Stunning, Spring-Like, Morning On Glengarriff Bay

Another stunning, spring-like, morning on the bay. Today's highlight was seeing a hovering kestrel 20 meters away from us divebomb a shrew on the rocks, then carry it away...

Honey Bee, Out Of His Depth In Glengarriff Bay

Calm and misty kayak trip this morning. Apart from seeing an otter, a loon and a pair of eagles; the highlight was coming across this honeybee 🐝 in the water, drowning.

Pulled him out, sat him on the spraydeck for the trip, gave him a bit of mince pie - which he loved 😅

Then as we pulled up on the slipway, he took off headed for the Eccles Hotel and the woods...

Yellow Brain Fungus

Yellow Brain Fungus or Witches Butter; loves growing on gorse especially. Ranges in colour from yellow to bright orange.

Edible, and I find pretty tasty in a nice bland kind of way. Has an interesting texture!

It's thought to produce carbohydrates.

Bushcraft Instructor Training Course - Glengarriff/Ireland This Coming Year, 2025

After 11 years of running bushcraft courses in Kerry and Cork, I'm delighted to have a three-day Bushcraft Instructor Training Course finally off the ground and ready to run this coming year

It's been a long time coming! More details here: https://www.outdoorsireland.com/activities/bushcraft-instructor-training-course-ireland/

Bushcraft Instructor Training is an intensive three-day course, running from our bushcraft base in Glengarriff/Cork. The course is a mix of indoor and outdoor sessions, with a focus on planning, leading and teaching bushcraft skills. Scroll down to read the full course syllabus. There is also some pre-course work and post-course work.

Previous bushcraft experience and competence is required. This experience and competence can be gained through completing the likes of our Bushcraft Skills 1 and Bushcraft Skills Week. The course is non-residential. There are accommodation options available in Glengarriff. Most food is provided.

There currently is no national governing body and no national qualification for bushcraft in Ireland or UK; so this course has been designed to fill a gap. This is an in-house Outdoors Ireland Training School Certified Course. You will also receive a Leave No Trace Awareness Certificate, which is recognised/certified in Ireland and UK. The Leave  No Trace Awareness Certificate will also allow you to progress into Leave No Trace Trainer.

For overall competence we recommend you also qualify as a Lowland Leader and a Leave No Trace Trainer. These are achievable and are recognised/certified in Ireland and UK. Lowland Leader is awarded by Mountaineering Ireland and Leave No Trace Trainer is awarded by Leave No Trace Ireland. We train and asses for these awards and you can see details here.

Price: €495 Per Person
Complete A Training Course With Us – Repeat The Same Course At Any Stage In The Future, Free Of Charge, Bar A Reg Fee

930am – 630pm
Food Provided

Bushcraft Instructor Training Dates
Glengarriff/Cork:
Please Contact Us

Course Syllabus:
Plan A Course
Plan A Session, Inc Session Breakdown
Reflect & Improve A Session
Brief & Debrief Skills
Teaching Skills, Inc VARK/EDICT/Whole-Part-Whole/Step-By-Step/Drip-Feed/Peer
Demo Skills / Coaching Skills / Tasking Skills
Best Practice Behaviour
Teach Leave No Trace
Teach Foraging
Teach Fish/Fowl/Fur Dressing (Generally One)
Camp Organise / Camp Setup / Camp Brief
Water Organise / Water Setup / Water Brief
Toilet Organise / Toilet Setup / Toilet Brief
Risk Asses, Inc Likliehood & Consequence
Emergency Procedure / Sweep Search
CLAP / 3C / Leader Tic

Instructor Good/Bad/Ethic
Access / Insurance / Qualification
Weather / App / Resource
Student Pre-Course/Post-Course
7S / 7 Snippet
Session Plan Template
Paperwork / Car Pool
Medical Lyme/Weils/Burn/Dehydrate/Hypothermia/Hyperthermia

Fox will Generally Pounce In A North Easterly Direction

Did you know, typically, when a fox pounces on prey it will pounce/jump in a north easterly direction?

If they do pounce in a north easterly direction they catch their prey 73% of the time.

If they pounce in other directions they only catch their prey 18% of the time.

It's believed they are using earth's magnetic field as a range finder...

Prepping – Where To Start

Prepping – Where To Start

Prepping is a big undertaking, and pretty daunting, as so much involved. When people ask me why I prep, I’m always equally surprised they’re not prepping.
–
Some of the important things are:
1. A home-base set up to be without electricity; with it’s own natural water supply; compost toilet; and veg/fruit garden potential.
2. A wilderness-base in the woods and ideally on water; either freshwater or seawater.
3. Fishing gear and rifle for hunting.
4. Veg seeds and tools for gardening.
5. A bug out plan.
6. A bug out bag.
7. First aid training, first aid kit, first aid book and some medication.
8. Ability to map read/navigate. Road atlas for the country and OS maps for your larger general area.
–
However one achievable win initially is to have a full year’s food supply/general supply laid up, stored somewhere clean and DRY, with attention paid to danger of damp and vermin.
–
You could start easy; such as an approx year’s supply of soap, washing up liquid, toothbrush+toothpaste, plasters.
–
In terms of tinned food, each week on your weekly shop, you could start buying a single slab of tins. This is an inexpensive way of doing it. Ideally pull-tab lids, and decent food like beans/peas/tomatoes/potatoes.
–
Basically 1 tin equates to 1 meal per person, enhanced with wild forageables. So this time of year you may be adding dock leaf, nettle, plantain, younger bramble leaf to your pan of food.
–
I plan to run some two-day or three-day Prepper Courses this coming year, 2025.
More details soon or email me to register your interest on info@outdoorsireland.com

Thanks, Nathan

Main Blog Moved To Our Website

Main Blog Moved To Our Website These Days, Which Is Here And Here

Thanks, Nathan

Outdoor Training Courses & Assessments For This Winter/Spring

Looking ahead to this winter, and coming spring, here are all our training courses and assessments. From map reading to mountaineering ropework; from bushcraft and foraging to lowland leader assessment 🙂

With most of our training courses; once you have completed a course; you can repeat/refresh on the same course at any stage in the future, free of charge - bar a small registration fee each time.

