Outdoor Training & Assessment Courses - Glengarriff/Cork - Outdoors Ireland/Nathan Kingerlee - 2027

Mountain Skills 1:
9th - 10th Jan 2027
21st - 22nd Jan 2027
6th - 7th Mar 2027
18th - 19th Mar 2027
26th - 27th Jun 2027
4th - 5th Sep 2027
16th - 17th Sep 2027
27th - 28th Nov 2027
9th - 10th Dec 2027


Mountain Skills 1 Kinvara/Galway:
14th - 15th Jan 2027
2nd - 3rd Dec 2027


Mountain Skills 2:
23rd - 24th Jan 2027
20th - 21st Mar 2027
18th - 19th Sep 2027
11th - 12th Dec 2027


Mountain Skills Block / MS1 + MS2 Combined:
21st - 24th Jan 2027
18th - 21st Mar 2027
16th - 19th Sep 2027
9th - 12th Dec 2027


Lowland Leader Training:
16th - 17th Jan 2027
13th - 14th Mar 2027
19th - 20th May 2027
22nd - 23rd May 2027
24th - 25th Jun 2027
11th - 12th Sep 2027
4th - 5th Dec 2027

Lowland Leader Training Laragh/Wicklow:
28th - 29th Jan 2027
15th - 16th Apr 2027
25th - 26th Nov 2027


Lowland Leader Assessment:
30th - 31st Jan 2027
27th - 28th Mar 2027
26th - 27th May 2027
29th - 30th May 2027
24th - 25th Jun 2027
25th - 26th Sep 2027
18th - 19th Dec 2027


Lowland Leader Assessment Kinvara/Galway:
1st - 2nd Apr 2027
5th - 6th May 2027
18th - 19th Nov 2027
20th - 21st Nov 2027


Lowland Leader Assessment Laragh/Wicklow:
7th - 8th Jan 2027
8th - 9th Apr 2027
16th - 17th Dec 2027


Camping Leader Assessment:
24th Mar 2027
3rd Jun 2027


Bushcraft Skills 1:
11th - 12th Mar 2027
10th - 11th Apr 2027
5th - 6th Jun 2027
9th - 10th Sep 2027


Bushcraft Skills 2:
25th - 26th Mar 2027
24th - 25th Apr 2027
29th - 30th Sep 2027


Bushcraft Skills Week:
12th - 16th May 2027
13th - 17th Oct 2027


Survival Skills 1:
21st - 23rd Apr 2027


Scramble Skills 1:
3rd - 4th Apr 2027
9th - 10th Jun 2027


Scramble Skills 2:
17th - 18th Apr 2027
16th - 17th Jun 2027


Learn To Lead Scramble / Beginner To Lead Scrambler In Six Days:
21st - 23rd May PLUS 28th - 30th May 2027
22nd - 24th Oct PLUS 29th - 31st Oct 2027


Learn To Rock Climb / RC1:
12th - 13th Jun 2027
2nd - 3rd Sep 2027


Improve Your Climbing / RC2:
19th - 20th Jun 2027
23rd - 24th Sep 2027


Learn To Lead Climb / Beginner To Lead Climber In Six Days / RC3:
30th Apr - 2nd May PLUS 7th - 9th May 2027
1st - 3rd Oct PLUS 8th - 10th Oct 2027


Click Here To See Our Website Details
Click Here To Contact Us

Click Here For Glengarriff Accommodation

Training Course Season...

Starting to think about training course season :)

Here's some upcoming courses this autumn and winter; including a 5-day Bushcraft Skills Course, and a 6-day Learn To Trad Lead Climb Course:

bushcraftireland@gmail.com for details...

