My Favourite Bushcraft and Survival TV Guru’s

Posted on April 3, 2012 by Will

Ok everyone, time for me to let you know of the guys I think we can all learn something from…. All of the people mentioned in this blog post can be found on youtube.

1. First on the list is the one and only Les Hiddins or “Bushtucker Man”.  In 1987 he was awarded a Defence Fellowship to research survival in northern Australia. This research turned into the TV series The Bush Tucker Man. The series involves Hiddins driving around, finding and describing native Australian bush food or “bush tucker”.

2. Then we have Ray Mears, who teaches the skills of bushcraft in a sensible way and in a way that you can apply to wilderness situations. I particularly like the series he has done about aboriginal Britain.

3. Best known as the creator, writer, producer, director, cameraman and host of the television series “Survivorman”, Les Stroud has put himself into real life survival situations and tested his own personal limits both physically and psychologically. His TV shows were filmed by himself and are very real, unlike other so called survival experts you may see on television.

4.  Cody Lundin, a minimalist and primitive skills expert, and Dave Canterbury, a military-style survival expert and professional hunting guide and tracker give us a very entertaining and educational show with “Dual Survival”. The conflict that often arises due to the differences in Cody’s and Dave’s survival methods provide the audience with an interesting view on survival.

5. If you want the chance to explore how to survive in the wild and discover how to use bushcraft techniques in beautiful settings in Ireland, then you gotta check out William O Halloran of Will and Away… yep that’s me! To see a clip of Will teaching survival skills visit www.willandaway.ie or follow the Will and Away channel on youtube http://www.youtube.com/user/willandaway

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Nature Education for Schools

Posted on February 17, 2012 by Will

In the spring of 2011, William O Halloran from Will and Away delivered a six day nature awareness and survival skill module to the students of Scoil Phadraig Naofa in Bandon Co. Cork. Here’s what William had to say about his experience with the school.

“I was very impressed at the excellent behaviour of every one of the boys and would like to thank them for being so eager to learn about nature and indeed to have taught me a few things also!

Over the six sessions I got to work with each class in the school on two occasions. The first lesson involved learning all about the wonder of nature in the Irish Landscape. The second lesson involved the boys having to figure out how they would work as a team in order to survive being stranded on a remote Island off the west coast of Ireland. We learned about animal behaviour, finding food and water, making fire, finding shelter, camp craft and how to get rescued by a helicopter!

I was hoping to figure out which class in the school was the best, in terms of behaviour, good team work, knowledge of nature, ability to survive the wilderness and being able to leave no trace. It was something which I just couldn’t figure out, as each class left a great impression with me. I’m sure the nuns also, were very impressed with how the boys all respected their beautiful garden, which they were so kind to let us use.”

Following on from the six week programme in the school, the 3rd and 4th classes came on their school tour with Will and Away to Ballinreeshig Nature Farm in Ballygarvan, Co. Cork.  The boys had a great day out at the farm, getting the chance to go well and truly wild! They took part in the “Nature Programme” which is a special package Will and Away has to offer for schools and youth organisations. The Nature Programme lasts 3-4 hours and involves going on an adventurous walk around the beautiful Balllinreeshig Nature Farm while playing fun nature awareness games, immersing the senses in nature in the sensory tent, discovering the “Green Schools Woodland”, taking part in survival team challenges, finding wild animals and becoming aware about leave no trace outdoor ethics

It is a really fun learning experience for students and a great idea for a school tour.

For Gaelscoileanna Will and Away also offer their activities through Irish.

If you would like more information on Will and Away’s Nature Programme follow this link http://www.willandaway.ie/courses-and-programmes/the-nature-programme

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The Sensory Tent

Posted on February 7, 2012 by Will

What better way to immerse yourself in nature, than to talk a blindfolded walk through the Will and Away sensory tent. The tent was developed by us as a mobile nature activity for events with lots of people. In the video below you can see the tent has been set up at a charity event in a car park in Carrigtwohill, Co. Cork, where it was a big success. During the month of June, school kids and indeed teachers scream their heads off with excitement, or perhaps terror, as they walk through the tent as part of our nature programme school tour at Ballinreeshig Nature Farm. I like the sensory tent, as it leaves a lasting impression on people and shows just how fun and simple a little nature can be.

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Springtime Survival

Posted on January 25, 2012 by Will

For most of the other species whom we share this beautiful landscape with, Spring is a time for renewal, optimism and getting busy. I love watching the early signs of spring emerge, like the new tender green leaflets of primrose or the increasing volume of birdsong. The days are well and truly starting to get longer and us human beings share a feeling of positivity with each other that summer is getting closer.

Unlike most of the people I know, I also love the Winter. However, as I watch and feel the remnants of the cold and dark days leave, I start to feel a new spring in my step.

This is a great time of year to take on new challenges and dive headfirst into a world of nature discovery. I would encourage you to take as much opportunity as you can to go to your local beach, woods, park or wherever, and observe how the plant and animal kingdoms are beginning to move  faster and faster towards summer. You won’t be able to prevent yourself being renewed and invigorated by the experience.

A great way for you to share the joy of Spring with others is “Surviving Spring”. Click here to find out more about this great Springtime experience at Ballinreeshig Nature Farm.

