Journey 2

I want to live wilder

Shelter, fire, tools, wild food and crafts: practical skills that let you stay out longer, make more and give back, from the garden to further afield.

Books & activity guide collectionsCourses
Practice Keys for this journey

Choose a way in.

Live wilder184 activity guidesSupport nature61 activity guidesMap & navigate naturally33 activity guides

Search all the activity guides →

From the Wilding Rucksack

Books & activity guide collections

Wilding: Wisdom for a Wilder Life coverWilding: Wisdom for a Wilder LifeThe heart of the Rucksack: why connecting with nature matters, the Wilding model, the 15 Practice Keys and the three journeys, with every Guide linked by QR code.The core book →Everyday Wilder Living coverEveryday Wilder LivingWork with simple tools, make useful things, shelter and manage a permitted fire, so you can return to your sit spot, garden or wood all year round.Book + 39 activity guides →Food from the Fire coverFood from the FireFollow a meal from the invitation to the final thanks: choosing fuel, preparing firewood, managing cooking heat and recipes to share around the hearth.Book + 33 activity guides →A Walk in the Wild coverA Walk in the WildA walk with someone who knows the woods: plants and trees, their relationships and gifts, with safety, restraint and gratitude alongside any use.Book + 40 activity guides →Wild Crafts coverWild CraftsRepeated making with natural materials: from a familiar object to closer study of material, shape and use, and a growing relationship with what you gather and grow.Book + 43 activity guides →Supporting Nature coverSupporting NatureBug hotels, bee homes, hedgehog highways, nesting boxes, ponds and citizen science.Book + 57 activity guides →Venture Further coverVenture FurtherPrepare for a weekend on the moor: planning, what to carry, navigation, shelter, water, hazards and leaving no trace, with care for the right to camp.Book + 35 activity guides →Wild Ancestor coverWild AncestorFire by friction, carrying fire, water, shelter, natural navigation and invisibility: the skills of those who came before, ending in the ancestral challenge.Book + 37 activity guides →
Learn it outside, together

Courses

Everyday Wilder Living

How do I stay warm, dry and comfortable outside?

Folding saw and sheath knife skills, coppicing hazel, a tarp shelter with the right knots, and lighting and caring for a fire.

On the day
  • Woodland hazards, the law and sustainability
  • Folding saw and sheath knife skills, and tool care
  • Coppicing hazel and greenwood work
  • Choosing a site
  • A tarp shelter and the knots to pitch it
  • Lighting and caring for a fire

For adults (18+) · 2 days · £100 a place

About this course New dates soon: ask Jay The book & activity guides →

Food from the Fire

Can I cook a thank-you feast for my neighbours?

Gather and prepare firewood, build a cooking fire and cook a meal over it, then share it around the hearth.

On the day
  • Working safely with bow saw and camp axe
  • Permission to gather and finding firewood
  • Knowing your trees and their firewood
  • Cross-cutting and splitting
  • Building a cooking fire
  • Cooking and sharing a meal around the hearth

For adults (18+) · 1 day · £50 a place

About this course New dates soon: ask Jay The book & activity guides →

A Walk in the Wild

What does the woodland offer, and what should I leave?

Walk with someone who notices: gather well, make wild tea and nettle cordage, and learn which plants help and which harm.

On the day
  • The RESPECT Code and the law
  • Walking with awareness
  • What the woodland provides, and what to leave
  • Poisonous plants and trees
  • Finding and making water safe
  • Wild tea and processing wild materials

For adults (18+) · 1 day · £50 a place

About this course New dates soon: ask Jay The book & activity guides →

Wild Crafts

Grow it. Gather it. Make it.

Carve, weave and make useful, beautiful things from natural materials, and grow your own craft garden.

On the day
  • Knowing and preparing your materials
  • Carving basics: butter spreader and spatula
  • Carving a wooden spoon
  • A crooked knife and palm drill
  • A bramble basket
  • Bark containers and natural mats

For adults (18+) · 2 days · £100 a place

About this course New dates soon: ask Jay The book & activity guides →

Supporting Nature

How can I give back to the place that gives to me?

Make homes for wildlife, grow pollinator habitat, plant trees and hedges, and join citizen science surveys.

On the day
  • Seeing a place through wild eyes
  • Log piles, bee scrapes and wildlife homes
  • Growing pollinator habitat
  • Planting trees and hedges well
  • Joining a citizen science survey
  • A plan for your own place

For adults (18+) · 1 day · £50 a place

About this course New dates soon: ask Jay The book & activity guides →

Venture Further

How do I go further, safely?

Plan a journey, read a map and compass, read the weather, manage risk and set up camp further from home.

On the day
  • Planning a journey and telling someone
  • Map reading and compass skills
  • Reading the weather and the land
  • Managing risk and the kit that matters
  • Choosing a camp site
  • Leave no trace

For adults (18+) · 2 days · £100 a place

About this course New dates soon: ask Jay The book & activity guides →

Wild Ancestor

Go further. Travel lighter.

Make fire by friction, find and purify water, build a debris shelter, move unseen and navigate by sun, stars and land.

On the day
  • From learner to traveller
  • Fire with flint and steel
  • Finding water in the landscape
  • Moving unseen, and knowing when not to move
  • Warmth without announcing yourself
  • Reading nature's warnings

For adults (18+) · 1 day · £50 a place

About this course New dates soon: ask Jay The book & activity guides →