Bushcraft Testimonials for Natural Pathways Courses

Just an email to say thank you for a really inspirational and well organized day.

    The young people really enjoyed working together out in the natural environment, and seemed to enjoy getting back to nature, and finding out more about themselves.  Even those who normally have more challenging behavior seemed totally engrossed with the activities provided.  It is a fun alternative educational day, one which the young people seem to gain a great deal from.  Some of the young lads have organized a camping trip as a response to the activities – a positive change from hanging out in the streets or under age drinking – really fantastic!

Irma-Jane Caggiano

It was great meeting you too and chatting around the fire!

  I had a great time thanks, Will is an excellent teacher and very generous with his hard earnt knowledge. His skills are remarkable to say the least, and my attempts just showed how ham fisted I am haha.

  Can't wait for the Discovery course in May, even started reading Tom Brown's Way of the Scout to give me an idea of what to expect!

Kim Sandu

George and I had a great day and really enjoyed ourselves.  Will and Sarah were good fun and very informative, and I think I/we may well have another go next year.

All the best,

Gavin

Hello Hannah

It was a brilliant day and I have told everyone about it.  Now this is completely true, the day after I went to a local boot-fair and on a second look through a box of 'junk' on the floor I spotted a tan coloured stone.  Even with my limited experience from the day I could tell it was worked stone, the edges and the pressure flaking.  I had a feeling it was a hand axe (but the shape was odd) so I Googled some images of hand axes and got a very good match - but the dates seemed amazingly old.

I took it along to an expert an the Thanet Archaeological Trust - and he confirmed that it indeed is a hand axe, last made 200,000 years ago - possibly up to 500,000-700,000 years old - the maker wasn't even a direct human ancestor. 

I am in the process of getting the find scientifically registered and dated. But without the course and knowledge I picked up I would have missed this. Completely true - I sometimes have these odd coincidences; I was really looking for some antlers etc. to make my own tools...

Best Regards

Bryn

Thanks for the flint knapping course at the weekend. I really enjoyed spending a day in the woods with Will and Sarah. My hands are shredded with small cuts but it is a price worth paying.

Martin

Hannah, just a quick note to say thanks to you, Sally, Leif and Ben for making last weekend so enjoyable and interesting. Both Steph and I have been raving to everyone we meet how good the course was. Being back in an office now seems so clinical and we hope to get back to the outdoors soon!

Regards

Matt and Steph.

Hi Hannah,

Whilst it is coming close to two weeks now since we were with you on the course we still find ourselves daydreaming about it at regular intervals.

We both had a fantastic time with you all – the group being great and the tuition perfect. I personally found it very surprising how displaced I felt on the first night (nothing I would have expected to feel) but equally how quickly I adapted to our surroundings after that. Literally by the afternoon of the second day I was right at home and that was even with a really bad nights sleep the night before. We both have a greater eagerness to explore more of our World as a result of the course but also find the learning, and subsequent teaching with respect to our own children, quite daunting as it also proved to us how little we actually know and how much we have forgotten – yet it is a challenge we’re fully prepared to commit to. We only have a short time here on this Earth and it is such a shame to miss it all while we’re busy in our conditioned lives with our heads down staring at the pavement. We can fill our heads with so much junk these days as part of our day-to-day lives but how much of that stuff really matter in the grand scheme of things? We felt that actually with this course we learnt things that really are worth knowing and that for us was exciting.

We had a weekend away just this last weekend to a farm in Devon staying with some friends. Emily (our 3 year old) and I spent a night in some of their woodland. We collected wood, made our fire pit and set up camp for the night. Sang a few songs in front of the fire and had a really nice time. We even cooked porridge in the morning which Emily loves. It was great to be able to have the confidence to share that experience with her.

Arnavaz and I are really looking forward to coming back to spend some more time with you on another course. We would also be very willing to come back and help with any of your other courses if you could use us and we’d be happy to help wherever. Arnavaz is a very talented amateur chef and wilderness cooking is something that is really sparking her at the moment having done a lot of mainstream cuisine to date. I think it would be quite good fun if we prepared a meal for you and other course members on one occasion if you’d be up for that.

Thanks very much again for a simply wonderful time. I hope the first of many more to come – and please do let us know if we can be of help on any other courses.

Very best wishes,

Mike & Arnavaz

Well, not quite the same I know, but I've been collecting the different sizes of wood and making some cracking semi-tepee fires in Zara's wood-burning stove! I'm going to make some char cloth and have a practice with my fire steel some time soon.

