Well, I survived a weekend in the woods in what was truly awful weather, so as promised, here is the writeup.
I won't go into huge detail, instead giving you the summary and some of the things I learned, along with my overall opinion on the whole experience. I hope that some of you find it useful.
Firstly, I'll list some of the things I learned as this was about more than just the course subject.
1. I hate slugs
2. My boots leak
3. I hate mud
4. I hate cold damp feet
5. I hate heavy rain
6. The thought of a trench latrine in a muddy woodland is better than Immodium
7. My DD tarp is excellent, despite a very ropy pitch (see photo)
8. My ex-Army sleeping bag + bivi are also excellent
9. My bow drill stance is good and stable (as told to me by Ray himself!)
10. Wet hands are essential for hand drilling.
11. Did I mention that I hate slugs?
12. Always be collecting and drying tinder; you can never do this too much.
As you might have guessed, the weather was pants. I was actually hoping for some challenging conditions, but there is a limit!
So, what was it all about?
The way I would sum it up is a complete guide to the whole process of making fire, assuming no prior knowledge, but by no means simplified. If you are very experienced at various friction methods then maybe you would take nothing from this course; I would describe myself as sort of competent at bow drilling but not hand drill and I learnt some invaluable tips.
All the expected subjects are covered, laying a fire, striking your last match properly, tinders, kindling and so on, and there is ample time to practice the techniques covered. I worked out that we had around 21 hours of instruction/practice from Friday night until Sunday afternoon so that is pretty good going. Ray himself put in an appearance on both days which was a completely unexpected surprise. He stuck around for a good couple of hours each time, watching, advising and helping as he saw fit. He took a lot of photos of us in action, so at some point I may be in one of his next books(!)
Overall, if you are either a novice, beginner or intermediate fire starter then this is an excellent course; you will learn loads. As to the question of value for money, that is a judgement only you can make.
P.S. Ray Mears shook this hand; I am never washing it again...