The Art of the Bow Drill

It was a beautiful sunny spring Sunday in Stanmer Park, Brighton. Perfect for learning the art of the bow drill in our Wild Fire Masterclass, led by Robert Fallon of Wild Nature.

Making a fire by rubbing two sticks together is more than a fun project, it’s also the most reliable way to start a fire - and anyone can do it - once you know how.

Imagine you're lost in the woods on a camping trip. You have no matches or lighters and it’s getting dark. Using a bow drill - an ancient way of creating hot friction between two pieces of wood - you can make a fire with relatively easy-to-find materials.

In this masterclass, we first made our own bow drill kit, and then worked on the technique to get it to work. It takes a while to get it working: it requires a combination of correct body posture, the right pressure, persistence and patience!

Pictures from the day, below.