Testimonials
Feedback scores
We collect feedback from our customers after each course. Part of the survey is asking clients to give us a score for course content, instructor approachability, delivery, enjoyment of the course and location - this makes for a total possible score of 25 per survey for these parameters. Since we have been recording this electronically, our average score from 485 forms returned is 23.4/25 or 93%.
Here is a sample of the feedback comments:
“Everything taught with patience and humour; lots of fascinating, practical, detailed information. Tasks broken down into achievable stages, [instructors] approachable, calm and accommodating and incredibly knowledgeable.” - (Family Weekend) P. Law
"Very relaxed, which helps people take in the information. Hugely enjoyable. Changes your perspective on your normal daily life" - (Survival Weekend) J. Banks
"Every angle is meticulously covered leaving no questions to be asked at the end. Enlightening and thoroughly enjoyable. Leon's enthusiasm for bushcraft is inspirational and he makes it exciting for his students. A fantastic course that will change your way of thinking about the natural world forever." - (Fire by Friction Day) M. Learoyd
"Leon was an incredible teacher - delivering all the information in detailed but easy to digest chunks, very approachable and willing to help. There was a lot of information packed into the course and it was clear that there was a lot still to learn. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it and loved seeing the badger set, learning how to identify the different trees and searching for Crampballs. I especially liked the tracking walk at the end of the weekend and the water collection walk. I would highly recommend it to anyone who loves the out doors, likes a bit of an adventure and wants to do something a little different than the usual "weekend away". You come away with a new found admiration for the outdoors and bush craft techniques." - (Survival Weekend) D. Greenwood
"A great outdoor weekend! Location is absolutely enchanting but close enough to the road in case something goes wrong. Enjoyed gathering all together around the fire and grill fish! A good cocktail of Bushcraft and Nature enjoyment!" - (Winter Bushcraft Weekend, Moidart) G. Catalano
"I feel like i have learnt a lot about the native species of trees and plants and how you can utilise them in a survival situation. I really enjoyed the whole experience. I have learnt so much about what nature can provide, though I do wish I could remember all the little details better, and I have had an amazing weekend adventure. I could have done it for longer! I have wanted to do one of these weekends since I was a child and it did not disappoint in the slightest." - (Survival Weekend) D. Helsdon
"Best weekend spent for don't know how long - wet Sunday didn't dampen spirits" - (Bushcraft Weekend) G. Williams
"Fabulous hands-on and I really did make fire in the end. Great that we all got a chance to try everything out. Tutors were really friendly, treated us as equals." - (Family Weekend) P. Walker
"An excellent introduction to bushcraft skills that was fun, engaging and a memorable experience" - (Bushcraft Weekend) G. Jones
"The entire course was fantastic and the tutor - Leon - was gifted in his knowledge." - (Firelighting Day) M. Morris
"A real treat in the midst of a busy life" - (Bushcraft Weekend) A. Jeffrey
"The length of the course allowed a complete immersion into the world of tracking and observing the local environment, allowing one's perception to shift from an unaware state. A great introduction to Tracking in a beautiful woodland with plentiful wildlife. With the foundation this course has provided I will be actively looking out for signs and tracks whenever I'm walking or bushcrafting from now on! It has changed the way I look at and appreciate the outdoors." - (Tracking Foundation) D. McKay
"An excellent run course with an instructor that is both knowledgable and passionate about bushcraft, in some of the wildest and most beautiful settings this country has to offer" - (Bushcraft Canoe Scotland) C. Lang
"An obvious life-time of knowledge and interest which the instructor was willing and enthusiastic about sharing" - (Bushcraft Foundation) A. Krutz
"I particularly liked cooking, learning about trees and plants and using knives. And feeling so at home in the woods. I really enjoyed it - thank you very much. The simple fire feels so satisfying and I am grateful you are keeping these traditions alive. A worthwhile career indeed." - (Bushcraft Weekend) N. Lythgoe
"Really excellent - I'll remember the things I have learnt for years" - (Bushcraft Weekend) M. Waterland
"I would highly recommend it to anyone thinking of getting more 'in tune' with nature" - (Bushcraft Weekend) D. Cox
"Exactly what I was looking for ... it'll take a while to assimilate all I learnt!" - (Plants used in Bushcraft) T. Eichner
"Leon took the time to explain every detail and was very calm and professional, felt very comfortable and supported. Was going to listen and learn but content was full on and every area you felt part of a team and was helped in trying every area out. Leon is a credit to the woods he was able to answer any question we had or could do any task involved in the woods. I have been a vermin pest control air arms controller for over many years and skinned many rabbits but the way Leon brought over the course and information on the rabbit skinning and eating I learnt more in that hour than I have in the many years I have been in the environment. I would have have liked to attend Scotland but mileage was far but now wish I had put the effort in. Sussex was outstanding you truly are out in the wild. Leaving the car park leaving all modern technology in the car and walking down the farm path to a life I could only dream of living. Outstanding, breath taking, shame it had to end." - (Survival Day and overnight, Sussex) R. Whitton
"I was amazed by how much we managed to cover in just a day. I liked that we were learning about a number of things at once while on the walk rather than going through each element of the course at a time. This made for an enjoyable, quick pace of learning and kept up the energy. It was brilliant. The instructor was a font of knowledge who was able to clearly convey such a wealth of information in such a short amount of time. There is something to appeal to everyone on this course and I'd certainly recommend it to someone who is looking for a fun weekend in the woods. " - (Survival Day and overnight, Sussex) " - S. Leedham
