Some Basic Ideas For Being Prepped For The Unforseen

We never necessarily thought we'd see a situation like covid; or in this age of awareness, the atrocities currently happening around the world.

Most recently the impact of a couple days of fuel shortages, and probably a further knock-on effect from this week.

It can be worth asking yourself; how organised and prepared are you to survive simply and comfortably, off grid; for example with no electricity, or no working vehicle; for a week/a fortnight/a month?

Being prepped for off grid living can be a complex and daunting subject. However at a basic level, you could consider one of these things.

1. Have a fortnight of bottled drinking water and non perishable food stocked up. Food can be as simple as pasta/rice/flour/oats, tomato sauce in glass, long shelf life tinned meat such as spam/tuna.

2. Have a simple gas camping stove, with adequate gas supply. Cook a meal on it once a week regardless, so you are comfortable using it. I spent a full year recently cooking every dinner on the small stove in photo 1. It's not that difficult to eat well and healthily with one-pot-meals 🙂
For example, did you know you can cook simple and tasty bread and scones, in a pan?
Don't just wait for the emergency to happen, before tackling the stove.
Yes - as the number of people you're cooking for increases, so does the level of work, but there are things like - pasta/potatoes can cook in their own hot water, sitting on the counter, while the pan of bolognese cooks on the camping stove...

3. Get away from electricity, to some extent.
Photo 2: wood burning stove with a hot top for pans and an oven for baking.
Photo 3: if a wood burning stove is not an option, get a gas cooker, with a couple of gas bottles.

There is much more to prepping, but this can be a simple achievable start.
And really someone in your family unit/friend unit should be well versed in simple, but solid, bushcraft skills.

Upcoming Bushcraft Skills Courses - In Glengarriff, Ireland

I have one place left on a beginner friendly five-day Bushcraft Skills starting 15th Apr; in the wilds of Glengarriff.

 

Two places left on a beginner friendly two-day Bushcraft Skills starting 25th Apr.

 

And two places left on an intermediate three-day Bushcraft/Survival Skills starting 20th May.

 

For Details: info@outdoorsireland.com

Recent Mountain Training In The Caha Mountains

Some recent mountain training shots from the Caha Mountains, West Cork.

Over the coming weeks both a Mountain Skills 1 (map and compass skills) plus Lowland Leader Training are running.

For Details: info@outdoorsireland.com

www.outdoorsireland.com
www.mountaineering.ie

Navigation, Compass, Map-Reading, Steep/Broken-Ground Skills Refresher

Looking for a navigation, compass, map-reading and steep/broken-ground skills refresher?

 

Coming up on the following 4 days, we have that happening, in the West Cork Mountains.

 

Pick and choose from any of the days:

25th, 26th, 28th, 29th March.

 

25th + 28th include a night navigation session

 

More Details info@outdoorsireland.com

 

Mountaineering Ireland

Back On The Bay...

Time to hang up the ice axes, and get back into a summer season of kayaking :)

Yesterday, first kayak trip of 2026 across Glengarriff Bay. Beautiful silver misty conditions. Saw a happy otter and a lonely great northern diver, plus the regular curious harbour seals...

 

Our Killarney Lakes Kayaking plus Glengarriff Bay Sea Kayaking now back in action; with availability most days (although best to book a few days in advance, to be safe)

Lowland Leader Training + Mountain Skills 2 Training Running In Glengarriff, Cork

Here's a handy mountain navigation thing.

Strap a basic watch/stopwatch to your shoulder strap, for the technique of timing.

And on the opposite shoulder strap have 10 toggles, on a cord, for the technique of pacing.

Over the next 2/3 weeks we have two separate Mountain Skills 2 Courses (one midweek, one weekend); and a Lowland Leader Training.

MS2 covers compass skills, night navigation, steep ground skills.

Lowland Leader Training covers the skills (inc some map reading) to lead and guide others on Irish/UK trails, paths, forests, beaches...

More Details: info@outdoorsireland.com

Mountaineering Ireland Accredited Courses

Mountain Skills 1 & Mountain Skills 2 Coming Up In Glengarriff, Cork

Places are available for a beginner friendly map reading and mountain navigation course; Mountain Skills 1; this coming weekend, 14th-15th Mar, in the Glengarriff Mountains of West Cork...
We're probably unlikely to be particularly close to these guys though 😅

If you're looking to get off trail and into the hills and mountains, in a safe and self sufficient way-this is the course to do!

Then followed by Mountain Skills 2; which covers more advanced navigation and map reading, compass skills, route planning, emergency procedures, night navigation and dealing with steep ground.
Dates: 25th-26th Mar  OR  28th-29th Mar.

For Details: info@outdoorsireland.com

Mountaineering Ireland

First Trees To Arrive In Ireland

Our glaciers retreated and melted roughly 12,000 to 10,000 years ago.

Our landscape was initially tundra before developing into woodlands as the climate warmed.

These are the first trees to arrive in Ireland. They were hardy species; and arrived via land bridges, or as wind-blown seeds :)
 

Juniper  (one of the earliest, often colonizing meadows)
Willow  (dwarf willow appeared early, followed by taller willows)
Downy Birch  (key pioneer species that rapidly colonized the landscape)
Hazel  (arrived shortly after the initial pioneers and became dominant 9,000–8,500 years ago)
Scots Pine  (widespread in the west)
Sessile Oak
Pedunculate Oak
Wych Elm  (liked fertile soils)
Alder  (spread later, liked wetlands)
Rowan/Mountain Ash

Interested In Hike Leader / Guide Leader / Lowland Leader Training? Click Here For Details

Winter Mountaineering Scotland

After a great couple of months mountaineering in mostly whiteout conditions; thinking about cornices and avalanches; the sky cleared today,  and got a magnificent 450meter gully route done, up onto this peak - Stob Coire nam Beith, in Glencoe.

I'm purposely bad with my phone, outside of work.

Prefer to enjoy the moment, instead of snapping photos for instagram, so this was the one and only photo from the day!

@Mountaineering Ireland
@Mountain Training

How To Get Into Bushcraft

I was surprised with the level of interest my recent post about an upcoming intermediate/advanced bushcraft course received.

With quite a few people asking, how to get started with bushcraft skills, survival skills, wilderness sufficiently skills...

The answer is pretty straightforward 🙂

Come do a two-day Bushcraft Skills 1 or a five-day Bushcraft Skills Week. Dates happening in April; then throughout this year.

Both courses are totally beginner friendly, mix of female and male, and not much gear needed.

The other option (if you're lucky enough to have a back garden) is make a small firepit and begin experimenting with bushcraft skills and fire cooking.

There are plenty of resources on YouTube, some bad; some good! And get a book like Collins Gem 'Food For Free'.

However ideally, if you have the time and money, start off with a proper bushcraft training course, so get the basics right.

For Details: info@outdoorsireland.com