The Coastal Forager

3 Days of Coastal Foraging, Fishing & Wilderness Cookery
In Partnership with Mark Williams of Galloway Wild Foods

LOCATION

Galloway Coast

PLACES

2026 DATES

30 April - 3 May

PRICE

£595

inc. camping & catering

BOOK NOW

Through Galloway Wild Foods Website

HERE

This exciting collaboration sees the Wilderness Folk School once again team up with wild food educator Mark Williams of Galloway Wild Foods for an immersive 3 days of coastal foraging, wilderness cookery, fishing and bushcraft.

This is the coastal version of our very popular Autumn Fungi Camp in Perthshire. 2026 will be the first one, but here’s what an attendee said about our 2024 Autumn Fungi Camp:

“This was absolutely THE BEST! Mark, Steven and Hannah led us through a wonderful few days, looked after us, informed us, fed us, inspired us, entertained us and made the whole weekend amazing. Thanks to all my fellow weekenders for great company and fun.” – Charlotte Flower, Perthshire Fungi Camp 2024 Attendee.

This long weekend consists of guided walks, talks, forays, presentations, workshops, hands-on cookery and relaxed camp living. We will be based at a stunning private estate in the far South West of Scotland where mature forests roll down to the sea. Expect wood smoke, parachute shelters, delicious food and deep immersion (but hopefully not submersion!) in Galloway’s incredible coastal foodscapes.

The location and timing of this event allow us access to a wide range of coastal vegetables, seaweeds and shellfish in their prime, and coastal forests full of aromatic shoots and herbs. The event is suitable for foraging novices, as well as those with a good grounding in woodland/hedgerow foraging looking to expand their repertoire, and meet like-minded people in a beautiful location.

“MAGICAL 5 star weekend – instructors, other course members, location, itinerary, the campsite, food and cocktails. I learned so much and look forward to booking on more courses with these guys. If you are thinking of booking on a course don’t hesitate!”

Caroline Dennison, 2024 Perthshire Fungi Camp Attendee

What We Will Cover On This Coastal Foraging Course?

This long weekend is designed to give a full and rounded insight into coastal foraging, as covered in Mark’s forthcoming book “The Coastal Forager” – including the identification, sensitive harvesting, cooking and preservation of coastal wild foods.

Camp life and outdoor skills will also be a core part of the weekend and you can expect plenty of expert guidance around wild camping and cookery skills throughout. The course includes walks, talks, hands-on workshops, wild food cookery using open fires, discussion of the most useful foraging textbooks, and exploration of a diverse range of coastal habitats.

coastal foraging on the galloway coast with Mark Williams

Coastal Foraging Course Syllabus includes:

Foraging for:

Coastal vegetables such as sea beet, sea kale, sea sandwort, sea radish and lots more
Seaweeds – well timed forays for low spring tides to meet 20 or so of the tastiest.
Shellfish – we’ll explore the safe and sustainable harvesting of shellfish, and those that wish can enjoy eating them
Woodland and hedgerow plants and herbs

Bushcraft & Other Skills

Sea fishing techniques
Staying safe on the coast
Considerations around pollution, and how to avoid it
Fish skills – filleting, smoking, cooking
Fire lighting, management and specific fire lays for cooking
Wood choice for cooking fires, hot-smoking and poisonous woods to avoid
Underground (steam-pit) cookery

coastal forager bushcraft camp lit up at night

A warm and homely communal camp for workshops and cooking and sampling Mark's 'wild cocktail bar!'

Coastal Foraging Course Details

This course is run from a spectacular private estate near Stranraer in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. Dunskey Estate is a thoroughly perfect location for a coastal foraging camp, with access to sea cliffs, beaches, rocky shores and majestic woodland.

Full joining instructions will be sent out in advance of the course.

collecting seaweeds on a coastal foraging course in scotland

Please contact us if you are unsure about any of the items on the kit list

CLOTHING

Underwear/socks for the duration of the course
2/3 pairs of trousers - ideally robust yet quick drying.
2/3 base layers - t shirts or merino wool
Mid- range layer - light fleece or wool shirt
Warm layer - larger fleece/wool jumper
Waterproof and windproof jacket
Waterproof trousers
Warm hat and gloves
Scarf for colder months
1 pair sturdy waterproof boots
1 pair of camp shoes - old trainers are ideal.