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We need Wildness in our Lives

Posted on January 10, 2012 by Will

Access to nature is not to be measured in negatives. It usually is though: “absence of stress” is the usual phrase. But the natural world doesn’t only remove stresses: it also adds something. It adds wildness, what else? And there are many studies and surveys that demonstrate this point. Sick people heal faster when they ave a window to look out of, and faster again when they can see trees out of that window. From a survey of 1,200 office workers it was shown that those that could see trees, bushes and grass from their workspace showed much less frustration and had much more enthusiasm for their work. Wildness is a profound and essential part of human nature, and what’s more, it is statistically verifiable.

We are city slickers with hunter gatherer souls: we have evolved for the wild, yet we have created a world of oppressive tameness. We are out of step with ourselves. we need more nature and wildness in our lives. The more wilderness we destroy the more clear it becomes that we need it more than ever… and there is no substitute.

The great news is that there are still many natural places to be enjoyed both close to home and far away. At Will and Away we are dedicated to sharing all the wonderful things that nature has to offer… that’s a lot of wonderful things I might add.

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Discover Tree Climbing

Posted on November 24, 2011 by Will

Tree climbing is my new love. In fact it was an old love that I got re-acquainted with over the last few years. As a kid I used to love hanging out in the tree tops exploring the canopy. As a teenager I strayed away from climbing trees and eventually found myself becoming a rock climber as I guess I just had to be climbing something. Now don’t get me wrong here, I also do still love rock climbing but there’s nothing like your first love.

For so many of us, tree climbing is something that we have as a fond memory of our childhood days. Loads of rock climbing friends of mine often recount tales of tree climbing as a kid. For kids, tree climbing is a wonderful activity, but for adults it is also wonderful. As adults we have forgotten about the trees that are out there awaiting to be climbed, explored, or even slept in!

If you’d like to introduce your kids to tree climbing in a safe way or even get back to your childhood, get in touch with us today.

Will

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The Role of Expeditions in Personal and Social development

Posted on September 1, 2011 by Will

The role of expeditions in personal and social development is powerful, therefore those responsible for planning and organising the expedition must have the needs of the group in mind. This can also be said of the expedition leader. If a group wishes to go on an expedition with the aim of developing the participants personally and socially, then it is of utmost importance that the needs of the participants are considered in the design of the expedition programme. Expeditions can easily become negative experiences. To prevent negative expedition experiences, quality professional leaders need to be an essential part of every expedition to ensure its effectiveness in personal and social development.

My personal opinion based on the expedition experiences I have been on either as a participant or a leader, is there are many factors that influence the success of every expedition. These include; the length of the expedition, the influence of the leader, the weather, the environment, the participants, the actual activity and basic needs such as food, shelter and personal comfort. I believe that expeditions are an excellent tool for personal and social development and should be utilised more often. However, because of the time and effort involved, as well as the expertise and equipment needed to organize and run expeditions, it has not always been possiblefor groups to utilise them for personal and social development… Luckily, Will and Away have the expertise and expereince to facilitate your tailor made expedition.

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Relax, unwind and observe

Posted on July 29, 2011 by Will

I’m sitting in the woods right now in silence… Except for the sounds of nature.
Earlier, and for the past two days, I was teaching some 13 year old boys about the art of survival in nature.
To get a good glimpse of the wildlife on offer at our location, we had to go on some fun, yet tiring adventures to help burn the boys endless energy and to begin the process of helping them to understand the value in silence… Value in terms of the reward we get when tracking animals and observing nature.

The boys are gone home now after a wonderful course which we all enjoyed. Since they’ve left the camp all the wildlife had returned in abundance and my senses are invigorated once more by the sights and sounds of the nature that surrounds me.

The boys will continue to discover the wonders of silence in nature, as that seed has been planted in their minds.

As for you, why not take twenty minutes alone some day in a beautiful natural location and see what you discover… A simple yet inspiring activity awaits.

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Climbing in the rain

Posted on June 21, 2011 by Will

Got caught out in an exposed coastal climbing area with a group of eager teenagers yesterday. It turned out to be a great adventure, thanks to the weather!

There’s nothing like the feeling of a warm cup of tea after immersing yourself in the drenching rain and howling winds of the Irish coastline.

So why do we let the weather dictate the experiences we have in our lives?
As long as we prepare properly, we can enjoy most weather conditions… Especially in Ireland!

If you really want to learn how to survive in the wild and learn how to deal with the elements, all you gotta do is rock climbing with Will and Away on a very bad day…. We’ll show you how to love the Irish weather!

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Adventure without the race

Posted on June 21, 2011 by Will

Gael Force West, The Rough Diamond, Achill Roar and Killarney Adventure Race are just a few of the very popular adventure races to have taken off as part of the adventure race craze here in Ireland.

It’s great to see so many people out enjoying our great outdoors, but I think a lot of people are missing out on being able to truly enjoy the experience. The focus is all about how fast and how far.

A friend of mine had to drop out of a race recently and was gutted not to have finished. The beauty of the journey he had undertaken and the wild and spectacular environment were of little importance.

Adventure racing can also have a very negative impact on our landscape. Go for a walk in the mountains the day after an event and you’ll see what I mean.

We run a very challenging expedition called “The Mountain Quest”. Throughout the trip we leave no trace and ensure to respect the mountain environment… We wouldn’t want to do it any other way!

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