For Details Or To Book Please Contact Nathan Here

 

Sat 7th - Sun 8th Oct : Mountain Skills 1 : Glengarriff/Cork 

Fri 13th - Sun 15th Oct Plus Fri 20th - Sun 22nd Oct : Learn To Lead Climb In Six Days Beginner Friendly / All Gear Provided 

Wed 18th - Thurs 19th Oct : Leave No Trace Trainer : Glengarriff/Cork 

Fri 27th - Sun 29th Oct Plus Fri 3rd - Sun Sun 5th Nov : Learn To Lead Scramble In Six Days Beginner Friendly / All Gear Provided 

Sat 11th - Sun 12th Nov : Mountain Skills 2 : Glengarriff/Cork 

Sat 18th - Sun 19th Nov : Mountain Skills 1 : Killarney/Kerry 

Thurs 23rd - Fri 24th Nov : Lowland Leader Refresher : Glengarriff/Cork 

Sat 25th - Sun 26th Nov : Lowland Leader Training : Glengarriff/Cork 

Sat 2nd - Sun 3rd Dec : Mountain Skills 1 : Kinvara/Galway 

Sat 9th - Sun 10th Dec : Bushcraft Skills 1 : Glengarriff/Cork 

Sat 16th - Sun 17th Dec : Lowland Leader Assessment : Glengarriff/Cork 

Sat 6th - Sun 7th Jan 2024 : Mountain Skills 1 : Glengarriff/Cork 

Sat 13th - Sun 14th Jan 2024 : Lowland Leader Training : Glengarriff/Cork 

Sat 20th - Sun 21st Jan 2024 : Mountain Skills 2 : Glengarriff/Cork  

For Details Or To Book Please Contact Nathan Here

All 2023 Course Dates, For Training & Assessment

My main blog has moved here, however here are all the 2023 dates for outdoor training courses and outdoor assessment courses. Thanks, Nathan


Lowland Leader Training:
7th – 8th Jan 2023
11th – 12th Mar 2023
24th – 25th Jun 2023
29th – 30th Jul 2023
25th – 26th Nov 2023

Lowland Leader Refresher:
1st – 2nd Apr 2023
22nd – 23rd Jul 2023
23rd – 24th Nov 2023

Lowland Leader Assessment:
21st – 22nd Jan 2023
26th – 27th Aug 2023
16th – 17th Dec 2023

Camping Leader Assessment:
26th Feb 2023
18th Jun 2023
23rd Jul 2023
20th Aug 2023

Bushcraft Skills 1:
18th – 19th Feb 2023
18th – 19th Mar 2023
22nd – 23rd Apr 2023
9th – 10th Dec 2023

Bushcraft Skills 2:
29th – 30th Apr 2023

Bushcraft Skills 3:
20th – 21st May 2023

Bushcraft Skills Week:
24th – 28th May 2023
25th – 29th Oct 2023

Bushcraft Navigation 1:
9th - 10th Mar 2023

Bushcraft Survival 1:
1st - 2nd Apr 2023 (Two-Day Course)
19th - 21st Apr 2023 (Three-Day Course)
(Also Called Survival Skills 1)

RC1 / Learn To Rock Climb:
29th – 30th Apr 2023

RC3 / Learn To Lead Climb In Six Days:
5th – 7th May Plus 12th – 14th May 2023
13th – 15th Oct Plus 20th – 22nd Oct 2023

Mountain Skills 1 Glengarriff/Cork:
14th – 15th Jan 2023
3rd – 4th Jun 2023
1st – 2nd Jul 2023
7th – 8th Oct 2023

Mountain Skills 1 Killarney/Kerry:
4th – 5th Feb 2023
18th – 19th Nov 2023

Mountain Skills 1 Kinvara/Galway:
4th – 5th Mar 2023
2nd – 3rd Dec 2023

Mountain Skills 2 Glengarriff/Cork:
28th – 29th Jan 2023
25th – 26th Mar 2023
26th – 27th Apr 2023

Scramble Skills 1:
11th – 12th Feb 2023
25th – 26th Nov 2023

Scramble Skills 2:
16th – 17th Dec 2023

Scramble Skills 3:
3rd – 5th Nov Plus 10th – 12th Nov 2023

Kayak Skills – Kayak Strokes – Beginner Friendly
Most Sunday Mornings Throughout Summer, In Glengarriff Bay
This will give you the skills to be a safe and self sufficient kayaker

Kayak Skills – Kayak Rescues – Beginner Friendly
Most Sunday Mornings Throughout Summer, In Glengarriff Bay
This will give you the skills to be a safe and self sufficient kayaker

For Details Or Bookings Please Contact OI Course Director, Nathan Kingerlee
info@outdoorsireland.com
+353 (0) 86 860 45 63

Moving Blog To New Website

After using this blog platform for the past seventeen years; ever since I set up my business (back in 2006!); I am reluctantly moving my blog across to my new website; so everything will be all together.

This Is The New Website + This Is The New Blog

As one of my favorite radio presenters used to say 'if you have been - thank you for listening'

Thanks! Nathan