Info
Join us for Fire, Water, Food, & Shelter : A day of bushcraft skills.
This will be a fantastic day, exploring the 4 fundamental principles of Bushcraft; Shelter, Fire, Water, & Food. The event will take place at the history rich site of Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park, a hidden gem of a location and breathing space in the heart of East London.
The day will be broken into four sessions/lessons, each 1.5hr long as well as two half hour brew breaks and an hour break for lunch. Lunch is provided and will be a delicious 3 course foraged meal – bushcraft shouldn’t be only about subsistence!
Fire (using plants and trees)
In this lesson students will be shown how to find and collect natural resources that are suitable to make fire from, including bark, seed heads and grasses. The second half of this activity is all about making fire, leaning ways of creating a small flame from a spark and igniting small amounts of second stage tinder and selecting the correct materials to get a decent fire going and keep it going.
Food (foraging plants)
This lesson will consist of a foraging walk covering the basics of wild food foraging, safely and respectfully. Students will get to touch, taste and smell select species safely as well as try some pre-prepared wild ingredients. We may also look at plants that are useful for basic herbal first aid and discuss the historical and current use of the plants that we encounter.
Water (sourcing and purification)
Students will harvest water from somewhere onsite and process it to make safe for consumption – culminating in enjoying a shared brew. Water will be collected, filtered and boiled and the different methods of sourcing water and making safe in the outdoors will be discussed. Obviously there are numerous approaches to this process so we will be looking at the ones most relevant to our location as well as briefly discussing other techniques.
Shelter (knots & tarps, locations)
The shelter lesson will cover various topics. Selection of the best clothing, the use of tarps and emergency blankets, essential knots & lashings. Students will be advised on the various forms of shelter available in the outdoors and the pros and cons of each. We will then work in pairs to erect some mini tarp setups and learn three invaluable knots needed for this process.
What else you need to know before booking.
Please be advised before booking, some of our events may not be suitable for people with mobility difficulties so if in any doubt pleas email me in advance at [email protected]. In addition, please be aware that although these events run for approximately specific set hours, we may run over, so I urge you not to book a posh lunch or dinner somewhere timed precisely to coincide with the end of the event, give yourself plenty of leeway. Lastly, please let us know at the time of booking if you have any specific dietary requirements.
Forage London and Beyond runs foraging courses and a regular wild food walk across London’s green spaces, mushroom hunting in the woodlands of Hampshire and The New Forest and seashore and seaweed foraging along Dorset’s Jurassic Coast. Past London locations include… Crystal Palace Park, Finsbury Park, Victoria Park, Hampstead Heath, Walthamstow Marshes, Sion Park, Wimbledon Common, Wandsworth Common, Battersea Park, Waterlow Park, Holland Park, Ravenscourt Park, Highgate woods & Alexandra Palace.
Guided by very experienced foragers, we explore these beautiful locations, learning to identify wild edibles plants, mushrooms, trees and shrubs. Perfect for both beginners and seasoned foragers, our sessions focus on sustainable practices, simple plant identification and seasonal foraging. Foraging engages us with the landscape and this in turn nurtures a tangible and practical ways for city dwellers to connect with nature and practice environmental stewardship. Whether you’re looking to enhance your culinary skills or simply enjoy the outdoors and get more from your local urban green spaces, our foraging walks provide a fun and educational experience for everyone.
John Renstens (Forage Londons founder and author) book The Edible City can be purchased here.
