3 Days at South West Survival: Campfire Cooking and Building a Wickiup Shelter

Three days at South West Survival with my mate Ziggy meant egg wraps over the fire, plenty of coffee, pork belly and sausages, and a hazel wickiup shelter taking shape in the woods. We also had wood to process and storm damage to sort out. A fair bit of running a survival school happens between the sessions.

I had been at the site from Wednesday to Friday and managed to forget to film most of it. I was too busy getting on with things. What I did capture gives you a look at our camp, the cooking and Ziggy's shelter build.

Coffee first, then an egg banjo

The kettle was on before much else happened. Ziggy had brought a coffee press, so we started with a proper brew before getting breakfast on.

Our first breakfast was eggs in wraps, which led to a conversation about the egg banjo. If you have served in the military, you will probably know the name. Bite into your egg sandwich, get yolk down your front and brush it off while holding your food out to the side. You look like you are playing a banjo. That was the explanation we gave on camera, anyway.

It was simple food, cooked outside and eaten beside the fire. Later we had pork belly and sausages, and another morning started with sausage wraps and more coffee. Ziggy did a good job of keeping us fed.

Ziggy's wickiup shelter: hazel, weaving and a tarp roof

While I worked through the woodpile, Ziggy got stuck into building a wickiup-style shelter. He cleared the area, prepared the ends of the hazel poles and set them into the ground to form the framework.

The idea was to bring the hazel together at the top, then work more pieces around the outside to brace and weave the frame. Ziggy wanted to do as much as he could without cordage. Watching him work, you could see the awkward stage where pieces wanted to spring back out before the weaving held them together.

That part of the build is useful to see. A finished shelter hides the fiddling about, the adjustments and the bits that refuse to stay where you put them. We filmed some of that process rather than just showing an end result.

By the last visit, the hazel frame was taking shape, with pegs and some paracord securing the bottom. We were putting a tarp over it for the roof. The plan is for it to become a staff and instructors' shelter at South West Survival.

It was still a work in progress when I packed up. I had to head home before the finished result, so I will show how it develops in future videos.

The jobs behind running a survival school

There was plenty to do around the rest of the site. I spent time chopping and processing wood ready for future events, tidying the camp and sorting out the covered teaching area.

The recent storm had knocked targets over and damaged the parachute canopy. We repaired holes with Gorilla Tape and tightened the canopy back up. It looked much better once we had dealt with the sagging.

In the video I also show the kitchen, the main teaching area, the equipment containers and the decking where parents can sit. I rent the site from a farmer, and having somewhere I can keep improving and return to for my own time outdoors means a lot to me.

Keeping our bushcraft skills in use

Even when I am not teaching, I enjoy being at the site doing this sort of thing. There is always wood to prepare, a shelter to work on or something around camp that needs attention.

During these three days, we practised our skills while making practical progress. Ziggy had his shelter project, I had the wood and site jobs, and we came back together for food and a brew.

The evenings were a chance to sit round the fire and catch up. We had a few beers and hot chocolates with a splash of whisky during our own downtime. Then it was back to the kettle, breakfast and the jobs the following morning.

Come and learn with South West Survival

If watching this makes you want to get outside and have a go, come and learn with us. I am Steven Kelly, also known as Survival Ste, founder of South West Survival, a former 29 Commando Regiment soldier and a TV survivalist.

To start building practical outdoor skills, explore our survival courses and upcoming events.

For a school session, group experience or corporate day, contact South West Survival and tell us what you would like to arrange.

And if you enjoyed spending these three days with me and Ziggy, subscribe to the YouTube channel. There is more to come from the shelter, and plenty more going on at the site.