The Bushcraft Company

What The Bushcraft Company does

The Bushcraft Company is a UK-based outdoor adventure travel agency that designs and delivers residential and day-trip bushcraft experiences for school groups, founded in 2008/2009 and headquartered in Abingdon, Oxfordshire. It operates five exclusive woodland sites across England — Castle Howard (Yorkshire), Boughton Woods (Northamptonshire), Penshurst Place (Kent), Badminton Woods (Gloucestershire), and Cuffley Woods (Hertfordshire, acquired) — where students aged 7-14 engage in hands-on bushcraft activities including fire lighting, shelter building, trap building, target sports, and wilderness cooking, accommodated in safari-style bell tents.

The product portfolio is structured by duration (1 Day, 2 Day, 3 Day, and 5 Day Residentials) and audience (UK Primary Schools, UK Secondary Schools, SEND schools, and Multi-Academy Trusts), priced from £99 to £355 per student depending on season and length. Supporting infrastructure includes a Teacher Portal for booking management, Salesforce-integrated brochure capture, and Calendly-driven sales consultations, while operational compliance is underpinned by five recognized safety accreditations (BAPA, LOTC, Adventuremark, RoSPA, IOL).

The business operates as a subsidiary of the Active Learning Group (ALG Cognita Limited), a diversified experiential-learning conglomerate with 65+ locations, 500+ seasonal staff, and 38,000+ young people served annually across the UK, Ireland, USA, and Canada. Revenue is generated on a transactional per-student basis with a non-refundable holding deposit and minimum cohort size of ~30 students; an exclusive partnership with QCT (Quality Coach Travel) provides bundled coach logistics, and an Evertreen partnership links each booking to a tree planted in Madagascar. Go-to-market is sales-led, targeting UK schools through direct enterprise outreach, content marketing, and event sponsorship (The Bushcraft Show), with seasonal demand concentrated May-October at four of the five sites.

Name

The Bushcraft Company

Legal name

THE BUSHCRAFT COMPANY LTD

Website

https://thebushcraftcompany.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The Bushcraft Company is a UK-based outdoor education provider delivering 1-5 day residential and day bushcraft trips for over 400 primary, secondary, SEND, and Multi-Academy Trust schools annually across five exclusive private woodland sites in England, operating as a subsidiary of the Active Learning Group.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Outdoor Education / School Residential Trips

NAICS

RV (Recreational Vehicle) Parks and Recreational Camps (7212)

SIC

Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Outdoor & Wilderness Education Schools (Field-Based Learning) (THAAAOAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth Adventure Camps & Summer Programs (THAAAOAB), Outdoor & Survival Skills Lessons (Bushcraft, Navigation, Foraging) (THAJAKAM)

Keywords

• Outdoor education trips
• School residential camps
• Bushcraft experiences
• Experiential learning programs
• Wilderness adventure travel

Headquarters

HQ city

Abingdon

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. School residential trip fees: Per-student fees for multi-day bushcraft residential experiences ranging from 1-5 days. Pricing varies by season (summer vs autumn) and duration. Schools receive dedicated camps with exclusive access to facilities and activities.
2. Teacher/staff ratio fees: Additional charges apply for extra teachers beyond the included ratio of 1:10, charged at 10% rate of per student price. SEN 1:1 support is free beyond the standard ratio.
3. Coach travel partnership: Partnership with QCT (Quality Coach Travel) for exclusive coach rates - provides convenience for schools but is a pass-through arrangement.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

The Bushcraft Company operates residential bushcraft school trips of 1 to 5 days at five private UK woodland estates, providing immersive outdoor learning experiences for primary, secondary, SEND schools and Multi-Academy Trusts. Programmes include fire lighting, shelter building, wilderness cooking, target sports, and team-building activities, with overnight accommodation in safari-style bell tents and catering prepared on-site. The company also offers 1-day trips and a Teacher Portal for booking administration.

