Memma the Cavewoman

08/09/2026

So proud of our UK groups. In particular our UK cohort from 2025 ( all women! 🔥👌) had a really challenging couple of days with various factors

To cap it all their fire was extinguished this morning by an unfortunate accident, not to be deterred, they rallied and were able to relight it with their bowdrill set.

Producing fire with a bowdrill can be challenging enough in damp conditions.. but they did it with no metal tools, and no modern cordage.

And to cap it all they managed to look like a renaissance painting while doing it!

Living by Nature
Www.livingbynature.co.uk

08/09/2026

A huge part of the first few days is taken up by building and improving the shelter. Its absolutely central to being able to live in this environment.

But the shelters our students build on their exped are so much more than a just a dry place to sleep.

Tools and equipment can be kept dry.. venturing out into the cold and wet to go fishing doesn't matter if you can warm up and dry clothes... when night falls or the rain is too heavy It's a place to sit and tell stories or discuss plans for the coming days...it's the centre of their world, but also makes their world bigger.

By having a safe, dry warm place to return to they can venture further afield and and see more of what this beautiful landscape has to offer. Not just the fungi, berries firewood, tinder etc... but the intangible things too. It's a voyage of self discovery as much as it is an exploration of the forests.

As the pace slows you notice little details more..eyes seeking combinations of colours and textures that mean food..... The mosaic patterns of competing lichens on raw rocks exposed by long retreated glaciers, the wisps of cloud shredded by the tips of the spruce trees, the rays of the sun coruscating through the woodsmoke, a single yellowing birchleaf dancing on the end of a spider-thread.. the silence. It's all quite spellbinding.

find out more at Living by Nature UK

07/09/2026

The mushrooms out in Sweden are amazing. Everywhere you look, the forest floor is littered with glistening caps in a rainbow of colours. Its one of many signs of the rich web of life we are privileged to be spending time with. Its easy to narrow your thinking to pure survival on this kind of trip, to focus on getting by minute to minute...but for the students appreciatng their surroundings is an important way to find wonder and happiness even when other things are hard.

One student saw a moose while out berry foraging, another had a jewel bright dragonfly alight on her felt coat and stay a while.... Ravens, foxes, badgers trumpeter swans, grouse, capercaillie all share these vast woods and the mosses and lichens are just beautiful.. like a terrestrial coral reef in reds greys and greens.

We've mostly been kept fairly busy visiting the students and running errands but now their camps are more established and we are checking in les frequently, we have a little more time to explore the are on our own, for me that means foraging for

These particular little beauties have been on my " mushrooms id like to find" list for a long time. This is the wood hedgehog or hedgehog mushroom, Hydnum repandum. I've had the pleasure of eating them before but have never found them myself, despite much searching. They look very much like a lot of other fungi ( especially rainwashed and past-their-best-milk caps, but underneath instead of the usual gills, they have tiny tooth- like spines.

I also found winter chanterelles which I haven't seen ( or eaten!) in years. Hopefully the rain which has been making the students lives a little more challenging will bring out more fungi for them to enjoy.

03/09/2026

Today we went out to visit our groups. ( Two English groups , and one larger group of students from the Dutch course. They are all doing magnificently: all three have their fires lit, and all have made a good start on their shelters. Two have even caught themselves a fish supper! Of course the mornings this time of year are cool, and without a finished shelter they were all grateful for the fire, and the warmth of their teammates.

It is really exciting to see them discovering the joys of this place, the fungi, the berries, the exquisite scenery... And even more, the satisfaction of knowing they can DO IT!

As the week goes on we will be checking on them less and really letting them settle into the patterns of the north woods, whether to fish, or forage, or just sit on a sunwarmed rock and enjoy the view. :)

Www.livingbynature.co.uk next course starts in spring 2027

03/09/2026

We are HERE!wodsman and I are out in beautiful Sweden with two cohorts of our students.

Over the last two or three years they've worked towards this trip, learning the skills and making the tools and equipment needed to carry them through 10 days in the wilderness.

As we speak they are building the shelters that will be their homes lighting the fires that will be their constant companions and exploring the landscape that will provide all their needs in the coming days.

Www.livingbynatureco.uk

23/08/2026

Home from another lovely .

Well done team!

19/08/2026

Putting the finishing touches to this scene of upper Paleolithic life. It's an important part of how we bring the past alive for the children we visit. The tent isnt just a versatile all weather space, it's a living, breathing display of our past, and our home away from home

18/08/2026

Learn the skills. Embrace the rhythm. Become part of the land.

Living with nature means understanding that every meal has a story.

Over the course of 100 days, you'll learn how our ancestors provided for themselves—not only through fire, shelter, and canoe travel, but also through ethical hunting, fishing, and gathering.

When an animal provides its life, nothing is taken for granted.

The meat becomes food.
The hide becomes clothing or shelter.
The bones become tools.
The sinew becomes cordage.
Every part is used with gratitude and respect.

This isn't trophy hunting.

It's learning what it truly means to take responsibility for your food and your place within the natural world.

Led by Thijmen Apswoude, the Living With Nature immersion is about far more than learning wilderness skills.

It's about becoming part of the land.

🌲 2029 is fully booked.
Only 6 places remain for 2030.

Learn more:
https://livingbynature.nl/product/scholing/opleidingen/living-with-nature/

18/08/2026