Tag: Nature

Two Ponies & The Burren…

September 19, 2022 / pioneerbushcraft@gmail.com

By Sean Fagan

**The Burren of west Ireland is one of my favourite places to wild-camp. It's a wonderfully wild, evocative landscape - full of contradictions (Photo: Sean Fagan, west Ireland).**

“Let us step into the night and pursue that flighty temptress, adventure.
J.K. Rowling

Recently I've been thinking about what makes an adventure.

I can only answer for myself and my answer comes in two, connected parts.

Firstly, adventure should be something that challenges you. The second, related part - is exposing yourself to the unexpected.

Whether you’re walking, paddling or cycling through wild places - along with camping in such places - you expose yourself to the unpredictable. In effect, you're breaking away from your everyday life and becoming part of something vast and unpredictable - nature.

And out there, in nature - unforeseen events are always unfolding.

What gets me sometimes is - a lot of the unexpected is funny, if not downright comical.

Adventure doesn't have to include the grandiose, the grand spreading vistas, the conquering of many miles of challenging terrain.

Adventure is also about moments, often unexpected moments - that fill us with something good.

Woodlands & Modern Life

November 27, 2016 / pioneerbushcraft@gmail.com

By Sean Fagan

A wonderful pine and cork oak woodland, south Portugal (Photo: Sean Fagan).

What is it about woodlands that draws so many of us into their leafy lairs?

And why do the woods give so many people a sense of peace and inspiration?

The short answer is, I don't know.

But I can offer my own musings about the allure of woodlands...

And why the simplicity and peace of the woods seems to make a lot of modern life appear, quite frankly, somewhat fatuous.

Children & The Outdoors

July 20, 2016 / pioneerbushcraft@gmail.com

By Sean Fagan

Let the adventure begin - on a boat to Ireland's Eye. From left - my brother, my nephew and my brother's partner (Photo: Sean Fagan).

Some thoughts on an outdoor trip with my 7 year old nephew

10 tips on making the outdoors more enjoyable for children

When practical, I’m a big fan of bringing children into wild areas.

Of course, when it comes to bringing children outdoors - safety and common sense is a top priority.

Nevertheless, children are generally far more resilient and capable of tackling outdoor challenges than is often perceived.

Recently, my brother, his partner and myself – brought my 7 year old nephew on a boat trip to Ireland’s eye (a small, uninhabited island off the coast of county Dublin, Ireland).

As soon as the boat was docked – we set off exploring the island despite strong sunshine and very warm temperatures.

Learn more about our island adventure...

and 10 tips on making the outdoors more enjoyable for children.

Grounded in Nature…

June 19, 2016 / pioneerbushcraft@gmail.com

By Sean Fagan.

A feeding, male COMMON BLUE butterfly (Polyommatus icarus), (Photo: Sean Fagan).

An Encounter with Nature...

A few days ago, before the date of this post, something special occurred.

While walking late at night on a quiet city road, I came across a mother red fox with her three cubs.

Learn more about my personal encounter with nature and what fox cubs and prehistoric cave art have in common...

and why being grounded in nature is important.

The Woods of my Youth…

December 9, 2015 / pioneerbushcraft@gmail.com

By Sean Fagan

(Photo: Sean Fagan).

..

Where my Bushcraft Started...

Occasionally people ask me - where did my interest in nature and bushcraft begin?

My own personal journey into nature & bushcraft began in a local wood, when I was quite young.

That early exposure to nature left a vivid and profoundly positive impression that has persisted throughout my life.

It's my sincere hope that my own youthful explorations of nature and bushcraft highlight the potential benefits of nature-exposure for children and young people.

In this post I've tried to convey the emotional essence of my early encounters with nature and subsequently, bushcraft.

I hope you enjoy it.

In case you think this post is a sentimental journey into a nostalgic past - it's not.

I've also touched upon an all too common feature of the natural world - its deterioration and its all too often wanton destruction by humankind.

Bushcraft as Therapy?

October 15, 2015 / pioneerbushcraft@gmail.com

By Sean Fagan

Is Bushcraft a Natural Remedy for Modern Stress?

...

Below is a short video interview with outstanding wild food forager, Robin Harford.

In the video, at 4:40 minutes - Robin delivers a passionate account of the healing properties of nature.

Robin doesn’t use weighty terminology or referencing to back up his claim about nature’s healing ways.

Instead, Robin speaks eloquently from the heart.

You can feel the authenticity of Robin's experience on this matter - of his years of witnessing individuals transformed for the better in nature.

In this blog, I've also included some views on the healing properties of nature - from a bushcraft perspective and why I occasionally get away from it all - to seek peace in nature.

I hope you enjoy the video, and the rest of the blog...

The Great Northern Woods

September 21, 2015 / pioneerbushcraft@gmail.com

By Sean Fagan

A very humble abode - hard to believe that this small, basic dwelling holds some of my fondest memories (Photo: Sean Fagan).

. Above - is the interior of a plastic dome shelter I lived in for 10 weeks in Maine, USA.

It looks a little messy (uninspired even) but almost everything I needed was in that shelter.

“How could you live in such a place?” might be a question that comes to mind.

In reality I was living in a vast, inspiring space called the Northern woods.

Anatomy of a Predator

June 11, 2014 / pioneerbushcraft

By Sean Fagan

The menacing talons of the sparrowhawk (Photo: Sean Fagan).

Getting to Know a Common but Elusive Bird of Prey

The sparrowhawk, Accipiter nisus, is a relatively common but secretive bird of prey of temperate and subtropical regions of Europe, Africa & Asia.

A while back I had the good fortune to get close to a sparrowhawk. I was struck by the obvious, fearsome weaponry of this sleek raptor - by its long, sickle-shaped talons and pointed, hooked bill.

I was also intrigued by other, less obvious anatomical features of the sparrowhawk which assist in making this bird species such a sublime predator.

As I examined the sparrowhawk - four features stood out...

Learn 4 predatory features of the enigmatic but fearsome sparrowhawk (some of which might surprise you).

Included below is a stunning, short video highlighting the amazing, hunting prowess of the the sparrowhawk...(this video is also included at the end of the article).