New Coastal Forager

£200.00 – £695.00

Thur PM - Wed AM
Isle of Mull
Medium
Coastal Foraging
12-14

Fully Booked! One of Scotland’s best kept secrets, the Isle of Mull is the stunning new location for our new Coastal Forager course. With our basecamp located on a beautiful white sand beach, overlooking a small archipelago of islands in an aquamarine bay, it is the perfect location to explore the bounty of the shoreline.

 

We will spend a week learning coastal bushcraft skills, like tacklecraft and setting lines, fishing from the rocks, foraging for seaweeds, filleting and smoking, boat fishing and island hopping. We are still exploring the area ourselves, so this first course will be a little experimental. There will be ample opportunities for wildlife watching, with otters, stags, seals and eagles being frequently sighted in the area. It is one of the wildest, more beautiful landscapes in the British Isles.

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Description

One of Scotland’s best kept secrets, the Isle of Mull is the stunning new location for our new Coastal Forager course. With our basecamp located on a beautiful white sand beach, overlooking a small archipelago of islands in an aquamarine bay, it is the perfect location to explore the bounty of the shoreline.

We will spend a week learning coastal bushcraft skills, like tacklecraft and setting lines, fishing from the rocks, foraging for seaweeds, filleting and smoking, boat fishing and island hopping. We are still exploring the area ourselves, so this first course will be a little experimental. There will be ample opportunities for wildlife watching, with otters, stags, seals and eagles being frequently sighted in the area. It is one of the wildest, more beautiful landscapes in the British Isles.

  • Days: Thur PM – Wed AM (6 Nights)
  • Location: Isle of Mull, NW Scotland
  • Food & Accommodation: Fully catered and includes camping fees
  • Activity: Coastal Bushcraft, Boat Fishing & Sea Shore Foraging
  • Group Size: 6-14 (Av.10)
  • Physical Rating: Med
  • 2022 Dates: 15-21 Sept.

Highlights

  • Understanding the coast; tides & tidal zones
  • Seaweeds; Identification, collection, food & utility
  • Coastal plants & trees; identification, collection, food, medicine & utility
  • 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, boat charter and any specialist equipment.

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 early evening of the start date. Once the group is together at the village of Fionnphort at 18:30 we will transfer 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
  • Crafting mackerel feathers
  • Making spoons and bar spoons
  • Carving spinners & lures
  • Booms and rigs
  • Seaweed harvesting
  • Korean-style venison and seaweed noodle soup
  • Deep fried seaweeds

A day of crafting and foraging.
Carving plugs and making fluttering lures and spoon lures.
And down to forage at low tide.

DAY 3- Deep Water Fishing

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

A day out on a chartered boat... 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

A day of foraging followed by the inevitable seafood paella - delicious!

DAY 5- Tracking, Fungi & 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, 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 Fionnphort.

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. 

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  or purified water is provided in clean jerry cans and is always available.

Duration:
6 day workshop 

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 the Fionnphort village car park at 18:30. 

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

From Glasgow, it is 137 miles to Fionnphort (approx. 4hr 40min, but allow extra for ferry check-in time).

Take the A82 and A85 to Albany Street in Oban to board the CalMac ferry to Craignure on the Isle of Mull (Crossing time 1hr 7min). From there drive the A849 to Fionnphort (post code PA66 6BH)

Booking in advance is strongly advised You must be at the Oban ferry terminal at least 30 minutes before departure, however up to an hour is recommended.

Ticket price: a standard car currently costs £43.70 for a return journey. If Covid allows, we would recommend car sharing.

By Train

By Train, Depart Glasgow Queen Street at 12:23 PM for Oban (3 hr 5 min) – £28.20 approx
From Oban station, walk for about 3 minutes to get to the Ferry Terminal.
Board the 15:55 ferry to the Craignure ferry terminal on Mull, arriving 16:41 – £7.80 approx
From there board the No. 496 bus departing at 16:55 to Fionnphort, arriving at 18:10 – £6 approx
Then it’s a two-minute walk up the hill to the big carpark.

In total, from Glasgow by public transport your trip should cost about £42 – check return costs.

Accommodation in Fionnphort

If you arrive early, accommodation is available for all budgets. Check out https://www.rossofmullbunkrooms.co.uk/

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 Landcruiser.