This weekend long course I've specifically designed to give you a solid foundation of bushcraft skills for use in the woods. The skills and knowledge that can be applied in the field are vast, what I've done with this weekend course is laid out the practical skills that get used, day in day out, when wild camping in the temperate woodland. You'll leave the course knowing you can set up your camp with modern or natural materials, light a fire in the worst weather and make yourself at home in the woods. Where you go from there is up to you. -Jamie Dakota

WHAT’S COVERED: 

• Tool selection and safe use

  • Saw, and knife: we'll be providing all the tools and materials for the course. If you'd like to bring your own you're very welcome, but please respect our decision if we suggest you use our tools instead. 

  • Axe and bow saw for firewood collection and processing

• Cutting techniques: Using the saw and knife you'll learn the foundational cutting techniques for easy and efficient woodcrafts including making tent pegs, cooking pot hangers and feather-sticks

• Tarp skills, knots, and getting set up for a night in the woods as we look at ways to improve your comfort and longevity when camping under the tarp.

  • Optional camping in natural shelters is also available!

• Practical shelter knowledge within woodlands, from reading the landscape to accessing the risks of camping in the woods we’ll cover everything you’ll need to consider in order to make the woods your temporary home.

• Critical fire lighting skills to ensure you can light a fire no matter the weather

• A woodland walk, including plant and tree ID, natural navigation and perhaps a little foraging too

• Navigation with a map and compass, the basics to setting off on the right foot

• Preparing and cooking meals outdoors, and the importance of maintaining a campfire

  • Including how to prepare game (inc. fish, rabbit, squirrel or pigeon) for cooking over the fire. We endeavor to provide as ethically sourced meat as possible, sometimes this may mean we can’t provide game as we source it locally when available.

• Natural cordage

• Breakfast cooking, bannock and swift ways to rekindle a fire in the morning

• Water sourcing, filtering and making it safe to drink

• Tool maintenance - how to keep your sharps sharp in the field

• Feather-stick making - for wet weather fire lighting

DETAILS:

• Times:

  • 11am Friday - 4.30pm Sunday

• £270 per person

  • A FREE mora knife is gifted to each adult attending the course for you to use and take home.

  • Please note the terms and conditions before you book

• Small group size with a maximum of 9 guests to ensure we create a subtle atmosphere in the woods, and you get a very high interaction time with the instructor.

• A full kit list is given out on booking, but you won't need much more than a sleeping bag and warm clothing.

• This course is fully catered starting with the evening meal on the Friday, and finishing with lunch on Sunday.

  • Please bring yourself a packed lunch for the Friday

  • Please inform us of any dietary requirements, we try to cater to any needs but some more specific dietary requirements may need you to bring some of your own provisions.

• Due the involved nature of this course, we don't feel its suitable to under 16 year olds (please ask if you have any questions)

• Under 18's must be accompanied by a participating adult

• Run in a beautiful private Woodland on the Harewood Estate near Harrogate. We'll send you exact directions with the booking pack.

• Lead Instructor: Jamie Dakota Lead Instructor: Adam Logan Lead Instructor: Peter Forrester

Reviews

A camp in the woods, half wilderness, half training grounds. Beautiful surroundings, great views. The setup is designed to meet all basic needs. Peace and quiet. All dietary requests were accommodated, the food was delicious and fire-cooked meals always taste especially good. The addition of food prep techniques and pigeon meat was brilliant! Every member of staff was ready to help and teach at any moment with patience and thoroughness. The ‘free range’ learning approach worked great. Students were able to practice as much or as little as they wanted after the lessons. It was my first wilderness course and it hit all the right notes. The nighttime walk… was amazing to learn about the constellations, to see them in real life, and to get navigation tips. Also, I had no idea what human night vision is really all about. Most of us are completely disconnected from nature but crave to know what it’s like to step away from modern comforts. To feel the true emotions of being one on one with our environment. To spend a night under a tarp in the woods or hike a few days with only a backpack is an intimidating prospect. However, fear goes away with knowledge. That’s why I decided to take JD’s course. It was fun, informative, and very real. It was the catalyst I needed to pursue my life-long dream of enjoying wild camping. Get the tools, start in a safe environment, show yourself you can do this. Then go and live without walls.

Ivan 2022

I'd highly reccomend it. The space and venue was great, the landscape around excellent. Food was outstanding, somme of the best food I've had honestly and I can be quite a picky eater sometimes. Yes, there were many instructors, a good ratio the the course participants. We had enough instruction but also enough free reign to practice and hone our skills. I'd say just do it! It was a great course, a great set of instructors and a great experience. I'm quite a homely person at times but I loved sleeping under the tarp, feeling connected to nature, getting in touch with the wild side etc. You won't regret it, just do it!

