Coastal Wild Food Forager Course

£200.00 – £695.00

Sun PM - Sat AM
NW Scotland
Medium
Foraging, Fishing & Shellfish
6-14 Places

This six-day course of coastal bushcraft and sea shore survival skills is a  unique chance to explore the extraordinary diversity and utility of Britain’s richest environment.  We will gather, forage and fish for for the abundant plants, seaweeds and shellfish that are readily available at our stunning and remote Scottish Sea-loch location.

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Description

  • Days: Sun PM – Sat AM (6 Nights)
  • Location: Ardnamurchan, NW Scotland
  • Food & Accommodation: Fully catered and includes camping fees
  • Activity: Coastal Bushcraft, Fishing & Sea Shore Foraging
  • Group Size: 6-14 (Av.10)
  • Physical Rating: Med
  • 2021 Dates: TBC

 

The Coastal Forager; Beach-combing, Bushcraft & Foraging Skills. Camping at a secluded white-sand beach on Scotland’s stunning west coast, you will spend a week fully immersed in coastal bushcraft. You will learn all about the edible shoreline and the subtle secrets required to steal a meal from the sea.

You will learn about coastal plants and seaweeds, how to set out-haul lines, surface long lines, rake for cockles, harvest mussels,  salt razor clams, dig for rag worms, make crab wheels, fish with gorge hooks, make tangle traps, build fish weirs, use beach casters, troll with lures, read the tides, prepare your catch, beach barbecues, smoke fish, foray for fungi and of course sample the local smokey whisky!

This promises to be an amazing week of camping under the stars, hemmed in by rugged mountains and listening to the lap of the waves and the rumble of the breakers, as you catch the occasional glimpse of a Sea Eagle, Otter, Seal or Stag.

Highlights

  • Understanding the coast; tides & tidal zones
  • Seaweeds; Identification, collection, food & utility
  • Coastal plants & trees; identification, collection, food, medicine & utility
  • Edible fungi foray
  • Gathering shellfish; raking, netting, digging & traps
  • Traditional cookery techniques
  • Fishing techniques; traditional long-lines, fish spears, baits, feathers & lures
  • Cooking fish & shellfish
  • Coastal wildlife; tracking & spotting

Inclusions

  • This course is fully catered throughout.
  • It includes camping fees and any specialist equipment.
  • 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.

Please note – the final syllabus is decided when we get there as the course is based on the ebb and flow of the tides, for “time and tide wait for no man”, so we have to work around it 🙂

DAY 0- Arrival & Fishing

  • Arrivals
  • Food
  • Health & Safety
  • Introductions
  • Fishing
  • Dinner

 

The course will commence on the afternoon of the start date. Once the group is together at the village of Acharacle, we will park at the Sheil Bridge Hall at 2pm, where we will transfer everyone to our camping location. The group camp will already be in place and the first task will be for you to set up your own tent/tarp etc. That evening there will be a meal provided followed by initial safety briefings and a course introduction. And fishing ☺

DAY 1- Tides, Long Lines & Fishing

  • Understanding tides and tidal patterns
  • Rip tides
  • Making and setting long lines and out-haul lines
  • Tidal fish traps
  • Fishing on the tide

 

 

Various activities at the beach.

DAY 2- Tacklecraft & Seaweed

  • Making terminal tackle
  • Casting weights
  • Crafting mackerel feathers
  • Making spoons and bar spoons
  • Carving spinners & lures
  • Booms and rigs
  • Seaweed harvesting
  • Korean beef and seaweed noodle soup
  • Deep fried seaweeds

 

A day of crafting and foraging.
Casting weights in shells, carving plugs and making fluttering lures and spoon lures.
And down to forage at low tide.

DAY 3- Deep Sea Fishing

  • Boat charter
  • Deep sea fishing
  • Using homemade tackle
  • Building a smoker
  • Smoking fish
  • Smoked Fish Chowder
  • Fish fry!!!!

 

A day out to Loch Sunart, famous for it's massive skate... who knows what you will catch?
Delicately light oak smoked fish for supper.

