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Do you have any bushcraft skills? If you were to become lost in the wild do you have the skills necessary to erect a shelter, start a fire, locate some water and find some nutritious food? And would you be able to recognise what is safe to eat?

Living in the modern world we have lost touch with the sources of our food. Today, children grow up in cities and many have no idea where their food comes from. I once met a young man who had no idea that burgers were made from beef. I don’t know what he thought they were made out of.

If you are lost in the wild you might be surprised to find that there are no all night supermarkets. You really need to be able to identify what is safe to eat and what is potentially harmful. If you have ever seen Bear Grylls surviving in various inhospitable parts of the world he always catches and eats whatever he can find. Something you may have noticed is that Bear is never without his bushcraft knife, an essential survival tool.

Wild berries can be a valuable form of food. Our ancient ancestors would have gathered nuts, berries and grain when in season with expert knowledge regarding what is good and safe to eat. But there are many berries which can be deadly poisonous.

For example, Yew berries are the cause of the greatest percentage of berry poisonings each year. The berries are scarlet in colour and about 8 to 10mm in diameter. The berries look deceptively appetising which has resulted in many young children being taken to the emergency room.

Another berry that results in many visits to the hospital emergency room each year is Deadly Nightshade. The clue is in the name, but the trick is being able to recognise the plant. This plant is also commonly known as Belladonna, producing sweet berries that can be irresistibly attractive to young children.

A potential source of protein, although somewhat distasteful to many, are insects. It may seem surprising but most insects are actually edible. Most insect species are actually very low in fat and high in protein, a very healthy form of food.Crickets, grasshoppers, mealworms and wood grubs are all a safe bet. Most taste better after cooking and can even be ground up into an insect flour that can be added to a basic bread mix.

Rabbits, birds and other small animals are all good to eat but can be difficult to catch. This is particularly true if you are lost in the wilderness without any form of weapon. In these circumstances some form of trap will possibly provide the best chance of catching an animal.

You’d be excused for thinking that you will never find yourself lost in the wild, seriously thinking about a supper of insects and berries. But this really could happen to you. All you need to do is stray from a main pathway through a forest and you can quickly become disoriented and be unable to find your way back to the path. That’s when you’ll wish you’d paid more attention to Ray Mears Extreme Survival.

The 1972 production of Deliverance will stay with many a boy as he grows into manhood. A basically simple plot,based upon the novel of the same name by James Dickey has surprising power and is a brooding psychological analysis of modern man being lost in the wilderness and how he struggles to cope with the challenges.Burt Reynolds and Jon Voigt play the main characters, ably supported by Ronny Cox and Ned Beatty.

The plot starts with four urban professionals planning a canoe trip down a wilderness river. The character played by Burt Reynolds is the only one of them with any pretence to being able to cope with the wilderness.

The opening scenes, as they approach the river are memorable for the music score of duelling banjos. But from an early point there are dark overtones which do not presage well for the future.

Very early on in the trip the two canoes get separated and Jon Voigt along with Ned Beatty are assaulted by two hillbilly locals. Burt Reynolds comes to the rescue but in so doing kills one of their attackers.

At this point the group make the fateful decision to try and hide the killing. Effectively they are now playing the same game as their attackers. The rest of the film revolves around their attempted escape down the river. Burt Reynolds breaks his leg and Ronny Cox;s character is killed ( although it is unclear if this is accidental or homicide).

Jon Voigt, who plays probably the most peaceful of all the characters is then forced to climb a canyon wall and kill their attacker. Again they decide to cover up the crimer and finally reach civilisation.

Once they are out of the river the sherif knows something is wrong but has no proof to pursue his suspicions. In what is a final irony it turns out that the river valley is being flooded so that deep waters will make sure that what has happened will be buried for ever.

However Jon Voigt’s character remains haunted by the trip and in a final scene, which presaged the equally famous ending to Stephen King’s Carrie, a hand breaks the surface of the dam and the fingers flex round.

Although comparatively tame when compared to many modern horrow stories it still has a tremendous pull on many young men and starts them thinking about they would survive in the wilderness.

Lakeland bushcraft offer a professional range of survival equipment including Fallkniven survival knives and Lifesaver water bottles.

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