Walks in the woods have felt quite different too, I think although it was short the course has had quite far reaching effects – certainly opened my mind to some good stuff and started healing the disconnection I hadn't noticed I was feeling from nature. I’d like to do another some time, and will maybe come along to one of the family days with my nephew too.

Best wishes,

Bec

Dear Hannah,

Thankyou for the Animal Wisdom course last Sunday. Michael and I really enjoyed it and found it very interesting.  My favourite bits were the Fox walk and peripheral vision exercises and the Sit Spot and watching and listening. I found them quite spiritual and was left with an idea that normally our senses are shut down because they are so overloaded but that if we are still and quiet we can be aware of a very active outer and inner world around us all the time.

I hope that we will be able to come on more of your courses in the future. I am sure that my wife and daughters would enjoy them as well.

Best wishes,

Graeme Booth.

Hi Hannah  

I just wanted to say a big thankyou for a brilliant weekend !. I really enjoyed it, and I know that the rest of our group did too. My daughter lauren watched Will Young on planet earth last night and said that the sound of the birds on the telly reminded her of her sit spot. Mark also woke up bright and breezy on monday saying he felt good for spending a weekend in the fresh air !. We have decided to spend more time outdoors camping and I am looking forward to the summer holidays now, rather than dreading the 'what can we do mum' senario. For me, I feel much more confident in the open, and can't wait to get back out there. How amazing too, that I didn't miss my material posessions one bit !

Please also thank Judy, Sally and Maggie....... Hannah, you and your team have been a true inspiration !

Thank you also for the book reccomendation, 'Grandfather' was an amazing person, and what a lesson we can all learn from the way that he lived and his spirituality.

Thank you to you all.....

Vivienne, Mark and Lauren

First Natural Pathways Women's Bushcraft course – May 2007

As someone who really is nourished by nature and the outdoors, I really wanted to develop and learn new skills. After looking forward to the first Natural Pathways Women's Bushcraft course for over two months and despite the 'traditional' English camping weather, I finally found myself in the woods with Hannah's beaming face telling me I was the first to arrive.

Part of the reasoning of choosing this particular course was the lack of men! Don't get me wrong I don't dislike them, but felt like I would accomplished more within an all female environment.

In the pouring rain we attempted making a shelter (which we weren't brave enough to sleep in). Some of the other highlights for me were the tree exercise (you'll have to go on the course to find out!), learning how to tie new knots and gutting and grilling fish on the open fire (a first for me).

The course was as wonderful as I expected but in a completely different way. We learnt a huge amount and I am still surprised at how much I retained of what was often a very challenging agenda.

Meeting all the women instructors was really inspiring, certainly the whole course was food for the soul. I now feel that when I go camping in the future, I can take less and enjoy more - making better use of my natural surroundings.

Booking my Woman’s Bushcraft course in Kent with Natural Pathways = Excitement!

Setting out on a rainy day with a less than ideal weather report = Trepidation!

I learnt many things that weekend but I’m not too sure how many I could remember now, there was a lot to learn! Somehow that doesn’t seem important, as what the weekend has done more than anything is re-awakened a curiosity about not just relaxing and recharging in nature, but actually living a life in harmony with nature, and giving me a renewed respect for our ancestors and those people who even today live life in this manner. I was also struck by how little I generally use senses other than vision in my life.

The weekend also provided an unexpected mirror of how I was in my ordinary life, what situations block me, when I stop listening and disengage, believing I can’t do something.
I was astounded to realise that I could, with some help and instruction:

Most importantly these lessons were learnt in a beautiful setting with expert tuition, amazing food baked in an open fire, and in good company with a lot of laughter.

'My class thoroughly enjoyed their day in the woods with Natural Pathways. It was wonderful to see the children outside the classroom, interacting with each other in the natural environment. The children were quite amazed at some of the things they learnt, particularly the shelter building and dream catcher making. I believe it is one school trip that they will remember for a very long time. Thank you again for a truly wonderful day!'

Mrs. Simpson. Class teacher.

Class four says:

'The best part of our school trip was when we built shelters. Our team name was the 'Mighty Squirrels.' We all got dirty! Our team leader was a very nice person. It was fun and if I was you I would go there!'

'The most brilliant bit of my day at Jumping Downs was when we were building shelters. We had a good laugh and lots of fresh air. It was so fun.'