"I really enjoyed the course in it's entirety. It gave me a good insight into what you need to think about in a survival situation and some of the techniques and tools required to stay alive." - (Survival Weekend, Scotland) C. Van Rynswoud
"Very clear explanations & demonstrations, pitched at the right level & speed (for me, at least). The guidance that Leon provided, as we tried, for ourselves, the techniques that he'd demonstrated was extremely helpful. It was good to have information introduced in one part of the course reinforced later on - E.g. being "tested" (in a very constructive manner), on Day 2, on the bud & tree identification taught on Day 1. I always felt that, whenever I was unsure of something, I was able to ask for something to be repeated or for clarification. Tailored perfectly to the seasonal focus & the Learning Outcomes of the course.I enjoyed both the general atmosphere of the course - nice & relaxed - & each of the specific areas that we covered. It was good to have the opportunity to test ourselves - without there being any pressure to do so - by sleeping in a shelter without a sleeping bag or mat (with the option to return to our tarp / tent or to use our sleeping bag / mat, at any stage). I liked spending the night in the shelter that we'd constructed, with the long-log fire that we'd built. I found the Winter Bushcraft Course challenging, enjoyable & rewarding - I'm very glad that I did it!" (Winter Bushcraft Weekend) - R. Manning
"Found the fire-starting very satisfying when it worked! Great way to spend the day!" - (Bushcraft Weekend) E. Sayer
"The setting was beautiful, the course interesting, Leon knowledgeable and the day exciting!" - (Bushcraft Weekend) J. Leary
"Very informative and taught in a fun way. Excellent way to start bushcraft" - (Bushcraft Weekend) M. Swain
"Fabulous course! Great day out, excellent fun" - (Tracking Day) E. Morgan
"What a fantastic and informative introduction to survival skills" - (Bushcraft Weekend) A. Emirali
"Very efficient style, without being military. So many essential skills balanced into such a short time - I want more!" - (Bushcraft Weekend) B. Nicholson
"Loved every second - makes you understand how lucky we are (how easy life is)" - (Bushcraft Weekend) A. Kershaw
"Leon and Toby both very clearly explained all of the skills and drills on the course, with a great balance of practical hands-on training and talks on equipment and survival tips. Really the ultimate endorsement is that I feel that I can remember all of the key information they delivered during the entire course, which is saying something considering everything we learnt! Leon and Toby are two of the most friendly and approachable chaps we could have hoped to have been training us in the wilderness for a week. I loved the fact that the practical survival skills we learned on the course were all so much fun that we wanted to practise them non-stop. The Arctic Survival Training was incredibly good fun, and a great way to get to know your team mates at work. The location was ideal - with the perfect balance between remoteness (with blissful silence) but also a ski-able distance from Porjus! The cabin was also perfect for the course - offering a good balance between wilderness living and a cosy shelter for some of the evenings. There was nothing that you could have done to improve on the course in my opinion. It may have been improved by having colder conditions, but obviously that is completely out of anyone's control! It's so difficult to choose the best part of the course since there were so many great elements to it, but I particularly enjoyed selecting and constructing our snow trench, and living out in the trench over the two day period at the end of the course. The Arctic Survival Course offers a great opportunity to learn from two of the most experienced bushcraft and survival trainers in the wilderness while learning a lot about your own skills and instincts." (Private Arctic Survival Expedition) - A. Hunt (Technical Team Manager, Oil Spill Response)
"I liked the step-by-step approach to arctic survival and the surprise elements. It was a great course! learning all the essential skills by practice, highly recommended" (Arctic Winter Survival Expedition) - A. Zhang
"The Tutor proved to be confident and knowledgeable with the subject taught. He was responsive to all questions and replied in a way that made me confident to ask questions. The content of the course allowed me to achieve my goal in reaching the Bronze standard. I enjoyed the course hugely. The tutor, location and content were excellent as were my fellow students. Both Leith Hill and Nutley were great. It was good to have the camp to use as a base and to provide shelter. The course content met my requirements and proved both a good foundation and incentive to proceed to the next level" (Bronze NNAS Navigation Weekend) - D. Fearn
"Really enjoyed walking through the woods with Leon and being able to ask questions at any point about what we were seeing. Feel a lot more confident now about being able to tackle some simple woodland tasks and feel I have enough basic knowledge to be able to pass that information on to someone else." (Survival Day) - E. Saunders
"Leon was clear and concise and was happy to spend as much time on any one skill as we wanted. It was a good balance between explanation and practice. I was impressed at how much we managed to pack in to quite a short time. It was a beautiful setting - couldn't have asked for a better location I enjoyed everything we did! I particularly liked preparing and cooking the fish and eating mussels. Sleeping in a man-made shelter was an experience I'll never forget - best 2 minutes of sleep I've ever had. Very keen to try it again once I've worked out how to make it more comfortable... It was a great weekend. Fascinating information and well-taught skills kept spirits up despite the weather! It's a truly special experience to learn bushcraft in a place, where it really matters - I'd recommend this course to anyone." - (Winter Bushcraft Weekend, Moidart) O. Foulds
"Great weekend! I found this course very interesting due to Leon's vast knowledge on all aspects of the outdoors. If you like life's comforts then this may not be the course for you! but if you want to be exposed to the reality of surviving without life's comforts, then this is a great place to start. excellent location, highly skilled tutors and "real" living of the land, brilliant.... oh and i picked up some great skills along the way. skills that i will never forget" - (Survival Weekend) S. Joslin.
