The Bushcraft Show 2022

There’s plenty of colourful characters at the show, including at the fun and unusual prehistoric tent.

Just do it. For years I had dithered on whether or not to attend the Bushcraft Show, an annual event celebrating and demonstrating a wide range of outdoor and practical skills. Timing never seemed to be quite right, and I didn’t know anyone else who wanted to go, but in 2022 I decided that this would be the year. I’d sign up for a weekend ticket, camp in the woods and try to get to know a few more fellow outdoor enthusiasts whilst exploring what the show had to offer. I am certainly glad I did.

Stanford Hall, the grounds of which the show was hosted at and somewhere that is not often open to the public.

Wild camping in the woods was included in the price of a weekend ticket.

The Main Stage had plenty of space to relax, watch talks and listen to live music in the evenings.

Employees of the associated Bushcraft magazine were on hand to provide information on the event.

Not knowing what to expect, I was surprised by how many people had already arrived when I turned up late Thursday evening at the grounds of Stanford Hall. I had wrongly assumed that many people would either arrive on the Friday to setup camp or come as day trippers, but most people were there for the long hall. Using the evenings to socialise and catch-up with old friends. For me, after a quick walk around and pitching my tent in the dark I hit the hay to wake up fresh for the next day.

There was plenty of kit on sale if there’s anything you were missing or looking to upgrade.

Or if you needed your old knife sharpened there was someone on hand to help you with that too.

It was also a great place to pickup more obscure items like cattle horns for craft work.

Event founder and organiser David Thompson meets the Gurkhas who had their own stand at the event.

Tim Gent, the editor of the Bushcraft magazine, was on hand to talk to members of the public.

Regardless of what you are more specifically interested in there’s plenty to see, do and browse on the stands. From military surplus shops where you can buy that seventeenth folding knife you definitely need, to blacksmiths and woodcarvers who offered tutorial workshops to get you started on a desired hobby. It was all here in one place for the full three days, giving everyone plenty of time to try, buy and absorb. Though many of the workshops had already sold out by the time the show started and I would advise anyone going to book in advance as soon as they have their main ticket.

Kyt Lyn Walken walks workshop attendees through the basics of tracking people.

One of the more interesting demonstrations run by Wildways Bushcraft allowed attendees to have a go at butchering a reindeer.

Other demonstrations focused on using equipment safely, in this case axes.

The only one I did myself was a session on mantracking by Kyt Lyn Walken who hails from Italy. Though the session was short and the terrain around us not very ideal, I was impressed by how many concepts were introduced and it gave me a lot to think about. The people running these sessions really are experts, and whilst there’s no chance of you becoming one yourself in such a short period of time, a workshop will give you a solid foundation to build on. Some of the most in demand ones were blacksmithing, after all, how many people even have the opportunity to access the required equipment, let alone the tutelage of a skilled craftsman.

Giles Newman leading a workshop on woodcarving.

Connor the Viking Blacksmith was based in the old forge at Stanford Hall, providing workshops and demonstrations well into the night.

Sparks fly when the hammer comes down.

Blacksmithing workshops were some of the most popular.

Conor’s finished metal leaves that he forged as part of the demonstration. I took home the one on the far left.

Away from additional, paid for workshops there were plenty of free demonstrations where you could watch people in action and ask questions. Running every day (and often several times a day) meant you had plenty of opportunities to see everything you wanted. There were also kids activities for attending families, a few visiting charities such as the Woodland Trust (an important one for Bushcraft and one that I signed up for membership), plenty of places to eat and, most importantly, buy beer.

In the evening people gathered around the big firepit that raged and smoldered all night.

Friday and Saturday evening also saw live music to keep people entertained.

One of the most conspicuous attendees was the Green Man who walked around playing his bagpipes all weekend.

All of that you could quite confidently do with a day ticket but where staying all weekend long really shines is the evening entertainment and socialising. With everything else shut down for the day, you could sit around the fire pit, listening and dancing to live music whilst chatting with friends both new and old. Thankfully I quickly struck up a friendship with the team from Nearly Wild Camping, so I could spend my evenings with them instead of sitting on my own in the woods. I honestly think one of the best things about the show is that being able to meet new people with a shared love for being in the great outdoors.

The prehistoric tent gave people plenty of chances to get hands on with flint.

My newfound friends from Nearly Wild Camping that help the public gain access to camping on private land whilst generating new revenue streams for landowners.

Alex from Woodland Trust was on the stand all weekend to get people to support the planting of new trees across the country.

Finally, another great aspect of the weekend, and one you need to be there for the full three days to really appreciate, are the numerous talks at the main stage by organisations and famous faces. None of them are repeated and feature different people each day. The standout one for me was easily the talk by Lofty Wiseman, the godfather of Bushcraft and author of the incredibly successful SAS Survival Guide which everyone owns a copy of (or three). It was a great privilege to finally hear some of his many great stories in person and see the excitement of so many people wanting to meet him at his subsequent book signing event.

A real celebrity amongst bushcraft enthusiasts, John ‘Lofty’ Wiseman was in attendance at the show once again.

After his talk he did a well attended book signing.

So, what are you waiting for? If you love being outdoors, want to improve your practical skills, keen to make new friends with a common interest or just enjoy a weekend camping in the woods then this is the event for you. And I do recommend you make it a full weekend so you can maximise the opportunities available to you. Keep an eye out for ticket sales next summer, and in the meantime make sure to check out the associated Bushcraft magazine which is published six times a year. Afterall, if you find something you like you may have the opportunity to try it at the show in 2023.

For those interested in watersports there was a small lake onsite for wild swimming and canoeing.

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