'We ate in the pouring rain but it was quite good in a way because we got to experience how other people feel when they are lost in the woods!'

'The best part of the day was building the shelters and the dream catchers. The shelters were so cool. You built the shelters out of twigs and leaves. How cool. The dreamcatchers looked like spiders webs!'

'The best part of the day was building the shelters and working together as a group!'

'That was the best school trip I have ever been on because we did exciting things. My favourite part was when we went up the hill because it was really peaceful!'

'I liked building the shelters best because it was really fun and I learnt something from it. I really want to go again!'

Class four pupils.

Dear Hannah  

Just a quick line to thank you so much for the lively and entertaining day the whole family had on your Fire and Shelter day.  My grandson enthused about his adventures over the next two weekends, cornering anyone prepared to listen to the fire lighting with black cotton and a fire stick. You can imagine what he wants for his next birthday. My granddaughter and son had a great day too and we all look forward to returning for the next adventure.  

Thank you, and Judy, for great organisation and enthusiastic guidance.  

Valerie Kent UK

Dear Hannah,  

Thank you for a thoroughly enjoyable day on Sunday. Josh and his friends had a great time, and so did I! Josh is now avidly reading his Grandfather book. Once again, many thanks to you and Ben,

Sally Kent UK

On behalf of both myself, Mark and the children I would like to say thank you for a great day, You made our rather obscure topic come to life for the children and they commented how much they liked being in the woods!!!!

Please update us and we will keep you in mind for next year.

Lyn

I cannot believe how fast time has passed since we met back in July.

May I take this opportunity to thank you once again for what turned out to be the perfect meeting and to reiterate how much I appreciate all your help in the event organisation.

I had some great feedback from the team who noted particularly how smoothly our 2 day 'camp' went and who commended the way in which you and Judy ran the nature awareness activities.  The Drum Stalk was a particular favourite!

I especially appreciated your help at dinnertime, as you made the somewhat daunting task of catering for 20 seem like a breeze, so thank you!  I'd also like to say how perfectly the location of the camp suited our needs.

Best wishes,

Sarah-Jane

The Wilderness families’ camp was good fun and I learnt a great deal. It made a very nice change to be on a course where most of those attending were women! It was really beneficial to experience a course that was more relaxed and allowed input from both parents and children to create a great environment where everyone was learning and relaxing at the same time. Genius.

Good luck with everything in the future.

Smiles, Kimberley, Devon. UK

Hi Hannah,

Jack (8) and I had the most brilliant experience when we spent our four days out in the woods.  Just getting the chance to be close to nature and away from all the things we think of as “essential” was so refreshing.  It helped both of us to appreciate what is truly real, and also enjoy the energy of a group of people with similar aims.

Learning survival skills enabled us to feel more connected to nature because instead of protecting ourselves against it, we learned to work with it, and therefore gained a better appreciation of the natural state of things.  Jack particularly liked being able to set a tinder bundle alight, which gave him an enormous feeling of self-satisfaction.  He practiced this skill as soon as we got home, in the garden.  We also both enjoyed the games, which were a great way of bringing to light and enhancing skills which we may not even have been aware of.

In all we had a great time – energizing, relaxing and eye-opening - and Jack is already looking forward to the next one! See you soon.

Love,
Amanda and Jack

We all really enjoyed your bushcraft course and got an enormous amount out of it. I have found the drum stalk has been particularly revealing as I can see analogies between my response and approach to that and other areas of my life. And it was great to see the children calming down, engaging and learning. Jai and Ella loved it and hold it special as a key memory already. Making and sleeping in a shelter was a long held dream of Jai's. Ella went to bed on the Sunday night with a heartfelt "was that a great weekend or what!" and Jai was very open and communicative and grateful. So a huge thanks you to you all. I have an adult friend really keen to do a weekend so will look out for weekend dates in the autumn and may come again with her.

Sara, London UK

The day was a great success from our point of view in that we achieved our business objectives and also had a great day out.  

As I discussed with you prior to the event my aim has been to give the team an experience outside the norm and that was certainly achieved.  

Frank, Kent. UK

Dear Hannah & Geoffrey,

Recently I attended a survival weekend at Natural Pathways. At the end of it I could not wait to get home being both cold and tired. I slept for 13 hours! When I woke I felt elated at being back in familiar surroundings.

However since then I have not been at work and have had time to reflect on my time with you. Because of your influence I have begun to see my surroundings in a different light with more respect, and a better understanding. I have wanted too to be outside more, and have been through woodland and countryside soaking up the atmosphere born from a desire to learn more about what is around me.

