Nomad

Mon PM - Sun - PM
The Lakes
Hard
Packrafting & Pioneering Skills
8 Places

This week-long course is based on traveling and pioneering skills is a new concept course, traveling fast and light across the Lake District National Park, taking in some of the best scenery, stunning routes and local secrets, from hidden caves to quarries to secluded wild camps and ancient prehistoric sites. Working with Packraft Europe, this is going to be an epic trip! 

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Description

This is a new concept course, traveling fast and light across the Lake District National Park, taking in some of the best scenery, stunning routes and local secrets, from hidden caves to quarries to secluded wild camps and ancient prehistoric sites. 

This year we are teaming up with Packraft Europe, so prepare to add an additional 5kg to your rucksack, as you will be loaned an Alpacka raft, PFD and paddle, but as you will soon learn these extra few kilos are worth their weight in gold as they change the way you can route plan and travel! Not only can they double as your bed, your pillow and your tarp pole; but also by carrying your own personal, lightweight boat, you can now travel straight across lakes as well as over mountains.

Each day of the expedition will have its own unique set of challenges, from summiting mountains and abseils off cliffs, to exploring caves and paddling across lakes. Throughout you will be learning new skills, from classical map and compass skills to natural navigation, from fishing to wild edible, and paddle skills to rope-work. This course is about pioneering, trail-craft and paddle skills – about traversing landscape, from mountain and lake, to forest and fell – and it’s going to be a lot of fun – places are limited due to the specialist nature of this course!

  • Days: Mon PM – Sun PM (6 Nights)
  • Location: Lake District, England
  • Food & Accommodation: Fully catered and includes camping fees
  • Activity: Travel & Pioneering Skills
  • Group Size:
  • Physical Rating: Hard
  • 2023 Dates: TBC
  • Venues: Various

Highlights

  • Packrafting
  • Rescue Skills
  • Wild Camps
  • Mountain Bothys
  • Wild Swimming
  • Trailcraft
  • Mountaincraft
  • Navigation
  • Mountain Safety

Inclusions

  • This course is fully catered throughout – we do our best to source food that is wild, local, organic, seasonal and nutritious. (This negates the need to buy food and bring stoves, fuel and cooking gear – it also maximises your learning time with us).
  • The free loan of specialist equipment – packrafts, etc.
  • Camping fees are included.
  • We offer a complimentary pick-up and drop-off service from and to the nearest railway station at set times.

General Information

We will aim to cover the following –

Please click on the + symbols opposite to read about what you will learn each day.

Accommodation – On this course you will be wild camping, either in your own tent, under a tarp, in a hammock or in a natural shelter you have built.

Travel & Transport – A detailed set of arrival instruction will be emailed about a month before your course start date. A complimentary pick-up and drop-off service is provided at the beginning and end of the course at a specified time for those arriving by train. This will either be from Windermere or Oxenholme station, depending on the specified course location.

*Very Important – Do not book any trains, transport or other accommodation until given the go-ahead by Wild Human, as the course needs a minimum number of participants in order to run.

Meals & Drinks – This course is fully catered and all meals will be provided whilst camping in the woods, from a light supper on the first night to lunch on the final day. Mains water is provided in clean jerry cans and are always available. At our Oak Howe site, disinfected water is pumped directly from the river.

Duration – 6-day workshop (arrive 19.30 on Monday and depart 16.00 on Sunday)

Minimum Age – 16, but must be accompanied by an adult.

Insurance – Whilst not essential, it is recommended that you have simple adventure travel insurance to cover yourself and your possessions whilst on this trip. No outdoor activity is entirely without risk, as you may be using sharp tools or walking across uneven terrain – accidents can happen.

Wild Human has very comprehensive public liability cover.

Difficulty Rating / Health Requirements- This course is rated as ‘Hard’ due to the paddling and mountain walking. Our bushcraft courses should be viewed as being a wilderness education experience and not as an ordinary holiday. They are educational courses, but just as importantly, they are a ‘hands on’ experience and at times can be quite challenging. If you have any concerns about your personal fitness or physical capabilities, then please contact us.

