Name: Primitive Skills: Firelighting
Start: 2026-03-29T10:00:00+01:00
End: 2026-03-29T16:30:00+01:00
Location: Park in The Past

Igniting Flame the Stone Age Way
Step back into the world of our ancestors and explore the ancient, life-sustaining art of creating fire from natural materials. This one-day immersive course invites you to reconnect with skills once essential for survival, guiding you through a range of traditional firemaking techniques rooted in the Stone Age and beyond. Whether you’re new to primitive skills or already have experience, this course offers a rare opportunity to deepen your understanding of firecraft in a meaningful and hands-on way.
Set within the atmospheric woodland surroundings of Park In The Past, you’ll learn how early peoples created flame using nothing more than stone, wood, fungi, and plant fibres. Under the expert guidance of primitive skills instructor Billy Souter, you’ll not only discover how to make fire using both percussion and friction methods, but also learn how to gather, identify, and process natural tinders straight from the landscape.
This course is designed for beginners and seasoned bushcrafters alike, offering practical knowledge that can be expanded long after the day ends. From reading the environment to working with raw natural materials, you’ll gain the confidence to create fire in a variety of traditional ways.
ACTIVITIES INCLUDE:
* Understand environmental considerations, responsible firecraft, and the foundations of a safe fire lay.
* Identify, gather, and process natural tinders from the landscape.
* Create and perfect effective tinder bundles using a variety of plant-based materials.
* Learn traditional percussion firelighting, including flint and pyrite and flint and steel techniques.
* Explore friction fire methods using hand drill and bow drill sets.
* Process tinder fungi into high-quality firelighting materials such as amadou.
* Discover charred tinders, slow matches, and other primitive methods that our ancestors relied upon.
* Develop keen observational skills for sourcing suitable materials in different environments.
BOOKING
Get in touch if you’d like to know more. Phone James, 07876 794 098 or email us. Advance booking is essential. Tickets are available on our website: https://woodlandclassroom.com/event/primitive-skills-firelighting/
The course costs £70.00 for an adult.
If you would like to upgrade your experience into a whole weekend then you could also book on to the next day's course Primitive Skills: Firelighting - see our website for more info.
ABOUT YOUR TUTOR
Billy Souter is the founder of Billy Souter Primitive Living based in Derbyshire.
“My passion for Bushcraft came to life in my mid teens and quickly led me venturing down the path of primitive living skills.”
“Having found my passion and decided I wanted to expand my knowledge and pass these skills on to others. Since this time I have trained with various incredible teachers within this field and have used these skills in different environments including Scandinavia, Europe and North America.”
“In recent years I have developed and provided engaging Bushcraft sessions at an Outdoor Centre and Public workshop events for Children, SEN groups, Adults and training to forest school providers. I now also work as a Guest Instructor for established schools and individuals teaching Primitive Living Skills.”
ABOUT THE VENUE
Park In The Past comprises 120 acres of outstanding natural beauty offering woodlands and wetlands, a magnificent 35-acre lake and the gorgeous River Alyn winding through it, as well as wonderful walks and spacious fields. Visitors can journey back 2,000 years and discover the recreated Roman Fort Build, an ongoing project in experimental archaeology and the only one of its kind in the UK.