During the weekend with you I was a bit resistant to one or two things the group did, but looked and listened with an open mind and I have become richer as a result. Thanks to you both!!

All the best and I would like to return in the near future, hopefully with my boys too.

Regards,

Rock

PS: Natural Pathways lead to New Horizons

Hi Guys,

Thank you so much for the photos. I have shown them to the James and Matt, who were both very pleased with themselves yet again when they could show us pictures of the activities they did on their weekend, as well as talk continuously about it. Neither of them stopped talking when they arrived home for the whole night, they were both so excited.

I know particularly Matt felt like he had made contact with a part of himself that had been sorely neglected for some time. I know he would recommend the experience to everyone – he has!

Matt is keen to return soon for a Tracking weekend, so hopefully I shall meet you both then.

Thank you both for making their weekend as enjoyable and memorable as you did.

Kind Regards,

Kim

Hi Hannah & Geoff,

I just wanted to say thank you for the weekend. We enjoyed it very much and it has reminded us we need to think less about work and take more notice of being in the present and seeing what is going on around us in the natural world, its the only way to stop being governed by time and to really live!

Thanks again,

Best Wishes,

Rachel & Perran

When I attended the tracking course with Natural Pathways, I received much more than simple tuition on Tracking. Both Geoff and Hannah are genuinely lovely people who are not simply tutors but also friendly people who enjoy a good chat as much as they do teaching.

They not only taught me tracking skills, but they handed me the beginning of my path in life. One, which I am still pushing to fulfil! They introduced me into the worlds beyond the physical, which have now enriched my life more than I could have imagined. It is a gift that I am eternally grateful for. They opened me up, whether intentionally or not, to a wider nature with more levels than simply walking down the woods.

Attending a course with Natural Pathways gives you much more than the valuable skills designed for that specific course, it gives you awareness, joy and experience amongst other things. The world has been a more interesting place since I met them, to say the least.

Thank you very much Geoff and Hannah.

Yours Sincerely

Joel Atherton



Dear Geoff & Hannah

I just wanted to write and commend you on the excellent provision you have given our young people over the last six months.

We were looking for an activity day that would promote working as a team, awareness of self, others and environment and to raise individual interaction and self-esteem. Your well-planned, supervised and self-evaluated day has met all these aims and more.

The feedback from all our learners, without exception, has been extremely positive with many expressing a wish to do a longer residential course with yourselves and some enjoying it more than our power boating activity day, which we had always thought to be a highlight of our motiv8 course.

Many of the young people we work with have been unable to engage in education, training or employment and therefore have a very negative self-image. Natural Pathways with its fresh and flexible approach successfully addressed these issues while meeting the needs of the group as a whole.

As you know I am now moving on into New Pastures but it is very reassuring to me that Natural Pathways is now part of our motiv8 Programme.

I wish you success in the coming year and thank you for the ongoing good work you are doing in partnership with KEY Training Services.

Yours Sincerely

Rebecca Miller



Dear Geoff & Hannah

Thanks for a fantastic weekend; I’ve learnt more than just survival skills this weekend. You’ve put me back on my spiritual path.

Thank you

Matt

P.S. I will see you in the future



Dear Geoff & Hannah,

I really enjoyed your tracking course. Up till then, I'd read the Tom Brown tracking books and thought I'd understood the basics but as soon as you showed us how to do it in the field, it made much more sense.

It only goes to prove the old saying that you never really learn everything from a book-it's only when you do it for real, that it all clicks into place.

My advice to anyone who is interested in tracking is to get on the course and do it for real. Everything comes to life. I now walk around seeing the world around me in whole new way.

Warm regards,

Frank



I attended a Discovery course with Natural Pathways and after the initial introductions and instructions went straight to work on a debris shelter, this experience showed me its one thing reading about it, it’s another thing doing it.

You are encouraged to sleep in your shelter, which I did without a sleeping bag (my choice) but was cold, as I had only managed to collect about half the leaf litter needed. This was an excellent lesson in the reality of bushcraft/survival.

Geoffrey and Hannah are very friendly people, passionate about what they teach, and work tirelessly to make your weekend fruitful and productive.

The atmosphere is relaxed and you are not forced to do anything you do not want to do. They cram a lot into the course and you learn plenty of skills to take home and practice.