Max / Min Numbers – This course requires a minimum number of 6 to go ahead. The maximum number is 14. We will inform you 8 weeks before the start date whether the course will be going ahead to allow time for you to book any transport. The balance of payment is due 8 weeks prior to the start date. If you book less than 8 weeks before the start date please pay in full.

Covid-19 Regulations – We will make a decision 8 weeks before the start date as to whether the expedition is able to go ahead due to current Covid-19 regulations. if the course cannot go ahead at this point, we will refund monies paid in full.

Special Requirements – If you have any special requirements, please contact us prior to booking and we will do our best to accommodate them. Pescatarian / Vegetarians are well catered for, but can Vegans and those with serious food intolerances (like celiac disease) please contact us to discuss your requirements, as you may be asked to bring some specialist food to supplement your diet.

Complaints – We are able to consider complaints within 6 months from the date of the conduct complained about.

Course variables – The outline itinerary needs to remain flexible to take into account inclement weather conditions and other unexpected events.

Clothing:

Sensible outdoor clothing is essential for all of our courses.

We recommend that you bring:

  • A hat
  • A waterproof and windproof Jacket
  • Wool jumper or fleece top
  • Several long and short-sleeved T-shirts.
  • Cargo/combat trousers are ideal; as they are strong, light and fast drying (do not bring denim jeans).
  • Sturdy hiking boots are a must, as some of the terrain is steep and rocky.
  • We also recommend that you bring a pair of old trainers for the evenings
  • And spare changes of clothes stored in a plastic bag to keep them dry.

 

Equipment checklist:

  • Small day-sack
  • Sleeping bag, preferably 3 season
  • Self-inflating or closed-cell foam sleeping mat
  • Tent, or fly-sheet & bivy-bag
  • Torch and spare batteries
  • Small first aid kit, including plasters, blister kit, tweezers, foot powder and any personal medication
  • Sun block and lip balm
  • Good insect repellent
  • Wash kit and towel, preferably containing biodegradable soap Knife, fork and spoon
  • Mug, bowl & plate
  • Water bottle
  • Notebook and pencils
  • Ziploc bags

You will require a Gransfors small forest axe or similar for this course.

For weeklong courses you will also require:

  • 10 meters of parachute cord Swimming costume and large towel

 

Optional extras:

  • Camera
  • Binoculars

Spending money: 

It is not unusual for students to get together for a well-earned pint at the end of a course.

Tampons:

It is not uncommon for a sudden change of environment to start an unexpected period.

Please note:

You do not need to bring your own knives or any other cutting tools, as you will be loaned a folding saw and knife when required. Students on the Woodlander course will be given a sheath knife to keep.

Prior Experience – You do not need prior experience to attend any of our courses. On some of the more advanced craft workshops, it is advantageous to have experience with safely using sharp tools.

Solo / Group Bookings – Our courses are aimed at individuals who have a passion for the outdoors, a desire to learn and reconnect with nature. Although some people attend in pairs or small groups, the vast majority of our groups are made up of individuals from a wide variety of backgrounds.

Course LocationsWe run courses from three private estates within the Lake District National Park. These are a young woodland in the Lyth Valley, a secluded valley in Witherslack woodlands and deep in the forest on Claife Heights. Please ensure that you have received and printed the correct arrival information!

Parking – Courses are conducted on private estates, with limited access to the general public. There are parking facilities provided within the estate grounds, and whilst we cannot guarantee the safety of your vehicle, there have never been any incidents of theft. We would recommend that you keep any valuable personal belongings in your day sack. 

Climate & Weather – The Lake District weather is notoriously fickle, so please ensure that you have brought all of the equipment listed in the Kit List. It is always better to pack warm. It is better to have and not need, than to need and not have. Courses will run in all but the most extreme weather conditions. Bad weather makes learning the skills more challenging and harder to master, but you will be rewarded with a higher level of ability and a greater sense of achievement. The unpredictable weather in Britain makes it one of the best training grounds in which to learn bushcraft. 

