Joe O'Leary - (Wilderness Survival Skills)

Joe O'Leary has been a soldier, carpenter, furniture maker and full time wilderness survival instructor running his own busy bushcraft school for 17 years but the one thing that has remained constant throughout his life is his passion for the great outdoors and an overwhelming desire to learn everything there is to know about self-reliance in the wilds.

As a boy, Joe spent as much time as possible exploring the local woodlands, inspired by books such as Danny, Champion of the World and Brendon Chase, in fact any source of countryside knowledge and tales of carving an existence from the natural world.  As soon as he was able to spend nights out in the woods (which involved some carefully planned fibs in the early days) almost every weekend was filled with campouts and hare-brained adventures.

Nights were spent in natural shelters, food was nearly always caught in a variety of ingenious ways, everything cooked on an open fire, much of it spent hiding from the local gamekeeper. These early experiences stood him in good stead for an eight year stint in the Army as a Combat Engineer during which time he met his wife, learnt his trade as a carpenter and joiner and greatly expanded his knowledge of field craft.

After leaving the Army he continued to develop his knowledge of survival skills learning first hand from some of the best bushcraft instructors in the UK. Taking his inspiration from these experienced practitioners and deciding that the best way to learn is to teach, in 2002 he became an instructor for a well established survival school where his reputation for hand carving wooden cups, bowls and spoons through the night whilst eating vast amounts of chocolate became legendary.

Keen to go beyond basic survival training and with a deep rooted passion for self reliance, traditional woodland crafts and ancient technology, in 2007 he started his own company 'Wilderness Survival Skills' which grew to become one of the most well known and respected full time bushcraft schools in the UK.

Bush 'crafts' featured heavily in his course program and during the 17 years that followed he introduced the UK bushcraft course-going community to many pioneering course concepts, some of which have now been adopted by other schools around the country.

Having a naturally inquisitive and inventive nature almost no craft is safe!  Joe has developed a broad skill base over time, crafting all manner of items for using out in the woods or bringing a little of the woods into your home.  The list is long - furniture made from reclaimed wood, furniture made in the woods and from the woods, items carved from wood, made from bark, woven from willow, various leathers tanned using bark and smoke, footwear and equipment crafted from leather, even hand made clothing and kit using both traditional and technical fabrics intended for harsh outdoor environments!

He believes that this crafty mindset is hugely valuable for helping people to regain control and focus in what has become a crazy and confusing world, but also to better understand, respect and fully appreciate how important wild places have been to us in the past, are now in the present and will be in the future.

Joe is a published author with The Wilderness Survival Guide and is currently working on a new 'how-to' book focussed on hand crafting all your own outdoor kit, clothing and equipment!  His hand made crafts and furniture can be found for sale here.