What will I eat?
With the exception of the advanced courses, all food will be provided. We will show you how to catch and eat the more obvious sources of food - such as birds, animals and fish - and also how to find and eat some of the less obvious sources. It all builds up to provide you with the ability to find and eat as near a balanced diet as circumstances allow.
How tough are the courses?
The courses are challenging and a certain element of fitness is required. The terrain is undulating, the weather can be unpredictable and the working day can be long. That said, we have taught students ranging in age from pre-teens to pensioners. It is above all an educational experience and the main aim is to equip you with the skills and techniques to cope with a real-life survival situation, not to see who is the fittest.
Where shall I leave my car?
Once the course has assembled, all cars and personnel will move as a convoy
to our training area. This is approximately 30-40 minutes away. In the
event of cars becoming lost or separated for any reason, all vehicles will
be issued a set of instructions as to how to find the training area. Cars
will be left at the entrance to the area. We strongly recommend that no
valuable items are left in the car. Whilst there have never been any
incidents of any kind, it is wise to use common sense. The next time you
see your car will be at the end of the course
From the car park area, it is a short 10-15 minute walk to the main
campfire. If you need to bring extra equipment that will be difficult to
carry, please let us know in advance and we will make arrangements to have
it brought to the campsite.
Who will teach me?
We pride ourselves on the very high standards of instruction you can expect. All of our staff are fully qualified survival instructors, with many years of survival experience between them. The Chief Instructor is Mike Jarmain, who oversees every course and ensures that you get the very best instruction. This is why satisfied clients keep coming back to us!
What kit should I bring?
All the kit listed should be brought with you. We strongly suggest you bring a 4 season sleeping bag, and that your waterproofs are of good quality. What knife to bring is always a difficult question - we sell the Frosts knife and highly recommend it for any students. If there are any items of kit that you have a problem getting hold of, get in touch with us and we will do our best to order it for you. If you have any questions about equipment, please feel free to get in touch with the office.
Please do not bring any pets or alcohol. Sharp tools and strong drink do not mix and Fido is best left at home.
Who can attend these courses?
We welcome absolutely anyone with an interest in the outdoors. You do not need any prior experience. The only condition is that you must be able to communicate fluently in English. The youngest age at which a student can come on a course is 18 years old for any adult course and 11 years old for any junior course. There is no upper age limit, providing the individual can meet the course requirements and sustain them during the course.
What about the weather?
Courses run year round and the complete duration of the course will be spent outside, regardless of the weather conditions. In this way, you are completely immersed in the natural environment and your knowledge of it will dramatically improve. As a result you will acquire realistic survival skills.
As your safety is our prime concern, we would halt a course if the conditions became too extreme. Fortunately we have never had to do this yet.