Sam 2022

Lovely area of mixed woodland, close to walks with stunning views and varied landscapes. Main camp really felt like a homely hub. Any questions were answered and encouraged. Was able to have a crack at anything I wanted to, with advice available without feeling judged or micromanaged. The night hike with stargazing was a definite highlight, and coming back to a warm campfire and fresh steamed pudding was fantastic. I didn't expect to learn the technique for how to breast a pigeon with my bare hands. I booked last minute after some indecision, snapping up a cancelled place, during a period of very high stress in my life. The course fully engaged my brain, and I left feeling so much lighter. If you want to build your knowledge and confidence outdoors, go for it - you will learn so much, and probably benefit in other ways too.

Piri 2022

Quiet woodland setting - well-organised around central tarp-covered hub with fire circle and wooden tree stump 'chairs'. The food provided was ample - and catered well to meat-eaters, vegetarians and vegans.Was good fun getting involved in cooking main evening meal and learning hot o make fire-baked bannock bread. The teaching team were always attentive, available and willing to offer advice and answer 'silly' questions. The course contains a lot of skills-based activities and encompasses many aspects of outdoor survivalism. The highlights were getting a fire going (after gathering materials from the woods) - very satisfying to see a kettle boil on a fire you've made yourself.Also, building a shelter out of branches/leaves then sleeping in it. The course offers an unbeatable primer on the essentials of bushcraft - and encompasses many aspects of outdoor survival: including shelter-building, fire-starting, navigation, tree-identification, water sourcing, knife skills, cooking outdoors. Although it's a taster, it will definitely stimulate your appetite for learning about more advanced bushcraft skills and, more importantly, will motivate you to get out into the wild (on your own or with your kids).

Marc 2022

I liked the course a lot and the gentle learning style was very helpful for a first timer. My main concern was what would happen if it rained a lot - so it would be useful to know about the main base camp set up and there is always somewhere dry to be or to sleep. Too many to mention - actually it was the breadth of what we covered that made it fantastic and why I would recommend it to someone… Don't worry - just go for it

Ian 2021

The fire part of the syllabus was so enjoyable-n really simple, magical stuff. I came home and showed my young lad and he thought I was a magician. It's such a treat to step away from it all and have some days exploring something new. Galvanising. A discreet piece of woodland. very peaceful

Alan 2021

A quiet and secluded woodland area. Plenty of room to be able to spread out and camp with privacy but not so big as to be inconvenient to get around. The food was excellent and certainly didn't lack for calorie content.
It was also very interesting to learn how basic foods such as pancakes and bannock can be adapted and altered depending on ingredients to hand. Also, Max makes some really good coffee! The lessons were delivered at a pace that was easy to keep up with without being over long. Plenty of instructor interaction allowed for questions to be answered and techniques refined quickly. I would say that you will get dirty, tired and probably wet. However, if you accept those facts, you will learn a lot about how to look after yourself away from civilisation and be able to connect with a simpler, calmer and very enjoyable way of living.

Graeme 2021

The woods are fantastic, just remember to lift your feet up so you don't trip over the brambles! Enough space to spread out so you don't feel on top of each other when sleeping but close enough to feel safe and part of the group. I struggled with the knife work - seemed to take me about 10 times longer than anyone else so I got a bit frustrated with myself - but this was not due to the lack of tips and assistance from JD and Max. So I would like more time to practice this but I can do this in the future instead. Highlight was sleeping in a shelter we had built ourselves. Nice touch to make candlesticks to bring home. Go for it! Be prepared to work hard but you'll be surprised at what you can do.

Liz 2021

Idyllic, peaceful woodland with all the resources you need for a super weekend just within walking distance with great teachers to point it all out. The main camp setup is perfect and encourages communal gathering and eating together. I loved the food, so much more than I expected! Really varied menu and ways of cooking over the fire and enjoyed the instruction on preparing our own fish and pigeon to cook over the flames. JD and Max are great teachers. Really clear, easy to follow instruction and they are very easy going, patient and encouraging. Perfect environment to learn in. We all had plenty of space to do our thing and pick up the skills at our own pace so everyone thrived. Really well thought out and a quality learning experience.It was all brilliant. Its been ages since I've done any learning like this and it was great to brush up on old skills and learn loads of new things over the weekend. Rope tying, making natural cord and birch bark tinder were all interesting. I probably enjoyed making a shelter and sleeping in it or making a fire and boiling our own water the most as those activities brought us all together to show off the skills we had picked up over the weekend and got us working as a team.

