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We can arrange guided activities in or around the campsite tailored to suit your interests and age group. Many of the guides know a lot about everything – so if you book a forager, it won’t necessarily mean that you can’t learn about the local birds or flowers as well. Below are some of the activities that you can choose from. Each guide (scroll down to read more about them) will meet you at the campsite at a pre-arranged hour and stay for around 3-4 hours…
 Foraging: You can learn to forage for wild plants, mushrooms and berries, and prepare meals including wild stinger pesto, rabbit stew and perhaps English snails.
Nature and Survival Skills: Learn how to make fire with bow drills, skin rabbits, make nettle ropes, build shelters, and a host of other skills that we seem to have forgotten
Falconry: Our falconers will bring some birds of prey and maybe an owl to the camp. Everyone will have a chance to hold a bird and see how they perform as they soar above the hills and hunt across the plough.
Birds: Our guide will come to the camp armed with binoculars and pictures and take everyone on a bird song walk - learn to identify the different downland birds and hopefully see some wild birds of prey.
Wild Flowers: Go on a wild flower walk - the camp is surrounded by protected grassland famous for its orchids and other wild flowers particular to the chalk downland.
Natural Navigation: Natural navigation is the rare art of knowing how to navigate using the world around you - the sun, stars, moon, weather, plants and animals. A walk with our natural navigator will teach you how ancient man got about long before AA roadmaps and satnav.
Landscape Drawing: All ages can enjoy a couple of hours drawing the stunning landscape in which the camp nestles. Our artist will bring easels and paper and show even the most doubting artist that they draw something worth keeping.
Archaeology: Within a short distance from the camp there are ancient tumuli, Bronze age settlements, chalk quarries and Roman field systems. Our guide makes this very accessible, even for the younger members of a group.
Landscape History and Geology: Ever wonder how the Downs came to be? Our guide will explain the geology of its voluptuous folds and take you on a historical walk through the Downland villages.
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Sam Lee is a trained wilderness survival expert as well as being one of the leading UK experts in traditional British folk songs (look at his club events: www.themagpiesnest.co.uk). Expect a fascinating walk gathering wild food, singing Sussex folk songs and learning about the lore of the Downs.
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Nick Weston may be familiar from Channel 4’s “Shipwrecked” series, in which he was one of the foraging experts. He is a trained cook and a wild food gourmet. Read his blog: huntergathercook.typepad.com. Nick has written The Tree House Diaries, about living in his treehouse.
Rob Fallon is a bush-crafts and survival expert. He can track wild animals, build shelters, light fires with bow drills, and hunt and gather like a true Apache. Rob also teaches team-building and leadership skills at www.wildnature.org.uk.
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Dr Will Milliken. Will is an ethno-botanist from Kew gardens. He runs conservation projects in the Amazon and is the author of Flora Celtica: Plants and People in Scotland. Will is a world authority on the uses of plants and he makes an intriguing and inspiring walking companion.
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Charlie Peverett, “the birdman of Firle” is a passionate, charming and erudite ornithologist. A sort of latter-day St. Francis, he can help you identify the song of every bird and then find it in the woods and hedgerows. Look at his bloghttp://firlebirds.wordpress.com.
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Chelsea Renton is a successful local artist specialising in drawing and sculpture. She was the artist-in-residence at Glyndebourne in 2010 and teaches locally. Chelsea also runs life-drawing classes – her fit male-models are very popular with hen parties at Safari Britain. See also www.chelsearenton.com
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Geoffrey Mead is a landscape historian from Sussex University. He’s well known for his walks around the Downs and the villages of the Weald bringing life to the archaeology, geology and social history of the area. He understands that no man walks on an empty stomach - so he'll show you the best of the downland village pubs too.
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Brian Morris is the chairman of the British Hawking Association. He and his colleague, Paul Davies, teach how to handle hawks and falcons and is often seen flying his birds of prey on the thermals above Firle beacon. His birds are much in demand by local councils and gamekeepers for controlling pigeons, rooks, crows and pesky seagulls.
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Anna Richardson is a wonderful botanist and forager who lives at Firle. She specialises in the uses of plants for food and for medicine and their folkloric history.
Peter Blee, a local botanist and photographer lives locally in Berwick - he knows the hills like no other, and is a bubbling enthusiast. |
