EXPERT INTERVIEW: WILD SURVIVOR

Wild Survivor offer a range of bushcraft and survival experiences in various locations: Shropshire, Surrey and Cumbria. Their experiences will teach you the fundamentals of bushcraft and survival, so you can enjoy the wilderness while learning useful survival skills. We took the time to interview Ryan from Wild Survivor to find out what makes this experience unique and how it all began. 

Can you tell us how Wild Survivor began?

After having served on operational tours in Afghanistan and Iraq then leaving the military, a few of us struggled with adapting back into the 'civvy street' lifestyle so we started wild camping and perfecting the skills we learned in the army. One of the friends began working at a local centre which supported those in the military suffering from PTSD and life changing injuries. We came up with an idea to start running bushcraft and survival events as a way of putting those people back in an environment they were familiar but surrounded by friends rather than in a warzone to aid their recovery. The events were extremely successful and word soon got out and we had a number of enquiries from the general public looking to attend these events. We located our very own woodland site in Shropshire and ran our first course, the rest is history!

What makes the perfect candidate for bushcraft?

The perfect candidate is someone who has an interest in the great outdoors and wants to learn how they can work together to learn skills that will last a lifetime.

What advice would you give to somebody nervous to participate?

Just because we are military guys, doesn't mean we run our events like a boot camp! We are often asked; 'will i have to walk far?' or 'do i have to heavy kit?' and even 'will i get shouted at?' and our answer to everything is that this is about learning, enjoying and experiencing. 

What can you expect to learn from a bushcraft course?

We teach all the basic survival elements; how to start a fire using nothing but your surroundings, how to forage and prepare wild food, how to build a warm and dry shelter using the environment and how to collect and purify water. In addition, we'll also teach you basic first aid, how to navigate to safety and much more.

What would be your top three items to have with you if you were stuck in the wilderness?

Our top 3 recommended items would be something sharp (axe or knife down to personal preference) which will help you with cutting wood to build a shelter, preparing food and could also be used as a weapon if required. Next would be something to start a fire with, our preference would be flint & steel which allows you to create a spark in any weather conditions thousands of times before it runs out. Lastly would be something to purify water and our preference would be a purification straw which allows you to drink from any water source and cleans the water as it passes along the straw!

What do you think the benefits of taking part in this Bushcraft and survival experience are?

The skills you learn on our course will last for a lifetime and could also save your life. You'll reconnect with the great outdoors, make some great friends and have great fun!

What is your most memorable experience while teaching this Bushcraft and survival course?

We recently ran a stag do event where the group had come up with the idea to steal the stags clothes and force him to only wear what he could find in the woods for the whole weekend!

Thank You!

Thank you Ryan for taking the time to answer some of our questions!