LATEST OUTDOOR GUIDES
Keep up to date with the latest guides, activities and resources from Pure Bushcraft. Explore new articles covering outdoor skills, survival, Scout activities, camping, navigation, knots, fire safety and practical skills.
Our latest posts are designed to help Scouts, youth groups, leaders and anyone interested in outdoor learning develop practical knowledge and confidence. From new activity ideas and survival skills to useful how-to guides, check back regularly for the latest resources.
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Pure Bushcraft Outdoor Skills Challenge 24: Find a Safe Campsite
Choosing where to camp is about more than finding a flat patch of grass with a good view. In order to find a safe campsite, the right spot should keep you sheltered, comfortable and away from any hazards, while giving you enough space to pitch your tent and move around safely. For this challenge, you’ll…
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Pure Bushcraft Outdoor Skills Challenge 23: Make Natural Cordage
Before modern rope was available, people used natural fibres to make natural cordage for tying, carrying and securing things. In this challenge, you’ll explore how fibres can be twisted together to make a simple piece of cordage and discover which materials work best. The aim is to experiment, observe the results and learn something about…
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Pure Bushcraft Outdoor Skills Challenge 22: Make a Basic Fire Lay
Getting a fire going outdoors is much easier when you prepare properly before striking a match or creating a spark. A good fire lay brings together the right materials in an arrangement that allows the tinder to catch, the kindling to ignite and the fire to grow gradually. For this challenge, you’ll practise building a…
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Pure Bushcraft Outdoor Skills Challenge 21: Tie a Reef Knot
A good knot is one of those small outdoor skills that becomes genuinely useful once you know how to do it without thinking. The reef knot is a classic starting point: it is quick to learn, easy to check and handy when you need to tie something neatly around a bundle or package. Your Pure…
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Pure Bushcraft Outdoor Skills Challenge 20: Make a Simple Emergency Signal
If you ever need help outdoors, being able to attract attention could make a big difference. Shouting might work when someone is nearby, but your voice can become tired and may not carry as far as you imagine. A whistle or torch can help you send a clearer signal without exhausting yourself. For the Pure…
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Pure Bushcraft Outdoor Skills Challenge 19: Estimate the Height of a Tree
Have you ever looked up at a tall tree and wondered just how high it reaches? You don’t need a measuring pole, specialist equipment or a head for complicated maths to make a reasonable estimate. With a simple technique and a little practice, you can work out a tree’s approximate height using nothing more than…
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Pure Bushcraft Outdoor Skills Challenge 18: Learn How to Give a Route Message
Before heading out on a walk, it’s useful to make sure someone else knows where you’re going and when you expect to return. If your plans change or you don’t come back as expected, that information can help someone work out where you might be and what to do next. That is the purpose of…
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Pure Bushcraft Outdoor Skills Challenge 17: Identify Three Edible-Looking Plants You Should Not Eat
Some wild plants look harmless, and a few even resemble familiar foods you might find in a supermarket or garden. The problem is that appearance alone cannot tell you whether a plant is safe to eat. Some poisonous species look similar to edible plants, and getting an identification wrong can have serious consequences. For the…
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Pure Bushcraft Outdoor Skills Challenge 16: Practise the Stop-and-Think Routine
When you’re walking outdoors, it’s easy to keep moving even when you know that something doesn’t feel quite right. Perhaps a path doesn’t match your map, you’ve missed a turning, or you’re no longer certain which direction you should be heading. Continuing without checking can turn a small mistake into a much bigger problem. The…
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Pure Bushcraft Outdoor Skills Challenge 15: Learn the Five Ds of Navigation
Good navigation is about more than knowing how to read a map or follow a compass bearing. You also need to keep checking your surroundings, make sensible decisions and recognise when something isn’t going to plan. The Five Ds of Navigation provide a simple way to remember important questions to ask yourself before and during…
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Whether you’re looking for Scout activities, survival skills, camping ideas, navigation resources or practical outdoor learning, explore the rest of Pure Bushcraft to find your next challenge.