Autumn bushcraft & fire cooking
Thriving in the forest using traditional techniques, natural materials and wild ingredients
A FOREST WAY OF LIFE
This tour is about appreciating what nature has to offer and learning age old skills and crafts. We’re surrounded by deep mossy pine forests and stay in rustic wooden shelters by a beautiful little lake. The only way here is by foot or canoe.
It ain’t survival…it’s thriving in the forest and all its glory.
the PAST has so much to teach
We have a lot to learn from native peoples of the earth. The Samis, for example, have inhabited the forbidding lands further up north in harmony with nature for thousands of years.
Building structures that leave no trace behind, gathering ingredients from nature’s larder and taking the time to create tools and crafts from materials that abound in our surroundings. We may have some extra comforts, but we’re in a hunter gatherer state of mind.
our flickering friend
Fire is at the heart of the entire human existence. So it will be for us. We keep the chill of autumn at bay with fires providing warmth all night long. We practice primitive and modern techniques for fire making and different methods for cooking on an open flame.
wild cooking at its best
There is something so special about sharing a meal around the fire, it connects us – to nature, to the past, to each other. We cook up hearty delicious dishes on the flames or embers, and also try some Sami specialties.
the magic of rope and knots
It’s incredible what you can build by lashing poles together with rope. Our constructions will make our days in the wild more practical and comfy, and you can use the knots and lashing techniques happily ever after.
fruits of our labour
We spend a lot of time around the warming fire working on projects to bring home. It’s up to you what you want to delve into. Carve a wooden handle for a knife, lanyard and antler handle for your fire steel, weave little baskets. These are some ideas that we’ll have materials for.
nature's larder
Each day we’ll go for a stroll or longer hike through the forest, following animal trails or walking across the soft sphagnum moss. In October there are a lot of mushrooms and some berries. We identify and learn about all kinds of flora that can be used for a wide variety of purposes.
The forest and lake is also full of wildlife and we may spot moose, roe deer, foxes, hares, badgers and birds like herons and cranes. We’ll have a couple of canoes and you can go explore the lake and do some angling for perch.
What You'll Get
A Complete Package from Start to finish
All meals, materials for crafts and camping equipment for chillier weather are included. We pick you up and drop you off in a small town near the location, or in Västerås which is a major city with some flight connections and frequent transfers from a larger airport.
Included
- Bushcraft guide
- Top quality equipment, warm sleeping bags, inflatable matress etc.
- Farro rod
- Materials for craft projects to bring home
- Breakfast, lunch, snacks & dinners
- Soft drinks, coffee & tea
- Pick-up and drop-off in Söderbärke or Västerås
Not Included
- Pre-order alcoholic beverages if you choose
What to Bring
- Hiking or trekking boots
- Backpack for your personal items
- Waterproof shell jacket and trousers suitable for autumn temps
- Warm sweaters
- Sturdy outdoor type trousers
- Base layers
- Wool socks
- Beanie
- Gloves
- Normal shoes
- Cozy clothing for sleeping
- Towel
- Sunglasses, sun block & toiletries
- Camera/phone
Price per person
4 DAYS
8,600 SEK
Trip Information
Dates 2023:
We’re not running any trips in 2023 as we’re researching a new location for the tour.
Group size: 8 persons plus bushcraft guide
Minimum age: 16 years
Fitness level: Low
Prerequisites: No previous experience of any kind required.
Accommodation: Shared open-faced wooden shelter or alpine conditions Hilleberg solo tent.
Temperatures: Likely around 7-13 degrees during the day and 3-8 degrees at night.
Meeting location: 10.00 in Västerås or 11.00 in Söderbärke
Payment: We charge 1,000 SEK deposit per person at the time of booking. Remaining balance is due 2 weeks prior to your trip.
itinerary
The itinerary for this amazing 4-day bushcraft adventure is very flexible to both your personal and the group’s preferences. Each day we focus on specific projects, go for forest walks and cook delicous meals on the fire. It’s up to you if you wish to partake or spend longer on more time-consuming crafts.
Mighty pines and soft sphagnum moss
We head to a beautiful deep pine forest in central Sweden. It’s located in a vast wooded region full of lakes, hills and mires. A short hike takes us to rustic wooden shelters by a pristine forest lake. Our bushcraft guide is waiting with a pot full of warming stew, stacks and stacks of firewood and all kinds of tools and natural materials for our crafting projects.