There is a ‘spiritual’ slant to the course in the vein of Tom Brown and both Hannah and Geoffrey bring in their own emphasis as well on nature awareness and respect for the natural environment.

The 'drum stalk' for example is a fascinating experience and even if you are not convinced about the spiritual aspect, it is a great exercise for developing sensitivity and awareness, sometimes with surprising result.

I have since helped out on a couple of Discovery courses which has been an excellent way of reinforcing my knowledge and skills,

but have learned just as much on them as on the initial course because each course is individual and there is always something new to learn. I always come home feeling very enriched and inspired after the time I have spent with Geoffrey and Hannah.

Robert



Hello everyone, my name is Nick, and I’m writing to you about a recent incident in Iraq where I had to use tracking skills I had learned from a tracking course run by Natural Pathways.

Whilst on a vehicle mounted patrol we came under small arms fire from a vehicle traveling at speed on the other side of a dual carriageway, we naturally gave chase but as he had a lead on us after we negotiated the central reservation, we were quite a way behind him. It was nighttime but we had Night Vision Goggles (NVG's) so we could see the vehicle off in the distance.

After a while the vehicle stopped, (later we learned that it ran out of fuel) and we found it sitting empty on the side of the road. I noticed his footprints in the gravel heading off into the desert, and decided to try my luck. So 3 of us set off on foot, using the NVG's and a red torch. Initially it was easy going, like following a paper trail, but about 1 1/2 km's into the chase we hit some wadis, and it seemed like all was lost, but, like I had been taught, I tried to put myself in his sandals and had a good look around with the NVG's.

There was a small farm set up about 500m's to the north, and a couple of dog's were yapping (good indicator), so we followed the top of a wadi that was heading in its general direction, it gradually faded out into flat ground and in amongst some goat tracks we saw some fresh prints mingling amongst them, I’d noticed earlier that his small toes had been overlapping the forward edge of his right sandal and were leaving a distinct pattern, and there they were, heading to the farm. Now it became tricky, as we had to get in there, to find him but he was still armed, and did he have armed friends in the farm? We radioed back to the guys at the vehicles to give them an update (as we had all the way through) and followed the tracks in a bit closer, and saw they headed to an out building.

We put in a 10 minute over watch whilst 2 more lads came up from the vehicles, now we numbered 5 to 1(supposedly) so we put in a search of the outbuilding only to find our man sitting in a corner with his hands up, he had tossed his weapon outside before we got to the farm. It was at this point that the farmer came out saying "ALI BARBER" and pointed at the man.

We arrested him and he was later ID'd as a car hijacker. Now if it wasn't for the course, I might never have attempted to track him, at least not so far, and would probably have given up at the wadi's and called in a helicopter.

It's also a good excuse to get out into the woods for a few days (as if we needed one!) So there's an actual account of the practical side of tracking, have a go for yourself!

Nick



Hannah & Geoffrey

Forgive me for not getting back to you sooner but I have been on leave.

The day was a great success from our point of view in that we achieved our business objectives and also had a great day out.

As I discussed with you prior to the event my aim has been to give the team an experience outside the norm and that was certainly achieved. Conversation at dinner that night was all about what they had done and there has been a subsequent round of emails containing a music file of a particular Doors song!

Regards.

Frank

Frank Lawrence
HR Manager
New Thames Mill



Hi,

Just a note to say how much I enjoyed the survival day, I grew up in a fairly rural environment and had read several bushcraft and even mountaineering books before going on the day course, but doing it for real has taught me not only the correct way (which I will never forget) but the much more besides, about myself and how important it is to get in sync with the natural world, including the people around you.

Since completing the course I have gone on to venture out on my own with very little kit (£10 knife, inexpensive sleeping bag and big orange plastic bag!) and very comfortably spend time out in the woods, even in pouring rain and supposedly bad weather! It not only charged my batteries, but also taught me how to charge them next time (if that makes any sense!). Waking up confronted by fox and cubs was among the best no camera!

As well as picking up skills such as bow drilling, shelter making etc, I also had a great time learning about the available foods around me in the forest, I had no idea there was so much on offer! You couldn't meet two nicer people, they obviously love what they do, and are great at it, very patient, kind and helpful.

Summed up, I always knew it was a beautiful world, but Geoffrey & Hannah helped me get closer to it. I have been recommending you to everyone I know!

Hope to see you soon, once again, cant thank you enough

Steve Curtis

PS bloody great eagle owl watching us throughout the day was dead cool too!