DAY 4- Shellfish & Bait

  • Digging for lugs & rags
  • Raking for cockles
  • Salting ‘spouts’ (Razor clams)
  • Picking mussels
  • Ambushing limpets
  • Harvesting winkles & welks
  • Combing for oysters
  • Shellfish Paella
  • Cheeky pub visit

 

A day on the opposite peninsula at Ardtoe for a big shellfish day, followed by the inevitable seafood paella - delicious!

DAY 5- Fungi forage & Venison

  • Tracking
  • Fungi Id
  • Mycology
  • Foraging
  • Sand dune rolling
  • Venison haunch prep
  • Venison steaks with wild fungi & red wine jus

 

A fun day out of learning and exploring through the ancient oak woodland, harvesting as we go. Big slap up last supper - highland venison with a smokey scotch whisky ;)

DAY 6- Depart

  • Breakfast
  • Pack-down
  • Wheels rolling

The course will end on the morning of the final day . After an early breakfast and packing down of all personal equipment, we will transfer drivers to their cars and take those travelling by public transport back to Fort William. We will aim to return those travelling by train or bus back to Fort William for 11am. We need to leave on time, so no faffing, we will not be held accountable for missed trains, busses, etc. and can only do our best to get you there on time. Anyone with other travel plans should contact us in advance to notify us of any differences to this schedule.

Accommodation:
On this course you will be wild camping, either in your own tent, under a tarp, in a hammock or if the weather permits, simply sleeping out around the campfire. 

Transport:
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 Fort William station.

Meals:
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. 

Pescatarian / Vegetarians are well catered for, but can Vegans and those with serious food intolerances (like celiac’s disease) please contact us to discuss your requirements, as you may be asked to bring some specialist food to supplement your diet.

Water:
Mains water is provided in clean jerry cans and are always available.

Duration:
6 day workshop (arrive 14.00 on Sunday and depart 09.00 on Saturday)

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

Personal Insurance:
Whilst not essential, it is recommended that you have simple adventure travel insurance to cover yourself and your possessions whilst on this trip.

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 or bum-bag in addition to your main rucksack, for short hike’s to gather materials.
  • Sleeping bag, 3 season minimum or two lighter bags. 
  • Self-inflating or closed-cell foam sleeping mat
  • Tent, basha (tarp) or hammock set-up. We recommend only using a hammock at this time of year if you are confident you will be warm enough and have used it before, as it may be quite cold at this time of year. Small bivi bags and extremely small tarps are not suitable for this environment – please contact us for advice if you are unsure.
  • Well broken-in walking boots
  • Wellies or waders (essential for foraging at low tide)
  • (Optional) trainers/sandals for around camp
  • 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. We recommend that everyone has with them a tin of ‘Nordic Summer’ available here or Smidge (available at the village shop or in the ‘Green Wellie’ if you are driving).
  • Midge head net / or midge suit
  • Wash kit and towel ο Knife, fork and spoon
  • Mug, plate & bowl
  • Water bottle
  • Notebook and pencil
  • 20 – 30 meters of parachute
  • Swim wear and towel
  • Some zip-lock or plastic bags are useful for collecting seaweed, etc

 

Optional extras:

  • Camera and film
  • Binoculars
  • Spending money: as 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.
  • A Laplander folding saw (we have some for loan)
  • A stainless steel Mora knife (carbon knives will not enjoy the salty environment unless you know how to look after them! Bring a small tub of Vaseline to keep them greased)
  • A filleting knife
  • If you have any fishing equipment lying around such as rods and reels, you can bring them, as there will be plenty of chances to fish
  • Wet suit, mask, snorkel, fins
  • If coming by car, a digging fork and/or spade for bait digging is a useful addition
  • Needle-nose pliers can be useful for skinning flounder and removing hooks from fish

Arrival Instructions

The meeting point for the start of the course is outside the village shop in Acharacle (opposite the hotel). If you are arriving by car we will meet you here at 2pm on the start date. If you are arriving by any combination of plane, train or bus, then we will meet you at Fort William train station at 1pm where we will pick you up and transfer you to the site. See Below for specific details. Please note that due to the remoteness of the location and associated logistics, late arrivals will create problems for other participants and affect their enjoyment of the course. If you have any doubt in your ability to meet at the correct start time, please contact us well in advance to discuss.

