An inoculation against adversity

To fish for wild brown trout and gather wild edibles, sleep on a spruce bed in a shelter created by your own hands and feel the warmth from a fire conjured by friction is the essence of the Journeyman course.

Ray Mears, along with the Woodlore Team and visiting expert mycologist, Neville Kilkenny; will take you deeper into your understanding of both yourself and the natural world. No longer one of the uninitiated, you will be treated as skilled and competent, as more specialist knowledge is imparted and techniques demonstrated.

Having successfully completed the Fundamental Bushcraft Course, often the question can be; what next?

The Journeyman course provides the opportunity to apply your Bushcraft skills in a challenging environment, to test yourself and your skills in autumnal British weather, survive on foraging alone and put into practise all that you have learnt whilst under Ray Mears and the team’s guidance.

As with all Woodlore courses, the emphasis is on education and progression – not hardship for hardship sake. This course is without doubt tough, but it is structured in such a way that it is a controlled fall, you have the freedom and range to practise, explore and develop skills but with the support of expert tuition and guidance.

Our wonderful course site, brimming with opportunities, wild foods and resources will play host to us whilst we begin the week by teaching more advanced skills. Including; a greater range of fishing and cookery techniques for wilderness travel, fungi, wild plant identification and uses, large game meat preparation, shelter and bed building, crossing of water bodies and the understanding of effects of cold injury.

For the remainder of the week, you will move to a new location as a small group with the aim of putting all that you’ve learnt into practice. Imagine pushing through the physical effects of food deprivation and walking into the forest equipped only with the most basic equipment essential for survival. Imagine then, using nothing but your skill, knowledge and determination to truly thrive in the environment.

So why do it?

This course is not about conquering nature or testing your mettle against her, but testing yourself and realising your potential in the outdoors. It truly is an inoculation against adversity, alongside developing more advanced Bushcraft skills. For those that have completed this course, they come away standing a little taller, with shoulders a little broader and a deeper understanding of themselves and nature.

“This course exceeded all my expectations! From the first moment that we started to the very last minute at which we ended, the course was designed spectacularly well! This has been a life changing experience for me, I learnt a lot about myself during this week. Ray is the real deal, he has invested so much time and knowledge into this course and his level of skill and professionalism can be seen throughout. The lessons are intense and there is a lot of information and knowledge transferred across the whole week. This course is not for the feint hearted, be ready to throw aside all thoughts and expectations and jump straight into the deep end, you will need to use all your skills and have your awareness and wits about you from the get go. This is a doing course rather than an attending course in that you must apply yourself every minute of every day, it is not like any of the other courses delivered by Woodlore. It was worth every penny and the lessons I have learnt, the friends I have made and the experiences I went through will stick with me for life”

You will not find very much information about this course online – even if you know others who have attended, they will be reticent to share all of its content. Often with a coy smile and a look in their eye that says “you will see for yourself” they leave many questions unanswered.

So it has been for over 30 years – a true testament to the character of the Journeymen and women who have gone before, that secrets have not been divulged, thus allowing you to fully enjoy the experience of the Journeyman course.

Ray and the team look forward to seeing you at the side of the camp fire, the autumnal breeze stirring the smells and sounds of the highland forest, in readiness for an exhilarating, adventurous and exciting opportunity to truly understand yourself and what it means to live from the land.

Callum Hilder – Aspirant Instructor and Marketing Manager