Bushcraft Courses – Laurels Wood, Merseyside

Backcountry Survival Ltd delivers a suite of professionally designed bushcraft and outdoor skills courses within Laurels Wood, Merseyside – a controlled woodland environment ideal for structured learning, leadership development and team performance training. Our courses combine evidence‑based instructional methods with practical, scenario‑driven activities to build capability, resilience and confidence in the outdoors.

Led by instructors with extensive operational, expedition and training experience, each course is delivered to a high professional standard. Laurels Wood provides a secure yet authentic setting, enabling participants to engage fully with the challenges and opportunities of the natural environment.

Our bushcraft courses are designed to develop practical competencies that translate into both outdoor proficiency and workplace‑relevant behaviours.

Laurels Wood offers a wide range of outdoor courses for all ages, dedicated to outdoor education, conservation and community engagement within a safe and inspiring woodland setting. Nestled in nature, they provide immersive experiences including forest school sessions, bushcraft, corporate retreats and bespoke events that help participants build confidence, skills and a deeper connection to the natural world.

Backcountry Survival Ltd also deliver Bushcraft Courses at our site in Alvie, Aviemore.

Woodland Skills Leader (4 Days) – Laurels Wood £500

Overview
Itinerary
Course Dates
Downloads

The Overview for the Woodland Skills Leader (4 Days) – Laurels Wood includes the following:

Thinking of delivering woodland & Bushcraft skills?

Are you a teacher, scout leader, outdoor instructor or youth worker who wishes to deliver woodland skills, such as Bushcraft & Survival activities, but you aren’t qualified?

Would you like to inspire others, by teaching them to craft with tools, light & safely manage camp-fires, play outdoor games, build shelters and explore the natural world?

Or maybe you already have leadership qualifications, but you lack the confidence to deliver some woodland activities? Would you like some new ideas, or to improve the safety of your sessions by incorporating proven risk management strategies?

How did the WSL come about?

With a growing interest in the area of woodland skills, more people are wishing to engage in activities related to Bushcraft, Survival, Forest School, Scouting and traditional camping.

We have identified a clear need for schools, scout groups, youth groups and outdoor centres to access training for their staff, which not only develops personal competence, but which ensures the safe and effective leadership of such activities.

Why choose the WSL over other training courses?

We offer the LSI, but this can be difficult for most people to achieve, or the award is superfluous to their teaching needs. The Woodland Skills Leaders course costs just £500 for the training and includes the assessment. The course including assessment takes place over four consecutive days.

The WSL course, which has been accredited by the IOL, to provide a means by which potential leaders can develop their capabilities, in an affordable and time efficient way.

To be eligible to attend a WSL course you must have leadership experience and other NGBs or teaching/coaching qualifications. Previous Bushcraft experience is desirable but not essential.

Accommodation

If you plan to camp in the woodland overnight during your course, then you will need to bring all of your associated camping equipment yourself. Such as; tent/shelter/tarp/hammock etc, sleeping gear, cooking kit, eating kit & utensils, food, wash-kit, toiletries, towel, spare clothing etc. If you do wish to camp then please let us know via email beforehand. Please be advised that this is a private woodland-camping location with composting loos and no running water – it is a wild-camping site and all waste MUST be removed from the site. Local amenities close by with a Tesco and McDonalds approximately a mile away.

The Itinerary for the Woodland Skills Leader (4 Days) – Laurels Wood includes the following:

The Woodland Skills Leaders Certificate (WSL) is a 4 Day Course and it has been created to ensure the safety of participants, whilst providing a foundation for the effective delivery of woodland activities to unskilled client groups.
On our WSL training course you will cover a range of activities including:

The safe and effective group-use of tools with appropriate craft activities to engage people and ensure that they will leave your sessions with a sense of pride and accomplishment, carrying something they’ve made with their own two hands.
Group management strategies for lighting fires, managing the camp fire and group cooking activities to ensure that everybody gets involved safely… with as little washing up as possible!
Building shelters from natural materials and using man made resources, such as tarps, including the ability to effectively use and teach the use of cordage/knots/lashings etc… without bringing learners to tears in frustration.
Learn games, problem solving and team building activities which can be used with a broad range of clients to engage them, and make sure they have an enjoyable and memorable experience out in the woods.

Learners, or potential future leaders, are expected to achieve the following learning outcomes during the WSL training and assessment courses:

To demonstrate both personal competence, and leading/instructional ability, in the woodland skills of; tool use, fire lighting, shelter building, flora and fauna identification and natural craft skills.
To develop the ability to create appropriate; lesson plans, risk assessments and operational policies necessary to lead woodland skills sessions.
Develop knowledge and ability of; instruction & group management strategies related to woodland skills, environmental considerations of woodland skills training and the leave-no-trace ethos, appropriate models of teaching & learning and integrating woodland skills into wider outdoor learning practices.
The WSL opens opportunities of further study within the field of outdoor education, for both leaders and their client groups. It promotes safe and responsible use of our natural environments and will help to raise the profile of outdoor learning.