"Easy atmosphere .. nudged along when we needed it especially when we were cooking .. Leon is VERY knowledgeable and shared that knowledge in a 'quiet' sort of way, very befitting the woodland experience, and was very open to answering all questions. A really good day. I learned a lot. Just think of all the foods that we have collected, cooked and eaten! .... soup made with bullrush roots, burdock roots, wild garlic and nettles .... .... sauteed beefsteak mushroom and sauteed burdock chips with wild garlic .....a bit of a hazel nut ... nettle and blackberry tea, ash cakes .....trout with blackberry and elderberry coulis .... Posh nosh! " - (Wild Food) C. Blakeman
"Pouring rain - shave-sticks, fire from spark, first time. Pouring rain - fire by friction, first time. It's not just the information, the affirmation of the method is stunning" - (Bushcraft Weekend) J. Pethick
"We managed to fit so much into the time it was brilliant. I could have stayed for a week. Absolutely loved every second. A great family trip. We definitely learned a lot and talked about it for ages! Great location, easy to get to and no road noise. It felt very secluded. Loved having the knife on our belts to use. The wood whittling and feather sticks was my favourite thing to do. Also cooking on the fire was great. The Bannock was delicious and I will definitely make it again on camping trips! We could not have asked for anything better. The weather was kind, Leon is a brilliant instructor, we learned a lot whilst having a great time outdoors." - (Private course) C.Wharff
"The delivery of information was highly appropriate to the age and experience of the children involved. The tutors related extremely well with the children. A lot of learning went on, including Science, team building, resilience and risk taking. The children and staff loved it. I liked seeing all 105 children all involved 100% for the duration of the day despite the inclement conditions." - (School course) F. Ricketts, Ardingly College
"I was impressed that we managed to pack in all of the items that the course promised to teach. I think that the choice of woodland was excellent and there was a great balance between being instructed and being allowed to get on with things at my own pace. I really enjoyed the flint work and making fire with two rocks, the latter was one of the hardest yet satisfying things on the course. I felt really relaxed and enjoyed the pace of the teaching, It left plenty of time to chat and get to know the other course participants. I feel I'm that little bit closer to our ancestors." - (Bare Hands Bushcraft) A. Jennings-Giles
"Leon was very welcoming on our arrival. He put students at ease with his delightful manner and was always friendly, patient and available to students throughout the course. He gave due consideration to all abilities/experience of the students. All information was delivered in a way that was professional and clear. All subjects were covered in the appropriate depth, topics were fully explained and backed up with an obvious wealth of knowledge and experience. I loved the game preparation, fire lighting technique sessions and the fact that we were given time to practice some of the skills we had learnt in a useful way. I would thoroughly recommend this course to anyone who wants to learn basic skills of bushcraft. It has certainly given me an appetite to learn more and to try and hone skills learnt during the weekend. I had one of the most inspiring and enjoyable weekends of my life" - (Survival Weekend) D. Stewart
"The course (Bushcraft Canoe Scotland - Inverpolly) was the best so far, the scenes were amazing and it was lovely to paddle the lochs with a sense of freedom everywhere you went. The only thing I would have improved would have been to make it longer! Overall I thought the course excellent and would recommend to anyone who wants to see Scotland at its best - I would go again!" - (Bushcraft Canoe - Scotland) D. Bates
"I always have a fantastic time on these courses and I am always looking ahead to the next one. A great weekend in a gorgeous piece of woodland with a lot of variety. All of the activities are interesting and challenging, but the camaraderie of the group is always a pleasure too. For those who are genuinely interested in the outdoors and the practical survival skills that our ancestors used, this course is just right." - (Bare Hands Bushcraft) J. Banks
"The instructors' knowledge of the local ecology was second to none. I feel like I learnt so much! Both Ian and Leon were very approachable, and knowledgeable. I asked them so many questions about the local wildlife, and amazingly they always seemed to know the answer no matter how obscure the question seemed to me! I came home feeling a little tired but completely stress free, and mentally refreshed. I wish I could wake up every morning surrounded by mountains and lochs, and hearing the birds chirping around me. The location was absolutely stunning. I did not realise such vast and beautiful places existed in the UK. I loved the combination of doing canoeing alongside camping and learning about the wildlife in the area. What a fab combination. Also the flexibility in the schedule- allowing us to choose how we spent some of the time was great. It meant everyone got to do what they wanted. Loved it!" - (Wildlife Canoe Scotland) D. Helsdon
