British woodland, usually damp
The first fire fails because the wood is already wet.
Start with that, and the rest of a trip gets simpler. These guides cover tinder after days of rain, a tarp that sheds a British downpour, and whether you are allowed to light anything at all.
49 guides on the site, written for UK weather and UK rules.
In the rain
A tinder bundle that still catches
On a first evening
Three decisions, in the order they happen
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Before you strike anything
Most woodland belongs to someone
Where you can camp, what you can cut, and when a fire is simply not yours to light.
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When the rain has been on for days
The dry tinder is not on the ground
Look up. Dead standing wood and bark above the soak line still take a spark.
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When you need to sleep
Three tarps that shed British rain
A hide that stays up in sideways weather, without a pile of cord and hope.
New on the site
Firecraft
A whole set of guides for the part that goes wrong in this country: wet tinder, a fire that dies a minute after it catches, and putting the thing out properly.
Browse the firecraft guides
Once the fire is sorted
The rest of a trip, one skill at a time
- Knife The three cuts that matter, and the ones that just nick you
- Axe A first axe that stays in the wood, not in your leg
- Water What is safe to drink out here, and what only looks clear
- Cooking A small kit that actually produces a hot meal
- Kit The honest list, without the gadgets that stay in the bag
- Clothing The layering mistake that gets beginners cold
- Tracking Reading the ground once you stop looking only for the path
- Mistakes Ten things that catch people on the first few trips
