Survival Courses – Aviemore

Our Summer Survival Courses in Scotland run from March to the end of October and take place in the Cairngorms National Park – the largest National Park in Europe and one of Britain’s last true wildernesses – and in Northern Perthshire – the gateway to the Scottish Highlands. All summer courses are run as multi-environmental and cover a wide range of terrains from Boreal woodlands to mountainous and hillside, providing you with a more rounded experience in a range of techniques.

You can book your summer course now with our online booking system, please check course dates for availability. Once you have booked your course you will receive an email confirming the course and payment details. Remember to download the available resources for your course and bring them with you when you start.

We have a range of courses to suit everyone, for more information on our Summer Survival Courses in Scotland please do contact us.

 

 

Introductory Survival Course (2 Days) £180.00

The Overview for the Introductory Survival Course (2 Days) includes the following:

The prospect of staying out overnight in an emergency shelter which you have constructed from materials carried or found brings a serious element to this course, there is also a certain amount of mental stamina needed to complete the course. The emphasis is on staying out of the elements whilst working through PLAN-M. Individual fitness for this course must be of a sufficient level as you will be working hard over the two days. You will be introduced to a number of Survival models and priorities including PLAN – M, Survival pyramid and the rule of 3’s.

Backcountry Survival Ltd also provides the Landbased Survival Instructor Award course which will train and assess individuals and instructors who are looking to gain formal recognition within the Survival field. Please visit our Survival Training page for more information.

 

Difficulty Rating

The Itinerary for the Introductory Survival Course (2 Days) includes the following:

INTRODUCTORY SURVIVAL COURSE

This course is an introduction to survival and provides a balance of theory and practice. The aim is to provide you with a foundation of knowledge of the following subjects:

SURVIVAL THEORY

PLAN-M

Survival Triangle

STOP

Safety considerations and planning for trips.

 

PROTECTION

Clothing selection, layering, fabric pro’s & cons

Survival kits and equipment selection – what to carry that is essential

Cutting tools; The law, knife skills & safe use

 

BASIC NAVIGATION 

Introduction to map and compass.

 

SHELTER

Emergency shelter, site selection and safety – groups will construct and sleep in an emergency shelter overnight.

Knots.

Construction of a good natural material bed.

Introduction to natural shelters.

 

FIRE

Introduction to ignition sources

Fire Triangle

Tinder selection

Basic fire lay

Lighting a fire in the wet

 

LOCATION

Location Action Plan (LAP) discussion

Attract, Hold & Direct

Search & Rescue (SAR) services.

 

WATER

Theory

Intro to Filters; improvised and commercial

 

TRAPS & TRIGGERS 

Game Preparation

Laws of Trapping

Date Time Spaces Price Book
25 April 2026 09:30 - 15:00 12 £180 Book Now
16 May 2026 09:30 - 15:00 12 £180 Book Now
4 July 2026 09:30 - 15:00 12 £180 Book Now
22 August 2026 09:30 - 15:00 12 £180 Book Now
19 September 2026 09:30 - 15:00 12 £180 Book Now
10 October 2026 09:30 - 15:00 12 £180 Book Now

Please download these resources for your information

Joining Instructions
Risk Disclosure
Kit List
Post Course Handout
Tick Awareness

Intermediate Survival Course (3 Days) £250.00

The Overview for the Intermediate Survival Course (3 Days) includes the following:

The multi-day course is multi-environment. A Group moving from one camp to another

Due to the prolonged time out in the wilderness, weather factors and the long hours spent learning, a good level of physical fitness and mental stamina is required. This course is run in areas where there is no one for miles around.

Where we primarily focus on Survival, there is adequate time to brush up on your “Bushcraft” skills, as these techniques compliment survival and provide added levels of comfort to your experience . For more information on Course content be sure to click “Itinerary”.

Backcountry Survival Ltd also provides the Landbased Survival Instructor Award course which will train and assess individuals and instructors who are looking to gain formal recognition within the Survival field. Please visit our Survival Training page for more information.

Difficulty Rating

The Itinerary for the Intermediate Survival Course (3 Days) includes the following:

INTERMEDIATE SURVIVAL COURSET

The emphasis of our Intermediate Survival course is on prevention and planning for a safe trip. This course has more of a practical element to it than our introductory course. The intermediate survival course will see attendees be given tasks and opportunities to further develop their skillset by putting to practice knowledge gained throughout the course.