EQUIPMENT

Small day sack (35 litres or so)
Dry bag for waterproofing items for day walks
Tent - MAKE SURE IT IS SUITABLE IN ADVANCE!
Sleeping pad/mat (closed-cell foam min 15mm, inflatable pads are good but not thick inflatable mattress style beds).
Sleeping bag, 4 season or two lighter bags (People are most often too cold not too hot! Make sure your bag is up to the job!)
Headtorch and spare batteries
Powerbank and phone charging cable
Wash kit, towel and swimming kit for the river (optional!)
Personal medication and small first aid kit
Sun block
Insect repellant - we like Smidge, it works well on our midges
Midge headnet (only in case of infrequent bad evenings) - best are also made by 'Smidge'.
Bowl, plate, mug, knife fork, spoon.
Water bottle
Notebook and pencil

OPTIONAL

Binoculars
camera
Books
Knife - no cutting tools are necessary as we will provide all tools

Travel and arrival - Detailed joining instructions will be sent out to you well in advance of the course commencing. This will include where to meet and parking arrangements.
Accommodation - This course includes on-site camping. You will need to provide your own tent/tarp and hammock or other. PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU HAVE CHECKED THIS TENT IS SUITABLE IN ADVANCE. We may be able to loan you a tent if you are stuck. Camping is wild but there are flat sites. All other facilities are provided including large group areas, a kitchen and a toilet. There may be an option to stay offsite and join us each day, but you must contact us in advance if you would like to do this and you will be responsible for making your own way in/out of camp each day.
Food and Drink - This course is fully catered from the first evening dinner until lunch the final day. We can cater for most common dietary requirements including vegetarians and pescatarians but we ask people with celiac disease or other dietary requirements to inform us upon booking so we can make sure that we can cater for you. We have an ample drinking water on site. We will provide some alcohol as part of the course but we urge people to be sensible. For this reason we ask people not to bring their own alcohol.
Weather/conditions. We will set up a camp that will provide adequate food and shelter to keep you comfortable in all weather. We are in Scotland however and so weather can be changeable and unpredictable! Please make sure you bring suitable clothing as per the kit list and contact us if you are at all unsure about what to bring. Courses will not be cancelled due to bad weather.
Age requirements - 16 - 18 welcome if accompanied by an adult, otherwise 18+.
Fitness/ability - Our courses are not strenuous, but they all require a minimum level of fitness. Aside from some craft courses, most courses involve walks out from camp on woodland paths or over some uneven ground. As a guide, you should therefore be fit and able enough to cope with walks of up to about 3km over this terrain. There will be a walk of around 1.5km from the parking site to base camp, we will however be able to drive your gear in for you so you don't have to carry it. Our courses are also hands-on experiences which are educational and we expect students to get involved and not view the course as a normal holiday or demonstration style event.
Payment - Booking are with Galloway Wild Foods and their Terms and Conditions apply.
Insurance - We have comprehensive liability insurance and risk assessments, but we recommend that you have a basic level of insurance which covers yourself and your possessions for adventurous activity - no outdoor activity is free from all risk.
First Aid/Medical - Your course leader will be trained to First Response Emergency Care level 4 (Ambulance ECA) and will carry a comprehensive first aid kit with the group at all times. Please bring with you plenty of any required personal medication.
Toilets/showers - We set up a 'woodland composting toilet' - private tent with toilet seat over a big hole. It's hygienic, pleasant, ecologically sensitive to our special sites and private. We dig a fresh hole for every group. Stream/sea washing is optional but there will be no showers available.

What happens if I'm late for a course? Please keep us informed on your journey if you are going to be late.

Where do I park and is it safe? Parking is safe and private. Full joining instructions will be sent out in advance of the course.

Do you allow dogs? I'm afraid not. In our experience dogs are very hard to manage around food and course activities so unfortunately we have a no dog policy.

Is there phone signal and charging available? There is good signal at most of our locations. We have no onsite power so please bring a powerbank for charging.

Do most people come on their own? Yes they do, and enjoy the welcoming atmosphere and like-minded people. We also have many people that choose to come with a friend or family member who also wants to have an awesome time.

Do I need prior experience? Not at all. Some courses are aimed at a more advanced level but this is made clear in the course description. Most courses cater for all abilities including absolute beginners.

Are there any hazards or risks I should be aware of? There's no such thing as completely risk-free outdoor activities. We have 20 years of experience of bushcraft and running these types of courses so rest assured the risks have been carefully assessed and mitigated as best as is possible. You are in good hands and a full safety brief will be given for all activities. There are ticks present in the woods (like almost all UK woodlands which have a deer population) but you will receive a brief and the risks from Lyme disease are minimal.

Are there midges? Midges are not an issue at this location.

Can you give advice on accommodation and the local area? Yes, please contact Galloway Wild Foods for local info.

What is your cancellation policy? Full terms and conditions are available at Galloway Wild Foods Website.