Look beyond January and the ‘back to work’ blues to a year of outdoor adventures, camping, hiking and exploring new places and activities; we’ve got the gear to help you turn dreams into reality. For instance, the Bushcraft Show 2012 (2-4 June) will be held at Elvaston Castle and Country Park in Derbyshire, opened in 1970 as one of the first country parks in England. The park encompasses approximately 200 acres of open parkland, woodland, lakes and more formal historic gardens. A nice big showground that is dry and level provides the perfect setting for the social area, classrooms, demonstrations, trade stands and field camping. Woodland areas bordering the showground provide woodland camping and the stage for woodland-based activities.
The organisers considered a number of locations around the country to find one that is easily accessible and allows access to the space, resources and facilities needed. A spokesperson said, “As bushcrafters, we all hold dear the desire to have an open fire, there are fewer and fewer sites in the UK that welcome this, also as you will remember from last year the ability to bring dogs along is often an issue with venues too.”
The Country Park has a bridleway, footpaths, cycle routes and a Nature Reserve with 6 bird hides, a wetland area, reedbed, heronry, butterfly area, dragonfly area, reptile basking area, newt pond and much more. The lake, not normally available for public access, will be at showgoers’ disposal for the weekend, fires will be permitted and this year, dogs will be welcome at the show. The park includes a children’s play area and, for those visitors who are members, a Caravan Club site, providing electric hook up facilities. Feedback from last year’s event showed that visitors wanted to arrive earlier and get settled before the show, so visitors can now arrive from 10am on the Friday in preparation for the show starting on Saturday 2nd June. There are some great activities and demonstrations planned with new features being added all the time. For instance, John ‘Lofty’ Wiseman, author of the SAS Survival Handbook, which started the survival movement in the UK, will be speaking on the main stage.
To book tickets, call 0333 4567 123 (option 0).
Website: www.thebushcraftshow.co.uk (being updated with new details).
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Since surviving shambolic camping trips as a youngster in the valleys of South Wales, John Traynor has gone on to walk, backpack, pedal, paddle and camp around the UK, Europe and much further afield.
He is an honorary life member of the Backpackers' Club and writes every month in Camping magazine. His wide experience and the lessons learned been condensed into the book Lightweight Camping published by Cicerone Press. 
