Bushcraft survival party

What it is

An outdoor adventure in woods or a big garden. Teams build dens, learn knots and light a fire with a flint before cooking over it. Many outdoor centres and forest schools run bushcraft parties with qualified leaders.

Plan ahead

• Four weeks before: book an outdoor instructor or a forest school site. Check permission for fires.
• One week before: tell guests to wear old clothes and wellies.
• The day before: prepare the damper dough (self-raising flour, water, pinch of salt).

Activities

Den building

Each team gets a tarp, rope and pegs. Use fallen branches as a frame. Test it by sitting inside and “raining” with a watering can.

Knots

• Reef knot: right over left, left over right.
• Bowline: a fixed loop for rescue.
• Clove hitch: to tie a rope to a post.

Fire lighting

Gather tinder (dry grass, cotton wool with petroleum jelly), kindling and fuel wood. Strike the steel down the flint to catch the spark on the tinder.

Dampers

Wrap dough around a stick and toast it over embers until golden. Fill with jam or chocolate spread.

Food and drink

• Dampers and marshmallows
• Hot dogs cooked on the fire
• Hot chocolate from a flask

Tips

• An adult always supervises fire and tools.
• Leave no trace: put the fire out completely and take rubbish home.