of Orkney’s best produce (cheeses, meats, fish, etc), herbs and seasonings, and foraged or found extras. However, do not expect to get any chocolate, bread, sugar, coffee or much else, so you might want to bring some treats and snacks. Orkney is famous for ice-cream, cheeses, meats and seafoods.
In Orkney in open moorland and coastline, or in wild areas of Scotland such as the Cairngorms, with some woodland – or locations of your choosing, anywhere in the UK.
As a rule the maximum ratio (instructor / students) is 1:12, but 1:6 is preferred. These are only guidlines and can vary for private bookings.
You will be given full tuition from experienced instructors (usually Malcolm), a lot of hands on practice and time to be in nature. This is not a tick-list course. Nor is it military-style survival. This has more in common with ancient wisdom and modern environmental living. We are also out to enjoy ourselves, gently.
Personalised to the group’s needs, abilities and skills. The emphasis can be on practical emergency survival skills for upland Britain or on more relaxed bushcraft and living with nature.
We aim to ensure you have what you need for safe survival in the outdoors, the confidence to explore more and the awareness to live with nature, sustainably.
We practice a way of living outdoors that exceeds “leave no trace” and aims to “leave it a little better than you find it”. This means we carry out rubbish, tidy other people’s mess and repair what we can.
We are aiming for a carbon footprint that also leaves no trace, so are using public transport, lift share and human powered transport (legs and bikes to you and me).
We harvest materials with sensitivity and frugality, and try to use natural materials, locally sourced foods and minimise resource use at every opportunity. Which also means few gadgets.
We eat meat, organic and wild where possible, road kill when it presents itself. We forage for nettles, blaeberries, seafoods, and are about to get chickens again.
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