"Found the ecological approach really enjoyable and rewarding. Leon is extremely responsible, approachable and respectful of individual's requirements. His passion for bushcraft and the environment is well conveyed and infectious." - (Bushcraft Weekend) M. Packman
"Learnt far more than I expected to in a weekend! Really enjoyed that we were gently pushed out of our comfort zone whilst at the same time knowing that if we were really uncomfortable with anything we could opt out without any negativity. A great compromise. Great mix of 'activities' and all were challenging but do-able, very satisfying! I loved all of it and enjoying telling my friends about it even more! I'm trying to think of any constructive criticism but I'm really not sure I can think of anything, from start to finish, it completely surpassed my expectations. Unbelievably one of the things that I enjoyed the most was preparing the game as I really didn't think I'd be able to do it. Bow Drill technique and food preparation in general were also great but there wasn't really a weak link! Just a huge thanks for a completely enjoyable and informative weekend, it was definitely one I'll remember." - (Survival Weekend) V. Webb
"Leon was clear, organised and systematic in his teaching, while also being creative, flexible and accommodating in dealing with questions. We covered an enormous amount during a short space of time, yet things never felt rushed. We had great success and gained much new knowledge foraging for, preparing and cooking, wild foods; sourcing and purifying water; shelter building; and making and transporting fire. I entered the woods with a degree of trepidation and low confidence in my ability to adapt to, and live in, a natural environment. I left feeling elated and with a strong core belief that I can thrive in, and fully experience, wild places. I also enjoyed the quiet comradeship, trust and good humour that Leon fostered during the course. An unexpected pleasure was the discovery of the delicious flavours and interesting textures of the wild foods we found and learning preparation and camp fire cooking techniques. The weekend was suffused with a sense of well-being and I felt a deep sense of connecting with the inherent spirituality of nature, and feeling comfortable and competent. The sunny and mild autumnal weather and colourful beauty of the woods helped!" - (Autumn Four Seasons) P. Law
"Leon was very patient (!), clear, knowledgeable and an excellent teacher. He was always ready to answer questions or give extra support when it was needed! He was great at adapting his teaching style depending on the skills (or lack of them) in the people he was teaching content. I thoroughly enjoyed it and wasn't bored for a second (which is quite a feat when spending a whole weekend in a cold, damp woodland in Feb!). The programme was full enough for there always to be something new to do, whilst giving you enough time on each task to really get a feel for it. Leon's laid back approach and flexible attitude meant you cold easily spend more time on a task if you were particularly interested in something (e.g. spoon carving!). I thoroughly enjoyed it - a great experience which I'm so glad I did. It was fantastic on a freezing weekend in Feb, so it must be totally amazing the rest of the year! The bannock was a revelation, so delicious (or were we just starving?!). The spoon carving, fire lighting, foraging for water, were all great experiences. The rabbit skinning was good but quite gruesome (but if you're on a survival weekend, what can you expect?!). A fantastic way to spend a weekend, you'll come back exhausted, and probably ravenously, but feeling like you've been away for a month, are completely relaxed and have forgotten all about your day-to-day worries. I couldn't recommend it more." - (Survival Weekend) S. Campbell
"Mind-blowing - learned more in one day than I have in years!" - (Survival Day) D. Seal
"Course content and delivery was given in such a clear, concise manner it was easy and enjoyable to participate in" - (Bushcraft Weekend) C. Lang
"A well run and in depth course covering a good Foundation for use in life and a very laid back and approachable instructor" - (Bushcraft Foundation) D. Bates
"Very professional, knowledgeable teacher - great all round experience" - (Bare Hands Bushcraft) P. Crompton
"Fascinating, so good to learn about natural methods and way of life" - (Bare Hands Bushcraft) L. Turner