3rd - 4th Oct : Mountain Skills 1 (Beginner Friendly)

10th - 11th Oct : Bushcraft Skills 1 (Beginner Friendly)

24th - 25th Oct : Mountain Skills 2

28th Oct - 1st Nov : Bushcraft Skills Week (Beginner Friendly)

6th - 8th Nov Plus 20th - 22nd Nov : Learn To Lead Climb - 6 Days - (Beginner Friendly)

12th - 13th Dec : Lowland Leader Training

19th - 20th Dec : Mountain Skills 1 (Beginner Friendly)

Sea Kayaking Trips - Glengarriff Bay - All Sep + Oct, Inc Bioluminescence Night Kayaking :)

Sea Kayaking Trips - Glengarriff Bay - All Sep + Oct, Inc Bioluminescence Night Kayaking :)

What a fabulous summer, in so many respects!

Huge thanks to everyone who has joined us on the water this year :)

We'll still have kayaking trips available all through Sep/Oct; along with bioluminescence trips.

Bioluminescence in Glengarriff Bay is at it's absolute best now and will continue to improve through Sep/Oct...

If you're interested in getting on the water with us please message 086 8604563.

Thanks, Nathan

Bushcraft Skills Training - Coming Up - Glengarriff/Ireland

A Bushcraft Skills Course has come up on Wed 29th - Thurs 30th July, couple places available still.

 

Next one is then 10th - 11th Oct.

 

And the next Bushcraft Skills Week is 28th Oct - 1st Nov.

 

All these courses are beginner friendly, and you sleep out in the woods at night.

 

bushcraftireland@gmail.com for details...

Sunrise Sea Kayaking Yesterday...

Stunning misty dawn across Glengarriff Bay & Nature Reserve

So much eagle activity, and so many baby seals!

The misty conditions were a cross between Harry Potter and Lord Of The Rings...

Full Moon Kayaking Trips Across Glengarriff Bay

For three nights; 29th Jun to 1st July; we'll have full moon kayaking trips on Glengarriff Bay available.

1030pm - 1230am.

 

There will also be bioluminescence sparkling in the water

So you'll either get a magical full moon paddle; or if it's a cloudy night - you'll get bioluminescence!

 

bushcraftireland@gmail.com for details/booking.

Rock Climbing Training On The Sandstone Slabs & Sea Cliffs Of West Cork

Rock Climbing Training On The Sandstone Slabs & Sea Cliffs Of West Cork

 

Sunset Over The Caha Mountans, West Cork...

Sunset Over The Caha Mountans, West Cork...

Click Here To See Our Guided Sea Kayaking Tours For Glengarriff Bay, West Cork; Over Coming Days

Including Full Moon Kayaking 29th Jun - 1st Jul Inclusive :)

Another Stunning Sunrise Kayak

Another Stunning Sunrise Kayak
Hard getting up, but stunning as usual :)

Winter ML + Climbing Coach :)

Delighted to have got through two recent assessments; Development Climbing Coach and Winter Mountain Leader

Winter ML has only been a slow burning ambition for the past 20 yrs

Development Climbing Coach was a fantastic learning journey; and in recent times I've been lucky enough to spend 4 months in the snow and ice of Scottish Highlands...

 

Thanks @alanhalewood + Glenmore Lodge for tough and great assessments!

 

Really excited to be offering Scottish Winter Courses, plus Irish based climbing coaching, going forward, hopefully.

 

Mountaineering Ireland

Possible Extra Summer Bushcraft Skills 1 Course, In Glengarriff/Cork

Next beginner friendly Bushcraft Skills 1 is fully booked. It may be possible to schedule an extra bushcraft course over the summer, midweek, possibly late Jun or early Jul.

 

Get in touch on bushcraftireland@gmail.com if you're interested...

 

Bushcraft Course Details Here 

Lowland Leader Assessment, Lowland Leader Training, Mountain Skills, Bushcraft Skills : All coming up over the summer

Lowland Leader Assessment, Lowland Leader Training, Mountain Skills 1, Bushcraft Skills

All coming up over the summer. Extra dates set; although some still provisional

Details : https://www.outdoorsireland.com/

Contact : bushcraftireland@gmail.com

 

6th - 7th Jun : Bushcraft Skills 1 (Beginner Friendly)