On Arrival – Please already be wearing outdoor clothing and footwear on arrival, and have a head-torch handy. From your cars, you will walk and your kit will be driven to our base-camp location, therefore it is not essential that you pack all your equipment into one rucksack, you will not be required to walk more than 200m with kit to the camping area.

 Late Arrivals – Late arrivals will have to make their own way to the course venue. Wild Human will not be responsible for any costs incurred by late arrivals or late returns that are outside of our control.

 Course 1st Aid & Medical Care – All Instructors carry valid outdoor first aid certificates. There is always a well-stocked and comprehensive first aid kit on hand. Risk analysis and management systems are in place for each course and course venue. The nearest A&E department for all locations is in Kendal.

Sanitation & HygieneToilets are simple earth screened, covered latrines. Toilet paper is incinerated at the latrine. We have used this system for the past 20 years of our teaching experience and find it to be the cleanest, most environmentally friendly and hygienic system. Hand washing stations are always available, as are hand sanitation dispensers. Personal washing is in a stream or nearby lake, only biodegradable products are to be used. The biggest risk to your welfare on any outdoor UK activity is from ticks, but through good bite avoidance measures they should not present any problems – you will be well briefed at the start of each course.

Course Cancellation – If, for any reason you wish to cancel your course, please refer to our Terms & Conditions. You will not be offered a refund for any money for late cancellation, neither will you be offered a transferral of your money to another course. Please seek appropriate insurance against late cancellation due to unforeseen circumstances!

Pre & Après Course Accommodation – If you are interested in spending some time enjoying the stunning scenery of the Lake District, either before or after your course, you can contact Windermere Tourist Information via their website.

Personal CommunicationsAll of our sites have reasonable 4G coverage. Please be discreet when using your phone so that it does not impinge on anyone else’s experience. We would encourage you to switch it off, and bring a notebook and camera to record your experience. 

Power & ChargingThere are no mains charging facilities available. Please bring a power bank. If you ask really nicely, you may be able to charge from the Wild Human vehicle, but you may need to supply your own cable. 

Pets Unfortunately pets are not allowed on any of our courses.

3 reviews for Nomad

  1. ben_nez (verified owner)

    Among all the truly exceptional courses Wild Human provide, this one sticks out. Physically demanding but very much worth every second of it.
    Providing the opportunity of seeing the lake district from a completely unique perspective, whilst discovering new personal capabilities and pushing limits. This course provided a chance to learn travelling and navigation skills, leaving me seeing both maps and the landscape in a whole new light.
    Drawing from a wealth of experience, as always the instructors were knowledgeable, entertaining and brilliant company and consistently went above and beyond to ensure the entire stunning trip was challenging but enjoyably memorable.
    Every single day had too many highlights to mention, from the stunning summit views and secluded camping spots, to the pack rafting through rivers deltas and lakes.

  2. cpacke (verified owner)

    This is a really excellent trip. I have been to the Lakes a zillion times but never experienced it in this way. One of the best bits was the feeling of immersion in the land, since we were able to stay away completely from all those pesky towns and villages. And since we were equipped to go anywhere we wanted, our route was usually off the beaten track. So the whole week had a very refreshing feel to it, even though I was sweating up and down a lot of hills, and wading in rivers with my walking boots on, carrying an inflatable raft (but the rafting part was a lot of fun and made an entirely different type of route possible). It gave me a lot of ideas of different ways I can enjoy the hills – my family is gonna love it. The group atmosphere and the staff team were fantastic. The week has a very special feel to it in my memory.

  3. damien.j.corcoran (verified owner)

    This was an amazing expedition style course. I have done a number of courses with Wild Human and the levels of instruction have always been industry leading. The ability to move throughout the Lakes on both foot and Packraft was excellent and allowed all participants to see this beautiful landscape from a new perspective. Gaining a new skill (packrafting) whilst honing navigation, camp routines and reinvigorating my love of tabbing long distances was a great combination. Stunning locations to set up camp in the evening were a real highlight and solid reward for a day in the hills. I would highly recommend this course (as I would with all Wild Human courses).

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