My family and some very close friends joined me this time on a recent trip to Scotland. I’d organised a week staying in Kingussie on the outskirts of the popular ski town of Aviemore. The week was filled with lots of family walks, bike rides, sledging, sightseeing, eating, drinking, dog walks, zip lining and a day on top the Cairngorms.
Into the woods
As a group, we (well mainly me) had decided that the last evening would be a gathering in the woods at the back of our holiday home. We would have a fire, food, and drink. The idea was to generally have a last great time before departing on our long drive home the following day. I thought it would be a fantastic way for the kids to get out into the woods, get some fresh air and enjoy nature. It would also be an ideal opportunity to teach them some basic bushcraft skills especially as, like most kids, ours had become very tied to their phones, TVs and computers as soon as they weren’t occupied with trips out etc.
Nice spot
On one of the days my 8 year old son, Samuel, and I had a few hours free. So after collecting a couple of knives and my box of fire lighting necessities we went up into the woods to find a decent spot to prepare the site. It didn’t take us long to find a nice spot with a small opening amongst the hundreds of tall Scots pine. There was a slight hollow perfect for the main fire and plenty of dead fall to collect for fire wood and a few rocks for the cooking pit.
Fire wall
We got to work clearing the area of small twigs and pine needles. I then showed Samuel how to build a fire wall to reflect the heat, shelter from the wind and hide flames from unwanted eyes. He hammered in the uprights with a rock while I prayed he didn’t miss and break my fingers! We then gathered long damp logs to build the wall and finished it off by stuffing wet moss in between the cracks. Fire wall DONE!
After that, we went about collecting as much fire wood as possible and stacking it up ready to burn, before covering it with a tarp incase the Scottish rain came and ruined all or preparation. Next we went foraging for loose tree stumps or logs to use as seats. All in all we managed 12 seats so were fairly pleased. With that, our site was ready.
Creating sparks
Despite the actual party taking place for another day, Samuel wanted to have a practice at lighting a fire. Naturally I was happy to help him. Out of my box of tricks came the flint and steel in the form of a Gerber knife, some birch bark and a piece of cotton wool. He then began striking to create a spark to light a fire.
Although Samuel has done this before successfully on many occasions, this was the first time with his dad’s knife. It was quite big for him and he struggled to get the right angle for striking. After a lot of perseverance, the spark hit the birch bark and cotton wool just right and the magic of fire was created. The elation and relief on his face was brilliant. I was a proud and very happy dad! After a quick play we let the flame go out.
Whittling skewers
Our friends’ boys, Ethan and Max, had returned and came to join us. I got them whittling some green wood to make skewers for the marshmallows we would have later. Both boys love the outdoors and were very keen to get the knives out. Ethan, who is one of my scouts, has his knife permit and was happy to help his brother max if needed. Once all the skewers were made we tided away and retreated to the cottage.
Old mans beard and chicken strips
The evening of the party in the woods had arrived and, despite the strong wind and threat of rain in the air, I was really excited. Perhaps even more than the kids were. I had sent Max and Samuel out foraging for Old Mans Beard, a lichen that is great for tinder, and they had arrived back with proud smiles on their faces and a mass of the lichen in their pockets. The food was prepped. Chicken strips marinaded in honey, olive oil, herbs, garlic salt and pepper, Aberdeen Angus burgers, chipolata sausages and prawn kebabs.
Two fire pits
We headed off into the woods to find our site where we had prepared two fire areas for the family gathering. A large one to keep burning and a smaller one to cook on. The boys set about building the initial tinder of sticks, birch bark, old mans beard and cotton wool. Max lit the cooking pit and Ethan lit the fire pit, both with flint and steel. I took charge of the the cooking area and left the boys to sort the main fire.
Laughter, tales, food and drink
With both fires now going well, all 7 adults, 5 kids – plus our 8 month old baby Samson – (and 4 Labradors and a German pointer) were gathered enjoying the set up. The drink started flowing and the woodland was filled with the sounds of children’s and adults’ laughter. Enthusiastically recounting tales of the holiday and other stories, I bet the local rabbits and owls didn’t like their temporary neighbours one bit.
As the flames started to die down on the cooking pit, I began to cook and feed our hungry guests. We all ate and drank well and the kids enjoyed playing in the dark with torches. Once all the cooking was over I grabbed a beer and took a seat. As we all sat round the big fire, the kids cooked s’mores (marshmallows sandwiched between two chocolate biscuits) on their homemade skewers. Meanwhile, the adults had bananas stuffed with chocolate that had been baked on the fire. Even little Samson joined in and had his first choccy bic bic around the fire.
Magical moment
It was getting late and my beer had now become whisky. Family and friends all sat and enjoyed the last few logs on the fire before briefly turning our torches off to look up and do some star gazing. A really magical moment. As people began to retreat back to the cottage we stomped out the fire and made sure everywhere was safe and tidy by scattering soil and leaving it as natural as possible.
Endless adventures
Everyone had an amazing night, especially the kids. It gave me great pleasure seeing them so happy without a games console or phone in sight (other than for taking pics). I encourage every family to get outside more and use what nature has provided us with: the sky as our roof, the birdsong as our music and nature as our carpet. The opportunities for adventures are endless.
Explore, Dream, Discover.
About the author:
Mark Roberts is a YouTuber and blogger who focusses on his outdoor interests as a wild cooking enthusiast and wilderness adventurer. He is passionate about the outdoors and thrives by continually pushing himself with new adventures and outdoor pursuits. As a Scout Leader he is very keen in encouraging children to get outside by teaching them outdoor bushcraft, survival and mountaineering skills. Mark lives his life by the the quote ‘Explore, Dream, Discover’.
Instagram: wildernessrobbo
https://markswildernessadventures.com/
https://www.youtube.com/user/robbotube1
You may also like:
https://www.survivalandbushcrafts.com/getting-started-with-wild-camping-a-beginners-guide/
https://www.survivalandbushcrafts.com/ten-things-for-kids-to-cook-this-autumn-by-simon-curran/