Over the next few days we’ll cook, craft, build, forage and explore together. Each day we go for a stroll or a longer hike to see what we can find in the forest. Some wild ingredients we use in our delicious dishes, others we learn the uses and applications for. We have a couple of canoes for excursions on the water or peaceful angling for perch.
If lucky we may spot moose, roe deer, fox and other animals in the woods or along the waterfront. It’s simply amazing to sit around the fire and look out over the calm little lake – taking in the stillness and life of the forest while working with our hands using age old methods.
The red fire blazes. The grey smoke towers.
Autumn is a glorious season to be in the wild and fire is at the heart of it all. What better time to learn the intricacies of our flickering friend than when you actually need it to stay warm.
And stay warm and cozy we will! The amount of heat that emanates from a properly made smouldering fire throughout the entire night is quite astounding. The fireplace is positioned perfectly for spreading warmth into our wooden shelter. If you prefer privacy you also have the option to stay in a tent.
Each of you will receive a farro rod to keep and there will be no lighters on this trip. We learn about different materials for starting a fire, where to collect them and how to treat them. Although quite physically demanding and technical, you also get the chance to try the primitive bow drill method to create an ember.
We build fires for cooking, use embers for baking and make setups for smoking foods. When darkness falls we use different techniques with bigger logs to keep comfy all night long.
Meals kissed by fire and flavours of the wild
Fire is a magical ingredient for cooking. It provides heat of course, but it can do so much more. The ever present smoke seeps into slow-cooked stews. The embers and flames produce the most wonderful char. Cast-iron heated by fire seemingly makes everything taste better. We cook delicious food on this trip and some of the dishes will have a Sami flair.
The pine forest at this time of year offers up a wide variety of mushrooms, juniper berries, lichens, heather and other plants. We also taste and learn about wild ingredients that can be foraged during other seasons and preserved to be used all year long.
A few of the dishes we will make:
Fire-roasted whole trout with potatoes, Jåamoe cream and pesto of garlic mustard, wild onion, sorrel & nettles.
Slow-cooked lamb stew with foraged mushrooms. Cast-iron baked bread and smoked lichen butter.
Juniper marinated venison with smashed root vegetables, spiced caramelised wild apples with spruce salt and pickled spruce tips & young cones.
Thin sautéed slices of reindeer with smoked mashed potatoes and juniper sweet pickled lingonberries.
A taste of spring! Pears poached with plum blossom sugar, flambeed in rhubarb snaps and drizzled with birch syrup.
Something is hiding inside of me. Remove some chips and you will see.
We spend a lot of time around the fire working on craft projects to bring home. It’s completely up to you how long you wish to spend and the level of difficulty. Your bushcraft guide will assist every step of the way.
Some possibilities that we’ll have all the materials for:
Carving a handle for a knife out of birch wood, treating it with pine oil and attaching a great quality blade
Making a handle for your farro rod out of moose antlers and a lanyard
Producing pine tar from fatwood and use to make birch bark cups.
Weaving baskets and making cordage
Simpler wood carving projects like utensils, pendants and figures
Lashing:
Lashing poles together with rope is an incredibly useful skill to have. It’s surprisingly easy and once you know a couple of knots and a few different lashing methods you can build almost anything! We make a tripod for the fire with an adjustable chain for our heavy cast-iron pot. Since we’ll be cooking a lot, we build a nice solid prep table. We also learn how to build a shelter for times when there is no comfy permanent shelter around.
Getting Here
Getting here
Västerås is the major hub of the area. We pick you up at 10.00. Another option is Söderbärke at 11.00 if you are arriving by train or car.
After the trip, we drop you back off in Söderbärke at 16.00 or in Västerås around 17.00-17.30.
We very much encourage arriving to Västerås or Söderbärke by train to save our precious environment!
Pick-up in Västerås 10.00, or Soderbarke 11.00.
Meet us in Söderbärke at 11.00 and we drive together to the cloest access point to the hiking trail.
Sweden’s main airport. Served by all major airlines.
Train to Västerås for 10.00 pick-up. sj.se (Arlanda C – Västerås, 1 hr 50 mins)
Combining with a visit to Stockholm? Take Arlanda Express to the city, 20 mins. Train from Stockholm Central to Västerås, 55 mins. sj.se
We’ll pick you up at the train station.
Fly from London Stanstead. Flights on Wedneday evenings and Monday mornings. ryanair.com
We pick you up at any hostel/hotel/airbnb in Västerås at 10.00.