Blue Skies

[Doc]

Here's another school (Edinburgh based) that has a website:


http://www.edin-home.fsnet.co.uk/

No personal experience yet, but looks interesting.

[Adi007]

I know George Jamieson from a school in Brecon ... nice chap, very interesting and knowledgable. Very good taxidermist ... http://www.scottish-taxidermy.co.uk/

[Doc]

Thanks for that Adi. I'm impressed by the fact they offer courses for children too.

A quick search on the web reveals that Kate Hedges has done a fair bit of instructing at a school in the USA. Helpful and friendly on email too. Overall I'm impressed enough to book in for a weekend course - I'll let folk know how it goes.

[Bowser]

Hi folks - Doc, how was the course? I'm interested on going myself and hoped you could provide some feedback?

[Doc]

Hi - well Kate from Blue Skies emailed me to say the Wildlife awareness and tracking course I'd booked for hadn't drummed up much interest and might not run - so I cancelled so I could arrange something else.

So, I can't really comment except to say that email communications were good and they promptly returned my deposit.

I note that even Woodlore's tracking courses are less popular than their Bushcraft courses, so I wouldn't read anything in to the lack of interest. I'll likely be booking another course with Blue skies in the future.

[Adi007]

Hi - well Kate from Blue Skies emailed me to say the Wildlife awareness and tracking course I'd booked for hadn't drummed up much interest and might not run - so I cancelled so I could arrange something else.

So, I can't really comment except to say that email communications were good and they promptly returned my deposit.

I note that even Woodlore's tracking courses are less popular than their Bushcraft courses, so I wouldn't read anything in to the lack of interest. I'll likely be booking another course with Blue skies in the future.

Tracking is one of those skills that people either think that there is nothing to it (in other words, the underestimate how much there is to it) or they think that the amount of knowledge you need to even begin tracking is huge and that it's too complicated to learn and that it takes years to become even half decent.

After having done a weekend tracking course at Merthyr Mawr with Ian Maxwell or Shadowhawk (www.shadowhawk.co.uk) I can say that neither viewpoint is right. Yes, there is a lot to learn and anyone could devote a lifetime to honing the skill and art of tracking. However, coming at it as very much a novice I can honestly say that I walked away from the weekend with the actual basics of tracking and can now "see" tracks where previously there were none in my opinion! Yes, you do have to put in a lot of "dirttime" (don't think you can go on a course and that's it, learning over. No way!) but the rewards for the person interested in the outdoors are huge.

[Adi007]

While I'm saying good things about Ian, let me remind out of the discount that Gary at Bearclaw is giving members of bushcraftUK ... check out this thread here:
http://www.bushcraftuk.net/community...nouncementid=4
Ian is a superb tracker and a great instructor ... anyone going is bound to have a blast!

[Bowser]

Hi - well Kate from Blue Skies emailed me to say the Wildlife awareness and tracking course I'd booked for hadn't drummed up much interest and might not run - so I cancelled so I could arrange something else.

So, I can't really comment except to say that email communications were good and they promptly returned my deposit.

I note that even Woodlore's tracking courses are less popular than their Bushcraft courses, so I wouldn't read anything in to the lack of interest. I'll likely be booking another course with Blue skies in the future.

Thanks Doc, I''ve been looking at their courses and I'll probably try one soon.

[Moff8]

Thanks for posting this thread, I have been looking for a bushcraft course near me and am delighted to find one. I am hoping to do something late September/October if a course needs more numbers.

[match]

I have done the Primitive Fire-starting techniques with Kate at Blue Skies and can definitely recommend her as a down-to-earth, experienced teacher, who is more interested in passing on skills and knowledge of working with nature than the 'hardcore survival' style a lot of places teach.

[Moff8]

Managed to get myself and a couple of friends booked for the 6th November on the very same course. Really looking forward to it.

[Bowser]

Moff8 - let me know how you get on, I'm dead keen to go on one af these as well. Trying to get the missus involved.....

[Moff8]

Went on the Blue skies course on Saturday to learn primitive fire lighting. There was a light spattering of rain all day but it didn't mar any of the fun in the course. We were given a small talk by Kate, who was taking the course, on the fundamentals. She covered the science bit and the spiritual bit. I am not particularly spiritual but I did not feel uncomfortable with her beliefs as she did not labour the point. Quick demo of starting a fire using fire bow and discussing materials involved followed by knife safety and we were let loose to find a spot and carve the materials into a fire lighting kit and give it a go. It doesn't take long to start getting smoke and after 60 bows you have a smouldering coal ready to add to your tinder bundle. I did this three times to ensure that I had the process of creating the coal firm in my mind before I started hunting for tinder. This is my only criticism of the course. Nine people hunting for dry tinder on a wet day in a small area is not good. We did find tinder but it took quite a while. It was good to practice this but it would have been nice to have had lots of dry tinder available for us to just use as well, if you choose to do the course I would take a good supply of tinder. I did manage to create 4 coals but did not manage to get a tinder bundle to burst into flame. A couple of others did. I was confident that if I had not given my tinder bundle to someone else who after many hours of trying had managed to produce a coal, I would have had a flame myself. The two people with me had less success producing coals but still had fun - particularly impressive considering the conditions. Also of note to west coast folk is that Kate will be hosting courses near Glasgow next year.

Tam

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I thought it was good, not a lot of technical detail but there was lots of
info and Kate was entertaining enough.

Can't do much about the weather really, and I can't really comment on the
tinder scenario, I'm sure if I'd gotten that far it would have been a doddle
finding the necessary ;-)

I enjoyed it though I'm disappointed I didn't get to 'flame on', I'm sure it
was just the damp swampy conditions - you know me I like a challenge ;-)

Gez