“The camp was absolutely wonderful. I can’t recall a holiday I’ve enjoyed more. It’s made a deep impression on us all. I have personally been deeply stirred by the experience and feel a strong call for more – all of it: the nature awareness, the peace, the tribe feeling, the conversations, the music, stories, circus skills, crafts. We’re definitely up for coming again!”
-Rob, Family Camp
We invite you and your family to join us on for a restorative and relaxing break in a beautiful wild location. With a diverse programme of (optional) activities for you and yours to dip into you will have no worries about keeping the children (or busier adults) occupied.
The kinds of things we might expect to get up to include wildlife watching, bat-detecting and bug hunting at night, wild-fire making and wild food gathering, silent movement, scavenger hunts, woodcraft, listening to great stories/music around the campfire and of course, to satisfy the most primitive home-makers in us all, den-making!
This week is primarily a holiday for most people and so we aim to strike a balance between doing and being, structure and openness. The day will usually start with a circle-time followed by a group activity session that lasts most of the morning. The afternoon is for play, to join in on a more low-key or craft activity or simply to spend time with your family/friends. There will be time set aside for adult activities, particularly for those interested in acquainting themselves with the bushcraft syllabus and traditional crafts. Typical crafts we include are green woodworking and basket weaving/willow craft; At night we will go for nocturnal walks, enjoy stories and play games that help you feel at home in the dark.
This event is a back to nature experience away from the trappings and distractions of the modern world. It is held at a beautiful and very special wild woodland site on Dartmoor which is completely off grid, such that there is no mains fed running water or electricity. We do provide water on site however and there is access to a woodland stream. We also provide compost loos and solar showers.
We recommend, to get the most out of this experience, to leave devices behind but if essential suggest you bring either a portable battery or else solar powered chargers for that purpose. Note however signal in this area is patchy.
Standard Cost:
£275 1st adult/16+ yrs
£225 2nd adult/16+ yrs
£150 per child 5-15 yrs;
Under 5s free
You have the option to pay for your places in full OR pay a £75 reservation deposit (one per family) to secure your family’s booking. See more info in How to Book below.
The Family camp is supported by a large team led by:
Chris Salisbury: Chris founded WildWise in 1999 after many years working as an education officer for Devon Wildlife Trust. With a background in the theatre, a training in therapy and a career in environmental education he uses every creative means at his disposal to encourage people to enjoy and value the natural world. He has worked with Ray Mears and John Rhyder, Joseph Cornell and Steve van Metre, amongst many others. He is also a professional storyteller aka ‘Spindle Wayfarer’.
Chris Packe: It used to be the mountains, but now you’ll find Chris in the woods. He just really loves bushcraft, you see. Often it’s just for fun, but he also works with Wildwise in Devon as well as independently back home in Forest Row. He also loves rap, spoken word, story, whittling, cartooning and writing… he mixes them into strange shapes and shares them around.
Additional workshop leaders (names to be confirmed in the coming months) join the team to lead various traditional craft sessions and nature activities.
Full joining instructions, including a kit list, will be sent out after booking once the event fills and is confirmed.
In summary you will need to bring:
This event is held at a beautiful and very special wild woodland site on Dartmoor which is completely off grid, such that there is no mains fed running water or electricity. We do provide water on site however and there is access to a woodland stream. We also provide access to portable rigged woodland shower on request.
We recommend, to get the most out of this experience, to leave devices behind but if essential suggest you bring either a portable battery or else solar powered chargers for that purpose. Note however signal in this area is patchy.
The venue – Moor Barton woods – is a private woodland site on Dartmoor. The wood can be reached from the B3212 between Exeter and Moretonhampstead or the A382 between Bovey Tracey and Moretonhampstead. The approximate location is shown below on the map.
You can also view the What3words location slack.coast.truth online.
Full joining instructions including directions will be emailed to you after booking once the event is confirmed.
We provide all main meals. We can cater for most dietary requirements including vegetarian, vegan, gluten free etc. Hot and cold refreshments are also available throughout the day.
You will need to bring food for any other special diets and may wish to supplement what’s available by bringing luxury foods and/or snacks.
Once dates are finalised we will make online booking available here.
In the meantime you can register your interest & join a waiting list by completing a booking enquiry form.
Before booking please note our cancellation terms:
**BOOK NOW – Meet the Leader / Q&A sessions**
Call of the Wild 2025 – Thurs 21 Nov at 7pm
Holding the Tail of the Wolf – Mon 25 Nov at 7pm
Wolf Pack 2025 – Wed 8 Jan 2025 at 6pm