March 29, 2026 @ 10:00 am - 5:00 pm
£70.00
Step back into the world of our ancestors and explore the ancient, life-sustaining art of creating fire from natural materials. This one-day immersive course invites you to reconnect with skills once essential for survival, guiding you through a range of traditional firemaking techniques rooted in the Stone Age and beyond. Whether you’re new to primitive skills or already have experience, this course offers a rare opportunity to deepen your understanding of firecraft in a meaningful and hands-on way.
Set within the atmospheric woodland surroundings of Park In The Past, you’ll learn how early peoples created flame using nothing more than stone, wood, fungi, and plant fibres. Under the expert guidance of primitive skills instructor Billy Souter, you’ll not only discover how to make fire using both percussion and friction methods, but also learn how to gather, identify, and process natural tinders straight from the landscape.
This course is designed for beginners and seasoned bushcrafters alike, offering practical knowledge that can be expanded long after the day ends. From reading the environment to working with raw natural materials, you’ll gain the confidence to create fire in a variety of traditional ways.
- Understand environmental considerations, responsible firecraft, and the foundations of a safe fire lay.
- Identify, gather, and process natural tinders from the landscape.
- Create and perfect effective tinder bundles using a variety of plant-based materials.
- Learn traditional percussion firelighting, including flint and pyrite and flint and steel techniques.
- Explore friction fire methods using hand drill and bow drill sets.
- Process tinder fungi into high-quality firelighting materials such as amadou.
- Discover charred tinders, slow matches, and other primitive methods that our ancestors relied upon.
- Develop keen observational skills for sourcing suitable materials in different environments.
Your Tutor: Billy Souter
“My passion for Bushcraft came to life in my mid teens and quickly led me venturing down the path of primitive living skills.”
“Having found my passion and decided I wanted to expand my knowledge and pass these skills on to others. Since this time I have trained with various incredible teachers within this field and have used these skills in different environments including Scandinavia, Europe and North America.”
“In recent years I have developed and provided engaging Bushcraft sessions at an Outdoor Centre and Public workshop events for Children, SEN groups, Adults and training to forest school providers. I now also work as a Guest Instructor for established schools and individuals teaching Primitive Living Skills.”
You can view more of Billy’s excellent work via his facebook page.
Skills you will learn
Over the course of the programme you will learn a range of skills, including…
Your Day in the Woods
Your experience begins at our woodland basecamp. Billy will introduce the deep ancestral connections between fire, people, and the landscape before guiding you into the practical skills that form the foundation of the day.
The morning focuses on exploring the environment around you. You’ll learn how to identify and responsibly gather natural tinder materials, from dry grasses and seed heads to the remarkable fire-friendly fungi found in the forest. Billy will show you how to process species such as horse hoof fungus into prized amadou, as well as how to char plant fibres and prepare other natural tinders for reliable ignition.
As the day progresses, you’ll move into the core techniques of primitive firecraft.
You’ll experiment with percussion firelighting, using flint and pyrite to produce sparks just as our ancestors did thousands of years ago. You’ll also learn the more familiar flint and steel method, understanding how to catch and nurture a spark into a glowing ember.
In the afternoon, attention turns to friction fire. Billy will guide you step-by-step through hand drill and bow drill techniques, helping you refine body posture, pressure, rhythm, and material selection. With patience and guidance, you’ll experience the excitement and satisfaction of coaxing an ember to life through your own effort.
Throughout the day, Billy will share knowledge about traditional fire use, show examples of historical fire-starting materials, and offer insights into the cultural significance of fire across human history.
By the end of the session, you will have gained not only practical firelighting skills but also a deeper appreciation for the ancient relationship between humans, nature, and flame.
Book now
This course costs £70 per person and is open to adult learners aged 16 years and over. You can read our Event Terms & Conditions here.