20th - 21st Jun : Mountain Skills 1 (Beginner Friendly)
6th - 7th Jul : Mountain Skills 1 (Beginner Friendly)
27th - 28th Jul : Mountain Skills 1 (Beginner Friendly)

6th - 7th Jul : Lowland Leader Assessment
27th - 28th Jul : Lowland Leader Assessment
29th - 30th Aug : Lowland Leader Training

Oct Dates : Bushcraft Skills 1 (Beginner Friendly)
Oct Dates : Bushcraft Skills Week (Beginner Friendly) 

Sea Kayaking Tours Available, In This Glorious Weather, Across Glengarriff Bay

Sea Kayaking Tours Available, In This Glorious Weather, Across Glengarriff Bay

Get in touch on bushcraftireland@gmail.com or text/whatsapp message 086 8604564

Last Min Upcoming Glengarriff Bay Kayak Trips 

Possible Extra Summer Date For Lowland Leader Assessment; Plus Map Reading-Mountain Skills 1

Lowland Leader Assessment this weekend fully booked. Going through students exam papers and route plans, in some very damp, midgy, rainforest-esque woods, this morning.

It may be possible to schedule an extra assessment date over this summer; either midweek or weekend.
Same for possibly scheduling an extra map reading Mountain Skills 1.

Location Glengarriff/Cork.

Get in touch on bushcraftireland@gmail.com if you'd like to be put on a waiting list 🙂
 

Mountaineering Ireland

Pyramid Fire Lay

Pyramid Fire Lay:

 

The basic pyramid fire lay. Built on a piece of dry wood, to serve as a hot ember base, and keep fire off damp ground initially.

 

You'll see the dry lichen, mixed with pine sap, to get the sparks ignited.

 

The trick with the pyramid lay is get it built quickly, to allow updraft effect, plus dry any dampness from fuel.

 

To increase your fire to camp-size/cooking-size; continue the pyramid lay, but increase wood size...

 

 

Click Here To See Our Bushcraft Training Courses & Survival Training Courses 

 

Rainy Day Cormorant

The rain seemed to make this cormorant especially friendly :)

Guided sea kayaking trip out across Glengarriff Bay...

They are pretty specialized, deep-diving seabirds known for hunting fish by swimming underwater.

They can swim to depths of 45m.

Unlike most seabirds, they have wettable feathers that allow them to sink easily, necessitating their iconic pose of standing with wings outstretched to dry.

A group of cormorants is called a gulp!

Click Here To See Details Of Our Glengarriff Bay Sea Kayaking Tours; Plus Our Bioluminescence Night Kayaking

Lowland Leader Assessments - Cork, Ireland

Our pre-summer Lowland Leader Assessment, is fully booked, however if there's enough interest it may be possible to schedule another for May/Jun (either midweek or weekend), in Glengarriff.

 

Please get in touch to bushcraftireland@gmail.com if you're interested, and also let me know if you can do midweek as well as weekend.

 

Thanks, Nathan 

Roasting Limpets - Bushcraft Training

Needed to practice something for a bushcraft course in May; that's involving sea shore foraging.

Limpets; pretty tasty; usually cooked in hot water, like mussels. But without a pan; what can you do?

1. Heat a stone on a small fire (which also sterilises the stone). 

2. Place limpets onto the stone.

3. Drag some hot embers over the top.

4. Leave roast for 4-10 mins, depending...

5. Clear the embers and eat off the stone.

 

In this case I overcooked them slightly, but still really good 🙂

While mussels are delicious, and we do eat them, limpets can be safer to eat; as they don't filter feed-they graze like a cow; so collect less potential toxins.

Limpets are high protein, have omega 3 fatty acids, and vitamin b12, among other things.

Bushcraft Skills Course This Coming Weekend - Glengarriff/Cork - Places Available

Two places are left available for a beginner friendly Bushcraft Skills 1, next weekend; 25th-26th Apr.

 

Over the weekend, among other things we'll be looking at simple bread making in a dutch oven; making fire from spark, using a pyramid lay; using a kelly kettle to boil water quickly; and of course some foraging for dinner.

Click Here For Details Or To Book

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.