Bear Grylls

Cowdray is to become a centre for the Bear Grylls Survival Academy.

Family and Adult 24-hour survival courses will be run on the estate from spring 2017. Cowdray was chosen for its varied terrain, including dense woodland, a long stretch of the River Rother, lakes and steep difficult ground.

Those attending the courses will learn extreme survival techniques. The family course is designed to inspire fathers, sons, mothers and daughters alike. The 24-hour outdoor adventure will be delivered by a range of Bear’s hand-picked instructors teaching techniques including how to build and light a fire, how to navigate at night, foraging for grubs and rodents, water purification, building a shelter, extreme weather survival and river crossings, and the best ways to use a knife for survival. On the second day the students put these skills into action by crossing difficult terrain back to civilisation. This course is limited to 16 students (eight pairs).

The Adult course is also run under the guidance of a team of highly trained experts and is an intense 24-hour survival experience teaching life-saving skills and attitudes such as resourcefulness and calmness under pressure.

Students have no tent, and limited water and food rations so the pressure is on to source food and water locally from streams and pools. They are also taught to identify animal runs, lay traps, skin and gut catches, and forage to supplement their diet. Survival knife skills, wilderness first aid, fire lighting, and rope skills like knots and harnesses are then used to navigate difficult terrain such as rivers, lakes and steep ground by day and night. Students will also learn to build emergency shelters and protect themselves in the wild from attack. This course is limited to sixteen adult participants, who must be physically fit and active.

The first Adult course takes place 25/26th March
The first Family course takes place 29/30th April

For more information and to book:

South Downs – 24 hour Adult course

South Downs – 24 hour Family course

 

 

Back to News

Join our Newsletter