Bushcraft skills in the Forest of Dean

Budding Ray Mears big and small have the perfect opportunity to test their worth in the Forest of Dean, at a Bushcraft Skills day perfect for beginners.

Lounging on the sofa with a steaming mug of Earl Grey in one hand and a pack of Chocolate Hob Nobs in the other, it’s all too easy to think ‘piece of cake’ when watching Ray Mears at work, creating fire from a couple of twigs, making a hammock from vines and catching his dinner using an array of ingenious techniques.

But if you fancy leaving the comfort of your living room and getting out with the kids in the great outdoors of Gloucestershire, then the introduction to bushcraft skills might be for you.

Taking place in the Forest of Dean on Wednesday 20 April 2011 and Wednesday 26 October 2011, the special afternoons will see children aged eight to 12, and their enthusiastic parents, try their hand at a series of survival techniques guided by a Forestry Commission ranger.

From building a fire without matches to making a shelter from natural material, organisers promise the activities will be as fun as they are informative.