Practice makes .....

At this time of year, with the threat of harsh weather to come, my mind turns to bushcraft skills. If truth be told, my mind often turns to bushcraft usually prompted by some threatening government policy or disturbing news article, the consequences of which may find me having to survive in the woods, eating squirrels or similar and bark. Though today I kept with the basics, fire. Whilst walking I gathered the required materials (papery birch bark, bracken, graded kindling), and finding a suitable exposed gravel river bed prepared my fire. It didn't take too long to get a fire started, it shouldn't have, the conditions were good. A much harder feat when the elements are against you. It's always worth keeping that in mind.