FAQs about our bushcraft courses


FAQs | Jack Raven | bushcraft | south east | LondonIf you’re not sure what to expect on a Jack Raven Bushcraft course, take a look at these FAQs and hopefully they’ll answer any questions you have.  If not, get in touch and we’ll do our best to answer them.

Where do you hold your courses?

We’re located in Westwell, Kent, with good access from the M20 and M2.

We’re easily accessible by rail too, with Ashford International railway station only 5 miles from us and 40 minutes from St. Pancras on the high speed train.   Charing railway station is 4 miles from us.

If you catch a train to Ashford, there are usually taxis parked outside; if you catch a train to Charing, you’ll need to book a taxi in advance.

Can I pay  for a course in instalments?

Yes you can pay in instalments; we need a 25% non-refundable deposit and the balance paid at least 8 weeks prior to the start of the course.  If you’d like to do this, get in touch with us at info@jackravenbushcraft.co.uk.

What should I expect on one of your courses?

You should expect to have a good time, learn some things and have fun.  You aren’t taking part in an SAS selection course, you’re joining us to learn bushcraft; to do that effectively we have to ensure that you’re warm, dry and well fed.

Try this blog post, written by a journalist who came on our 2 Day Bushcraft Course in 2014.  Gretta gives a fantastic insight into what you can expect.

Are there toilet facilities?

Our courses are based in the woods, so we don’t have running water or mains sewage.  But there’s a covered composting toilet, so no digging holes!

What will I have to eat?

If you come on one of our 1 day courses, you’ll need to bring a packed lunch.  We’ll make sure that the kettle’s always on and that there’s plenty of tea and coffee available.

If you attend one of our overnight courses we’ll provide dinner and breakfast and you’ll need to bring your own lunch.

We’re proud of the food we serve and are consistently praised for the quality of the meals we produce in the woods.   On a typical course, breakfast will be cereal or porridge with brioche and fruit one day, and eggy crumpets, bacon and beans the next; evening meals are cooked on site, wholesome and filling.

Let us know in advance if you have any special dietary requirements.

What should I bring?

We’ll provide you with a list of what to bring 6 – 8 weeks prior to your course; you’re likely to have most of it already so this shouldn’t mean any extra cost.

In short, you’ll need sensible outdoor clothing, a tent, roll mat and sleeping bag, a cup, plate and knife, fork & spoon.

We’ll provide all of the bushcraft equipment.

Should I bring a tent?

Yes, many of our customers bring a tent; we strongly recommend that you only bring a small tent though, you’ll struggle to set up a big tent between the trees.  If you don’t have a tent, we have a couple of spares you can rent for £10 a night.

What if I don’t have some of the kit on the list?

We have some spare tents, roll mats and sleeping bags that we hire out.  Get in touch and we’ll see what we can do.

Can I bring my son/daughter?

Our courses are designed for adults, however you can bring a child aged 12 or over, with the exception of our Axe Workshop, Nordic Crafts, and Spoon Carving where the minimum age is 18.

How far do I have to carry my gear?

We’ll transport your belongings to our woodland camp in our 4×4.  You’ll only need to carry your things a very short distance.

Be aware, however, that this isn’t an invitation to bring excessive amounts of kit. There’s a good chance that anything over a single rucksack will have to be carried by you.

You’ll be walked to the camp; it takes about 15 minutes at an easy pace. The last part is uphill.

What happens in bad weather?

We operate our courses in all weathers.  However, we have a yurt with a wood burning stove for the winter to make sure you’re warm and dry, and a covered teaching area.  The kettle is on the go the whole time so you can have a hot drink.

Can I bring alcohol?

No, we don’t allow alcohol.

Can I bring my dog?

Sorry, but no.  We don’t allow pets due to the use of knives and axes etc. but mostly because we’re based on a farm with livestock in the fields around us.  It also turns out that some people, most bizarrely, don’t like dogs!

How do you look after the woods?

Looking after the woods in which we run our courses is very important to us.  We have a moral and legal duty to ensure that we don’t have any negative impact.  The woodland is a finite resource and has to be carefully managed.

We place a strong emphasis on natural history, woodland management and conservation as we believe that this knowledge should inform everything we do in bushcraft. Preserving and enhancing the woodland in which we teach is factored into all of our activities.

We also limit the number of people coming through our woodland camp and keep course numbers low, usually a maximum of 8, lower on some of our courses.

For more information, please contact us at

info#jackravenbushcraft.co.uk

or phone on 07553 763397

faqs | about Jack Raven Bushcraft