Woodlore — School of Wilderness Bushcraft  

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Fundamental Bushcraft Lochside

The Initiation in Scotland

An inspirational journey through the fundamental skills of bushcraft, this course provides a broad and solid foundation of practical skill and knowledge upon which you can build and develop. It is an ideal place to begin your journey with Woodlore and is a challenging and immensely rewarding week regardless of previous experience.

Each skill has been hand picked and included in our syllabus based on its value and practicality for wilderness travel. Our highly experienced team of instructors will expertly explain, demonstrate and guide you through a week of intense learning designed to prepare, challenge and inspire in equal measure.


Further Information

This special version of our keystone course will take us to the edge of the boreal forest. The course will follow our normal comprehensive syllabus but allow us to go deeper into some of the more specialist skills taught. The practicalities of obtaining wild food will be a key focus for us.

Your days will be filled with hard work, discovery and the satisfaction of achievement and learning. Each skill is carefully explained and expertly demonstrated before you practice the technique for yourself. As new skills are acquired, you will be encouraged to apply them as we build upon what you have learned, increasing both the pace and level of challenge. The end result is self- reliance, closeness to nature and improved self- confidence in the outdoors.

By the end of the week, a tight knit group will have been formed and lasting friendships forged by the warmth of the campfire. The final day provides a buzz of excitement as you are all given the opportunity to demonstrate your new skills and understanding in a test that is the gateway to the Journeyman course.

Challenging, thrilling and satisfying in equal measure, the Woodlore Fundamental Bushcraft Lochside course is conducted entirely outdoors in a friendly campfire atmosphere and will go ahead in all weather. No previous experience is necessary, but a reasonable level of fitness is required. You will be required to bring a tent with you to sleep in and will also have the opportunity to sleep under a loaned tarp and in a natural shelter.

The skills that will be taught during this course include:

  • Firelighting, including by friction
  • Shelter Construction
  • Water Collection & Purification
  • Plants for food & medicine
  • Natural Cordage
  • Hunting & Trapping
  • Wilderness Fishing Techniques
  • Safe use of Cutting Tools
  • Looking after the land and leaving no trace
  • Backcountry Hygiene
  • Outdoor Safety
  • Natural Navigation

Please note this course is also being run in East Sussex.

The Fundamental Bushcraft Lochside course will change the way that you look at the world forever and equip you with a firm foundation of practical skills to use in the farthest corners of the world or on your own front doorstep.

This course starts at 17:30 on Sunday and will finish at 16:00 on Saturday.

Catering

All meals for this course will be provided. You will not live from the land during this course although one meal will be of wild food. For the rest of the time normal meals will be provided, allowing each student the opportunity to do some backcountry cooking, therefore if you have special dietary requirements please let us know on your consent form or contact the office.

We provide a kettle, tea, coffee, squash and biscuits in a brew box at the main camp fire of the course, under a large parachute. We also have fresh drinking water and a fruit bowl available.

Course Site

The course will take place at an expedition style camp in Perthshire, Scotland. The camp is situated in beautiful private woodland with no public access with lots of wildlife including deer, owls, badgers, fox and butterflies. We do not have shower/toilet blocks at our sites, therefore all aspects of the course will have a fantastic wilderness feel, using a screened camp shower and a screened latrine in the woods.

We have a car park at the course site where you your car will be kept during the course (if you bring one).

Other Details

Joining instructions will be sent to participants of the course 9 weeks before it is due to start, giving details of where to meet, at what time, and what to bring with you.

Once you have passed the Fundamental Bushcraft Lochside course you are able to attend our Journeyman course.





Dates, Costs and Bookings

Please select a course date Please ensure that you read our Terms & Conditions prior to booking your place.


  2025 Dates - Fundamental Bushcraft Lochside

- (15 places) • £695.00

Course Reviews

Fundamental Bushcraft Lochside is rated 5/5 based on 8 customer reviews.

All of our reviews are from people who have attended our courses.

Overall Rating:

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  1 of 8

  The course has been a fantastic experience. The rate of progress you make is very high as you are guided by instructors who are experienced, knowledgeable and skillful not only in the topics they teach but in teaching, too. After only a short time I noticed a better perception of my surroundings since I started to use resources for the topic the course was currently working on or those we've covered before. Having a task almost constantly throughout the week ensured progress and helped to form a team among the participants. Since the is no other accommodation than your tent and/or tarp everyone was comfortable sleeping out and at the end of the week most of us didn’t really want to leave 'our' forest. The distinction made by the instructors between living and just visiting outdoors is an important point. And while I just started that journey on that course I already feel that I have learned so much to give me a solid foundation based on which I can further work towards that goal and a strong motivation to do so. If you take an interest in being outside this course will not disappoint you. Not only will you learn a lot of factual knowledge and be introduced to many skills but also being shown your own abilities.  