It’s so enjoyable and really invigorating being out under the trees and stars at night while learning new skills in the prefect environment. I'll definitely be coming back and bringing my friends if possible.

James Gotts 2020

Highly recommend Howl Bushcraft if you enjoy camping and would like to learn new skills. Although many think this type of camping is about “roughing it” I would encourage you to keep an open mind. I wasn’t uncomfortable in the least and with the cozy fire and yummy meals, no one was suffering! I have a new passion!

Jennifer 2020

Amazing amount of support and knowledge sharing. Very good balance of practical to teaching and space is given for learning by trial before refocusing your efforts. Very patient and gentle guidance which lead everyone to success in their own way. You couldn't ask for a better introduction to bushcraft with all major needs covered in a comprehensive way. Thanks to Jamies helpful mnemonics there are some things you will never forget. You leave the course with a level of confidence in your own ability and a desire to learn more. Just a brilliant experience!

Suzanne 2019

If what you are looking for is a full on practical course led by enthusiastic, experienced and friendly/welcoming people this is definitely the course for you. Before I attended the course I wondered if I might feel out of my depth not having done anything like this before and to some extent I did however the teaching styles of both Jamie and Max was a perfect antidote. They encouraged a relaxed yet focused group atmosphere in part by being such an integral part of the group.

Ethan 2019

JD and Max were AMAZING! They made the whole weekend for me. Super nice, patience and comforting to be around. I was a little apprehensive initially, but they put me at ease from the moment we arrived. Their level of knowledge blew me away, and I loved listening to everything they had to say. It was considered, well planned and incredibly interesting. I learnt so much and loved every second of it.
The group size meant there was enough of JD and Max to go around, I never felt like I was waiting for help. They were on hand from beginning to end. Their passion for the outdoors was infectious and I've come away wanting to know more (and also not stopped talking about it). I've had so many people ask about the course since posting about it on my Instagram and I've said the same thing... do it! The course covers skills and experiences I believe everyone should try once in their life. I hope to try it again soon :) Hayley Brent 2019

I would say that both Jamie and Max are both relaxed and easy-going people who are able to pass on large amounts of information without overwhelming the course attendees. Their styles of teaching complement each other and they will demonstrate techniques repeatedly and patiently until a student feels confident in them. As much time as was available was given to learn the principles and practice the techniques being taught and I believe everyone left sufficiently confident to practice in their own time. If someone has any interest in the idea of visiting remote places and having the skills to strip camping back to basics then give the course a try. It's a very manageable 3 days and they just might like it! - David Storey 2019

If what you are looking for is a full on practical course led by enthusiastic, experienced and friendly/welcoming people this is definitely the course for you. Before I attended the course I wondered if I might feel out of my depth not having done anything like this before and to some extent I did however the teaching styles of both Jamie and Max was a perfect antidote. They encouraged a relaxed yet focused group atmosphere in part by being such an integral part of the group. - Ethan Jacobs 2019

I have enjoyed quite a few courses with Jaime of Howl bushcraft. They have all been amazing. The family bushcraft, a private tools workshop and the itinerant bushcraft- I have learnt so much and thoroughly enjoyed them all. It has also been such a great opportunity to spend some quality ‘me’ time outdoors to learn, grow and reflect. Thank you  Jaime - such a talented, wealth of knowledge and skill. 
I will (and always do) highly recommend your courses to anyone who has and interest in bushcraft . - Sarah Parker 2018

Just back from the Itinerant Bushcraft Weekend......and it was AMAZING! I was so excited about this and it completely exceeded all of my expectations. I learnt so much and really challenged myself. Jamie is an absolutely fantastic teacher. He is calm, patient, supportive, so so knowledgeable and a generally lovely guy. If you are thinking about booking, then just do it! The Wild Cooking course was pretty awesome too! - Alicia Shaw 2018

What a weekend! Everything was well organised and I felt no rush when learning the new skills I acquired whilst on the course. Very friendly atmosphere the whole time, everyone mucked in to help each other in the set tasks. The food was fantastic, even the vegetarians had a go at preparing fish to be cooked on the campfire. The last thing I'll mention is Jamie himself, what a guy. He is very passionate about what he does and this comes across in his teachings. He talked through everything with conviction which gave me confidence in what I was learning. If you are thinking about starting out in wild camping and want to learn some skills to set you on your way, I would recommend a session with 'Howl Bushcraft' in a heartbeat. I will definitely be a return customer, especially if Jamie books the weather for us like he did this weekend! - Philip Lee Jones