A Weekend in the Woods with Ray Mears | Steven Kelly

I spent the weekend of 10 and 11 October 2026 at Stanford Hall in Leicestershire for A Weekend in the Woods with Ray Mears. I have spent most of my working life outdoors, but I am never going to turn down the chance to spend time around someone with Ray's experience.

The event, organised by Bushcraft & Survival Skills Magazine, brought together people with a shared interest in bushcraft, woodland skills and learning from the people who know their craft.

Watch my weekend with Ray Mears

I filmed the weekend so you can see it for yourself.

Watch the full weekend with Ray Mears on YouTube.

Why I wanted to spend time with Ray Mears

Ray was teaching people about bushcraft and the natural world long before social media was full of survival challenges. What I respect about his work is the focus on knowledge, patience and doing things properly. You do not need to turn every job in the woods into a drama.

I served 23 years in the British Army, including with 29 Commando Regiment Royal Artillery. Military fieldcraft gave me a solid grounding in operating outdoors, often under pressure and in difficult conditions. I later tested myself on Naked and Afraid and Naked and Afraid: Apocalypse, and now teach through my own business, South West Survival.

None of that means I know everything. When you work in this field, you should be looking for opportunities to keep learning, not pretending you have finished.

Stanford Hall: a proper setting for a bushcraft weekend

Stanford Hall, near Lutterworth, has the sort of woodland and parkland that makes you want to stay outside. The weekend programme included small-group sessions with Ray, craft activities and demonstrations from Woodland Ways, shared meals and time around the wider bushcraft community.

It was a different pace from filming a survival programme. There was space to focus on the skills themselves rather than rushing from one challenge to the next.

What makes an event like this worthwhile is being among people who care about the details. Some are professional instructors. Others are enthusiasts who have spent years practising. There is always something worth discussing, questioning or taking away.

Bushcraft versus survival

I get asked about the difference between bushcraft and survival quite a lot. They overlap, but they are not identical.

In a survival situation, you are dealing with immediate priorities: shelter, safe water, temperature, energy and the decisions that get you through the situation. Bushcraft lets you go much deeper into understanding the materials and environment around you. You build those skills before you need them.

Knowing how to make fire is useful. Understanding the tinder, fuel, weather, safety and different methods behind it is even better. The same goes for shelters, tools, plants and all the other small details that matter outdoors.

What it means for South West Survival

At South West Survival, I teach people practical survival and bushcraft skills. I want them to leave understanding why a technique works, not just copying what they saw someone do.

A weekend like this is a useful reminder that good outdoor knowledge is worth passing on. It also shows why nobody should stop learning just because they have been doing something for years.

Get out and learn it for yourself

If you enjoy watching bushcraft on YouTube, my advice is simple: get outdoors and practise safely. Work with an experienced instructor, ask questions, make mistakes and learn from them. Watching is a starting point. Doing is what develops ability.

Thanks to Bushcraft & Survival Skills Magazine and everyone involved at Stanford Hall for putting the weekend together. And thanks to Ray for sharing his experience with the bushcraft community.

Watch my film above and tell me: what one bushcraft skill would you most like to learn from Ray Mears?

More survival and bushcraft from Steven Kelly

Watch my independent Scottish survival series Highland Reckoning, or visit South West Survival to find out about practical outdoor courses and experiences.

About Steven Kelly

Steven Kelly (Survival Ste) is a British television survivalist, former 29 Commando Regiment Royal Artillery soldier and founder of South West Survival. His TV credits include Naked and Afraid, Naked and Afraid: Apocalypse, Naked, Alone and Racing to Get Home and Bear Grylls: Wild Reckoning.