Getting There

By car

Given the remoteness of the location for this course, we recommend that people car-share where possible to reduce costs. Please send us an email if you are coming by car and we’ll help you get in touch with others willing to car-share. For those coming from the South, your best approach is to head for Carlisle on the M6 North, taking the M74 North out of Carlisle towards Glasgow. At Glasgow, join the M8 Westbound signposted ‘Erskine Bridge’. Cross over the Erskine Bridge heading North onto the A82. Stay on the A82 passing through Crianlarich, Tyndrum and onto Glen Coe. After passing through Glen Coe, cross over the Bridge at Ballachullish (signposted Fort William), and drive a further few miles until you see a sign for the ‘Corran Ferry’ on your left. Take this ferry across Loch Linnhe (£7.90 one-way). The ferry schedule is available here. Once across the ferry, turn left onto the A861 and drive on this road for about 30 miles, skirting Loch Sunart, arriving at the village of Acharacle. For others arriving from the East or West, head for Fort William and drive south on the A82 for a few miles out of Fort William to the Corran Ferry. Proceed over the ferry as outlined above.

By Plane

There are regular scheduled flights from airports in the south to all major airports in Scotland – the main ones would be Inverness or Glasgow. From there, you can take a train or bus to Fort William. See below.

By Train

If arriving by train, you will need to get to ‘Fort William’ train station where we will provide a pick up service to transfer you to the location. The meet up time at the train station is 1 pm on the start day of the course. If you are coming a great distance by train, it is likely that you will need to arrive in Fort William the day before the course starts and stay over in Fort William overnight. Accommodation advice to suit all budgets is available – google.

Train prices to Fort William can be expensive so it is advisable to book well in advance.

  • Trains from OUT of London are as follows – Sat dept. london 06.05 arr. Fort william 16.09 (£82) NB – you will need to find accommodation as the train arrives the day before the start date.
  • Trains back TO London are as follows – Sat dept. Fort william 11.40 arr. London 21.17 (£82) Please double check the times!!!!

By Bus

Citylink coaches provide regular bus services from both Glasgow and Edinburgh to Fort William. At Fort William you should make your way to the train station where we pick you up and transfer you to the location. The meet up time at the train station is 1 pm on the start day of the course.

Accommodation in Acharacle

If you arrive early, accommodation is available at the Loch Sheil House Hotel – http://www.lochshielhotel.com/

Food & Drink
This course is fully catered. We will be foraging for and eating wild foods that we can catch or gather. If you have any strict dietary requirements, you must make these clear on your booking form.
We will have a small supply of potable drinking water on site, however we will be trying to conserve this by boiling local sources where possible. Most of you will know that our courses are normally alcohol free. On this occasion we will permit you to bring a ‘wee nip’ of good Scottish Single Malt Whisky – when in Rome!

Communications
Mobile phone reception is good on the beach (even internet) – if you need to ‘juice up’ you phone, please bring your own car-charger for use in the Landcuiser.

2 reviews for Coastal Wild Food Forager Course

  1. amosjl –

    A fantastic week in great company and a stunning location! As usual with the Wild Human crowd, the atmosphere was relaxed and flexible. Rather than being separate groups of instructors and students, the camp felt like being amongst old friends from the off. The level of instruction was second to none, and once again the food was delicious! Despite the wet weather spirits were always high and there was plenty to get involved with. Learnt plenty and plenty more to learn….fingers crossed for next year! I’m hooked!

  2. milestone21 –

    I really enjoyed this course. The location is breathtaking and the people were great.

    It was my first course with Wild Human. I’d heard great things and I wasn’t disappointed. Very knowledgeable instructors who were very approachable. I particularly liked how they ate with you which really helped cement the group spirit and I immediately felt at home.

    You get as much out of this course as you put in, there is no pressure to participate in the activities, but lots of encouragement. So if you want some chill time it is not an issue but if you want to fill up your day with great activities lead by knowleadgeable and approachable instructors, then of course you can.

    It is worth mentioning that ‘fully catered’ means that they cook for you. With other schools ‘fully catered’ means that they provide the food and you cook it over a fire. Personally I’m happy with either, but if you want to be doing all of your own cooking you should have a chat with them up front.

    I’m probably going to sign up for this again. It was awesome.

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