Natural Navigation

A lost art.....?

This is Tim's speciality; the lost art of finding your way without using a map, compass or GPS. I was hugely inspired by Tristan Gooley, the man who wrote the book! Well, books: The Natural Navigator and The Walker's Guide to Outdoor Clues and Signs, How to Read Water and now Wild Signs and Star Paths.

Learning the basics of natural navigation is not difficult, but having an expert guide alongside you will help you to interpret the subtle and not so subtle signs that nature leaves behind. Push your knowledge that bit more and receive more than you would expect.

Your natural navigation experience can either be a standalone session or it can be combined with a bushcraft and or barefoot walking session.

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Bushcraft Birthday Parties

Best begun with a dose of anticipation as you take 10 minutes to walk in....

There's a whole bunch of stuff that you can do on your special day. We thought we'd say some of it with pictures though....

A minimum of £150 for a 3 hour session, for up to 10 children. £15 per extra child subject to a maximum of 15.

We usually host in and around Aberfoyle, although we can hold them near to you: in a nearby wood, park or large garden. In these circumstances we'll have to make an extra visit to recce the site and we may have to contact landowners for permission. The cost of the party will therefore be a minimum of £180.

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Cycle Safaris

Our Cycle Safaris are led by qualified mountain bike leaders and take three forms.

1. Look out for our Cycle Safari Events listed on Facebook. They typically run from Easter through the summer holiday. Based around Aberfoyle and Callander, suitable for individuals and families with kids as young as seven, they are themed on natural navigation, bushcraft, foraging and wildlife spotting. Our Cycle Safaris run for around 2hrs at £15 per person.

2. We can run Cycle Safari just for you! For individuals, families, groups, companies. We can arrange for bike hire at cost too, through one of our local providers. The ride can be as gentle or mental as you like! Sessions can be for part days, full days or multi-days.

3. We are currently developing multi-day point to point events, which are typically from 2 - 5 days long. They will encompass a mixture of on and off road riding. All equipment can be hired, or you can use your own. We will provide transport, including airport pick-ups and arrange accommodation.

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Wild Food Foraging

Berries, salads, roots, shoots and leaves

Fungi are an obvious choice for the forager and I do know some of the edibles but, preferring the less obvious I specialise in the surprising array of edible plants in all their forms and guises. Be they, winter roots, leaves and flowers for a salad, berries for a jelly or jam, or nuts for a wayside snack. Of course, the ingenuity of mankind means that we can also drink all of the above in alcoholic and non alcoholic forms!

Price - a minimum £120 for a half day based on 4 people attending. Additional bodies £30 per person.

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Campfire Cooking

From the basics to a foragers banquet

Since 2012, Tim has gained a small reputation as a campfire cook. That's weird as he isn't known as the house chef! We like to add a bit of campfire cooking to our bushcraft sessions and bushcraft birthday parties. Tim likes the easy stuff, the something out of nothing recipies for bread on a stick, bannocks, nettle broth.

We can do dedicated part or whole day Campfire Cooking sessions for individuals, families or groups. We do like to give some grounding and a natural connection when we combine it with some Intrepid Fishing and Foraging. You'll also learn about sustainable collection and processing of wood fuel and about some easy firelighting techniques.

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Walkies

From barefoot walking to summer and winter mountain hikes

BAREFOOT WALKING

Barefoot walking also known as earthing, making a connection between your bare feet and the bare ground. I find it slows you down, simply because you have to watch where you're walking! This slowing down means that you start to notice other things around you: where the breeze hits your face; the damp dew on the morning and evening grass; that the mud you're walking on now is warmer than the patch over there; feet feeling zingy and alive!

MOON WALKING

Moon walks and hikes. Around the time leading up to a full moon, so we'll have some natural light to guide us. Experience a familiar (or unfamiliar!) place at night and see how it changes. We'll look at the relationship between the sun and moon, the constellations and which ones you are likely to see at what time of year. We'll look up 56 degrees and find the Pole Star!

BAT & WILDLIFE WALKING

With a combined experience of 50 years of leading guided walks, from dawn and dusk bat walks and armed with bat detectors to more general landscape and wildlife interpretation walks. As rangers, we have done them all.

I was inspired by a customer asking for a guide to take them hiking across the Crianlarich, Ben More range with an overnight camp in Balquhidder Glen. The overnight camp could encompass a campfire cooking session in a bushcraft kitchen, using locally sourced venison and veg. So, we can offer this to you, anywhere in Scotland, but we'll need time to organise a local mountain guide. Or, how about a summer night on top of the mountain! A single day trek is no problem, but for all these options we can offer transport.

We have also led large group hikes for national and international coach & tour parties. Ben A'an in the Trossachs, pictured above, Conic Hill by Loch Lomond and Luss are favourite destinations. They are easy to get to and challenging enough for most people.

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Intrepid Fishing

Enjoy a walk-in in to a picturesque lochan in the hills for some game fishing

With both flies and lures and if we catch something we could cook it and eat it there and then. The very least we'll provide a wee dram.There are numerous small lochs to choose from in the National Park area, with some requiring a more time consuming walk-in than others. However, they provide a more wild encounter.

Your Intrepid Scotland fishing experience is a standalone activity taking up most of the day. Alternatively, it could be just part of a multi-day encounter with us.

A day long one to one Intrepid Fishing experience is £200.

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Your Own Event

Combine our activities to make your own experience

You could put together any of our activities to make up your own unique experience. For example, combining a Cycle Safari with some Natural Navigation and a campfire cooking stop for lunch.

Coming down from the hills to find your bed has already been made and the pot and kettle are on.

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Outdoor Education

covering the curriculum for excellence and beyond

Tim and intrepid:scotland have led thousands of children and adults on a huge variety of outdoor learning experiences:

Bear hunts, barefoot walks (in March, folks!) and marshmallow toasting for nursery and P1 & 2's

Island exploration on Inchcailloch covering navigation, tree measuring, plant and wildlife surveys for P1 to 7

An examination of ancient firelighting, water purifying and survival techniques, inspired by Kensuke's Kingdom for P6 and 7

John Muir Award Schemes - delivery from start to finish across all age ranges and for all abilities

Delivery of Nat 4/5 Geography and Biology field studies

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