My Outdoor Life, the long awaited autobiography from outdoorsman, naturalist, survival expert, photographer, broadcaster, author, plantsman and tracker - Ray Mears. He is a man who can shape a canoe or a spoon, make fire without matches, track man or wolf, make shelter of snow or sticks, and knows which plant is good to eat and which is not. But where his drive to be outside came from, what prompted his interest in nature and why he took the route he has in life is now clear, through this, his autobiography.
If Ray Mears isn't a Great Living Englishman, then goodness me, who is? Ray is a persuader, pragmatist and populariser in the Durrell-Attenborough-Bellamy tradition. - Robert Crampton, The Times
Ray’s earliest influence in life was Kingsley Hopkins, his judo teacher at Downside school. Through Kingsley he learned about the meeting of mind and body, and of being in control. He learned about the possibilities of survival in the outdoors, and from that came the ability to tune into nature and to listen to his instincts. This aspect has been essential in his life and work ever since.
Through the book we travel with Ray on expeditions with Operation Raleigh, for whom he worked, and read how he developed his considerable photographic skills. We join him for some of his favourite World of Survival television programmes, and meet some of the people he has worked with and the animals he has encountered along the way.
Ray talks about the terrible losses in his life, of his first wife Rachel, and his father. He talks about the time he nearly died in a helicopter crash whilst filming in the USA, and of his involvement with the tracking of the Northumbrian murderer, Raoul Moat – the hardest tracking experience of his life.
Loaded with tips and helpful insights, My Outdoor Life is a book for all who admire Ray Mears, his philosophy and his skills. It is threaded through with his honesty and the wisdom he has learned throughout his travels, and is a must-read for anyone setting off on their own adventure.
Ray Mears’ company, Woodlore, is now in its fourth decade, and thriving. Ray, married again, happy and also thriving, "In many respects," he says, "I feel as if I'm only just beginning." His incredible energy and thirst for knowledge will never fade, it seems.
About the author: Ray Mears was born in 1964 and has travelled the world studying and teaching the art of survival. He has appeared extensively in TV programmes such as Bushcraft Survival, The Real Heroes of Telemark, Wild Food, and Ray Mears Goes Walkabout. As well as his TV and writing work, Ray founded Woodlore, the School of Wilderness Bushcraft in 1983, and has been teaching his unique Bushcraft skills there for the past 30 years.
Details:
- Dimensions: 12.7 x 19.7 cm
- Format: Paperback
- Pages: 370
- Author: Ray Mears
- ISBN: 9781444778212
- Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
