Setting up camp on your own means every task is down to you. There’s nobody to hold a pole while you secure a corner, pass you a peg or find the item buried at the bottom of your rucksack. The more familiar you are with…
Setting up camp after dark can be more difficult than it sounds. Familiar equipment becomes harder to find, tent fabric can be confusing to handle and small jobs take much longer when you can only see the area illuminated by your headtorch. Good preparation makes…
You don’t need to travel to a campsite to practise your camping skills. Your own garden can provide an excellent opportunity to spend a night outdoors, test your equipment and discover how well prepared you are for a longer trip. A night in the garden…
Knowing how to approach a landowner respectfully is a valuable outdoor skill. Whether you want to camp, practise bushcraft, collect natural materials or organise an activity, a polite conversation can help you understand what is allowed and avoid misunderstandings. The important part is being clear…
The ground can draw heat away from your body surprisingly quickly, even when the air temperature does not feel particularly cold. A thick layer of dry leaves can help trap air beneath you, creating insulation between your body and the ground. In this challenge, you…
A good campsite should look as though you were never there. Whether you’ve spent a few hours practising outdoor skills or a night under canvas, leaving the area clean and undamaged is part of being responsible outdoors. For this challenge, you’ll inspect your camp, remove…
When you spend time outdoors, you may meet a landowner, farmer or land manager who asks you to leave an area. It can feel awkward, particularly if you believe you are following a public route, but arguing on the spot rarely helps. The important thing…
After a spell of strong autumn winds, woodland can look perfectly normal from the path while hiding dangerous damage overhead. A widow-maker is a term used for a dead or broken branch, or sometimes a damaged tree, that could fall without warning. Your challenge is…
Affiliate disclosure: This article contains affiliate links. If you purchase something through one of our links, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. Waking up to a damp sleeping bag can make an otherwise good night outdoors uncomfortable. Sometimes the moisture…
Staying warm in woodland is not just about wearing a thick coat. Wind, damp clothing, cold ground and a lack of movement can all make you feel chilly, even when the weather does not seem particularly cold. Knowing how to manage these conditions is a…