 

Rated: 5/5

  2 of 8

  A wonderful week spent in the forest with like minded people. Learnt so much and fully intend to put those skills to use in my time in the outdoors. The course was busy from day one and we covered so much. Lessons were good and the coaching regarding the different skills was excellent. The instructors were very approachable and more than happy to share their knowledge. I would highly recommend this course.  

 

Rated: 5/5

  3 of 8

  This was an excellent course and I highly recommend it to anyone wishing to start and learn fundamentals in bushcraft. The instructors were helpful in so many ways with any and all questions. I'm from Texas so it's hard to judge the class too much because of the change in climate. But it was highly beneficial to learn and practice in a different climate. Even if you have bushcraft and survival skills I recommend this course to practice and hone your skill for different areas. This will allow you to be more effective anywhere you go. It also allows you to meet others concerned with the same skills from all over the world. I really want to thank the school for the opportunity to take the course. Thanks.  

 

Rated: 5/5

  4 of 8

  The course was very informative and great fun. Hard work but rewarding. The staff instructed, or rather guided, with an excellent level of courtesy coupled with the rigour required to undertake these types of activity. Safety was foremost without detracting from the experience. Their personalities and clear expertise enabled the instruction to meld well with the team approach which was encouraged on the course. Instructors and team members, where appropriate, mucked in to help each other. The attendees, in my opinion, were a great mixture, contributing to the overall ambience. The net result was a significant encouragement for me personally to continue to build on what was established on the course and learn more detail around my local environment and what can be done, and what should not be done with it. I will also apply the same in areas I intend to visit. Many thanks to all, especially Keith, Dave and Tom.  

 

Rated: 5/5

  5 of 8

  If you want to run over rocks, eat worms, or worse and drink your own wee then this isn't the course for you! If however you want to learn practical bushcraft skills from dedicated, knowledgable and friendly people then don't hesitate and sign up now. The surroundings were perfect and the content of the course kept your interest from morning until night. You'll meet people with a similar interest, who are from all over the UK. For me, it was a pleasure to share this experience with some really good people. You don't have to be an expert or have experience, just be willing to learn, smell of campfire smoke and have a love of the outdoors. Thanks to Woodlore, the instructors and my fellow "campers" for an experience I'll not forget.  

 

Rated: 5/5

  6 of 8

  This course was fantastic!! Great instructors. Great experience. Thanks to Chris, Dan and Don. You guys made the course even better! Thanks to all the instructors for your patience.  

 

Rated: 5/5

  7 of 8

  It's something that I have wanted to do for a long time, and when I saw the Fundamental Lochside course I jumped at it. The week could not have been better. Great weather, good company and fantastic instructors. Dan, Keith and Rob where fantastic any questions no matter how stupid (and there where a few) where answered. What I thought spoke volumes was that if they didnt know something they said so and didn't bluff like so many so called instructors do. If your looking for a holiday then this course is not for you, from day 1 it's intense learning, carving, building, cooking, trekking, collecting and purifying water from the loch, collecting and processing firewood, from sun up to sundown and sometimes long after; your constantly working. But in the end it's all worth it, you have a real tangible sense of achievement and confidence in wild places, not to mention good friends made along the way. Thanks for the week guys especially Danny, Sam and Don A-Team. Haha. I cant wait for the Journeyman course.  

 

Rated: 5/5

  8 of 8

  Attending the fundamental course with Woodlore has been an aspiration for many years and it certainly did not disappoint. Living in the north of Scotland it was also great to hear of the opportunity to attend without the long journey to Sussex and the course location was stunning. The structure of the Fundamental Lochside course and the way in which it was delivered by instructors Dan, Keith and Rob was superb, laying down a solid foundation of skills, first by having them demonstrated followed by the opportunity to practice yourself with patient, friendly and expert guidance whenever needed. As the week moves on you grow in confidence and settle right into your environment, thats not to say the course does not challenge you, it certainly does, but the skills are learnt thoroughly and at a pace you grow with, it is a wonderful learning curve and I certainly slept well out there under my tarp at the end of each day. There is no need to list the subjects covered as they are written in the course description but I can say everything and more was covered and covered very well. The moral among fellow participants during the week was fantastic, it was clear everyone was thoroughly enjoying the course and whilst you are kept busy there was opportunity to share stories, ideas and thoughts around the campfire in the evenings. I highly recommend this course to any person with an interest in bushcraft or the great outdoors, as an outdoor worker myself I discovered many new skills and even discovered more about myself. I hope that Woodlore consider running other courses here in Scotland in the future, I already am searching for a place on the journeyman, would love to do some tracking here too. A big thankyou to Dan, Keith and Rob for the first class instruction and to the rest of the guys there this September 14 for a fantastic and very inspiring experience...  

 

Rated: 5/5


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Frequently Asked Questions

Answers to frequently asked questions about this course can be found here. If you have a question about this course, please contact us.

Will food be provided on the Fundamental Lochside course?
Will there be showers and toilets available?
The weather forecast isn’t looking good for the week ahead, will the course still take place?

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