SURVIVAL THEORY

PLAN-M

Survival Triangle

STOP

PACE

Safety considerations and planning for trips

Personal plan & route cards

 

PROTECTION –

Clothing selection, layering, fabric pro’s & cons

Survival kits and equipment selection

Cutting tools; The law, knife skills & safe use.

 

BASIC NAVIGATION

 

SHELTER

Emergency shelter, site selection and safety.

Knots.

Construction of a good natural material bed

setting up individual emergency shelters

Natural shelters; lean to and A-frame

Attendees will build an emergency shelter on the first night, on the 2nd day as a group they will make a natural shelter together and will develop their own personal emergency shelters for improving comfort for the 2nd night.

 

FIRE

Ignition sources; including chemical and electrical

Fire Triangle

Tinder selection

Kindling & different types of fuel

Basic fire lay

Different fire lays

Lighting a fire in the wet; feather sticks

 

LOCATION

Location Action Plan (LAP)

Signal Fire

Attract, Hold & Direct

Equipment and uses

Search & Rescue (SAR) services.

Put together a LAP and activate it as a group

 

WATER

Theory; including water borne diseases.

Sources; including seep well

Filters; improvised and commercial

Practice using and creating various water filters

 

TRAPS & TRIGGERS

Laws of Trapping

Game Preparation

 

Date Time Spaces Price Book
24 April 2026 09:30 - 15:00 11 £250 Book Now
15 May 2026 09:30 - 15:00 12 £250 Book Now
12 June 2026 09:30 - 15:00 12 £250 Book Now
3 July 2026 09:30 - 15:00 12 £250 Book Now
21 August 2026 09:30 - 15:00 12 £250 Book Now
18 September 2026 09:30 - 15:00 12 £250 Book Now
9 October 2026 09:30 - 15:00 12 £250 Book Now

Please download these resources for your information

Joining Instructions
Risk Disclosure
Kit List
Post Course Handout
Tick Awareness

Advanced Survival Course (5 Days) £450.00

The Overview for the Advanced Survival Course (5 Days) includes the following:

 

 

 

The basis of the course is for the individuals to use the skills that they have learned and practiced on our introductory and intermediate survival courses as well as individual CPD. This also includes those individuals that have completed courses with other providers. Ideally this is not a course for those with no experience due to the time that is required to be proficient enough to benefit and enjoy, however please contact us if you require more information. The first part will be a revision session for those who have attended courses or other training before. Students will then go into an exercise phase following a real-life survival scenario.

Individuals will be limited to a set number of items as well as given minimum information to allow seclusion and will be regularly visited by instructors to ensure everything is okay. There will be emergency equipment with each person including walkies talkie communications.

Due to the prolonged time out in the wilderness, weather factors and the long hours spent learning, a good level of physical fitness and mental stamina is required.

This course is run in areas where there is no one for miles around, and is ran primarily in woodland areas.

This course is open to people who have attended courses with us before and want to put to practice their survival skills in a challenging environment. It is also open to people who haven’t attended one of our courses but have some level of experience and wish to take part in a challenging course that will see them learn some skills and knowledge and then put it to practice. This will be a lot more challenging physically and mentally than our Intermediate Survival Course.

If you want to test your survival skills and knowledge then this is the challenge for you.

Difficulty Rating

The Itinerary for the Advanced Survival Course (5 Days) includes the following:

1st Day will see the attendees go over revision of the Survival Priorities with a night out included. The rest of the course will follow a hands-on survival scenario covering the following:

Principles and Priorities of Survival

Survival Pyramid

PLAN-M

Equipment considerations for travel in the wilds or a foreign environment.

Protection
Protection from the elements and further harm:

Shelter

  • Improvised or man-made will depend on what resources you have or find.

Fire – PLEASE NOTE THAT AT TIMES THERE WILL BE FIRE RESTRICTIONS IN PLACE WHICH ARE OUTSIDE OF OUR CONTROL.

  • Using fire in a survival setting.

Location
Attracting Rescue – Attract, Hold and Direct

  • The ultimate aim is to be rescued but also being mentally prepared for disappointment.

Acquisition

Water

  • Finding water sources;
  • Treating water;
  • Water management

Food

  • Sourcing wild edibles for a survival situation utilising all resources available.

Navigation

  • Navigating around remote areas to safe ground.
  • The safe crossing of obstacles and route selection.
Date Time Spaces Price Book
16 September 2026 09:30 - 15:00 6 £450 Book Now