Product overview

The Bushcraft Company operates a platform of outdoor education school trip products built around its core Bushcraft Camps offering. The portfolio spans four residential duration options (1 Day, 2 Day, 3 Day, and 5 Day programmes) serving primary and secondary schools, SEND students, and Multi-Academy Trusts. All camps feature hands-on bushcraft activities including fire lighting, shelter building, trap building, and target sports, delivered at five UK woodland locations with accommodation in safari-style bell tents. The company also provides a Teacher Portal for booking management and trip administration. Priced from £99 per student for 2-day trips up to £355 per student for summer 5-day residentials.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bushcraft Camps Flagship residential offering providing immersive multi-day outdoor bushcraft experiences for school groups, including fire lighting, shelter building, trap building, target sports and wilderness cooking with overnight accommodation in safari-style bell tents.
• 1 Day Trips Day-long outdoor adventure experiences at woodland locations for schools, providing a condensed bushcraft programme without overnight accommodation.
• 2 Day Residentials Short overnight bushcraft stays including evening campfire activities and sleeping in bell tents under the stars; priced from £99 per student.
• 3 Day Residentials Two-night wilderness camping experiences with full bushcraft activity programmes; Summer £195 per student, Autumn £175 per student (2024 guideline prices).
• 5 Day Residentials Week-long immersive residentials offering the most comprehensive bushcraft experience, covering fire building, animal tracking, shelter building, target sports, wilderness first aid and foraging; Summer £355 per student, Autumn £340 per student (2024 guideline prices).
• Primary School Trips Age-appropriate bushcraft experiences designed for Year 3 to Year 6 students (Key Stage 2, ages 7–11), focusing on survival simulations, shelter building, and life-saving first aid in engaging hands-on formats.
• Secondary School Trips Bushcraft residentials tailored for Year 7 and secondary school students (ages 11–14), featuring advanced challenges including survival scenarios, advanced shelter building, and first aid training to build confidence and resilience.
• SEND School Trips Specialist bushcraft experiences equipped to support students with special educational needs and disabilities, with dedicated trained staff building strong relationships and ensuring inclusive participation; free SEN 1:1 support beyond the standard 1:10 ratio.
• Multi-Academy Trust Residentials Tailored bushcraft programmes for Multi-Academy Trust groups, designed to accommodate multiple schools within a MAT under unified booking arrangements and consistent delivery standards.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 400 schools visit annually with each school receiving their own private camp
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• EvertreencoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2026Partnership announced in 2026 where every school trip booking results in a tree being planted in Madagascar through Evertreen's reforestation programme. Evertreen uses GPS field verification, drone mapping, and satellite monitoring to track planting sites. The partnership aligns with The Bushcraft Company's mission to connect young people with nature and inspire environmental stewardship.
• QCT – Quality Coach TravelminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Exclusive partnership providing schools with access to preferential coach travel rates. QCT provides lower costs, reliable punctual coaches, DBS-checked drivers trusted by schools across the UK. Simplifies logistics for schools and reduces total trip cost.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Active Learning Centres: Sister brand under Active Learning Group delivering outdoor education residentials for schools across woods, coast, and mountains. Most directly comparable in product, customer base, and delivery model; competes internally for the same school buyers within the ALG portfolio.
• Camp Wilderness: Sister ALG brand offering back-to-basics overnight summer camps for children with unplug/rewild focus. Directly comparable in target audience (UK children) and outdoor ethos, though positioned for holiday periods rather than school-term residentials.
• Robinwood Activity Centres: UK provider of multi-activity residential school trips at three centres. Directly comparable in serving UK primary schools with residential programmes, though their product is activity-carousel rather than single-discipline bushcraft.

Broad incumbents

• Kingswood: Largest UK outdoor education and adventure centre operator with multiple UK residential centres offering multi-activity programmes to schools. Comparable customer base and GTM (school residentials) but a much broader activity portfolio and larger scale.
• PGL Travel: Major UK outdoor adventure and education provider with extensive residential centres serving school groups and families. Direct competitor in the school residential space with multi-activity focus; significantly larger scale and brand recognition.

Others

• The Ardmore Group: Sister ALG brand focused on language learning experiences connecting international junior students. Comparable through shared ALG parent platform and overlapping residential infrastructure, but serves different end customers (international language students vs. UK school pupils).

Regional players

• SuperCamps: Sister ALG brand providing school holiday activity day camps across UK. Comparable in targeting children and operating under ALG, but delivers daytime holiday camps rather than residential bushcraft experiences.
• Cuffley Camp: Historical operator of the Cuffley Woods site prior to The Bushcraft Company's acquisition. Comparable historical context as a year-round outdoor education centre in Hertfordshire; relevant for understanding the inherited customer base and site reputation.

Emerging players

• Bushcraft Experiences Ltd: Smaller UK bushcraft activity provider offering school workshops and adult experiences. Directly comparable in core bushcraft subject matter, though narrower scale and limited residential offering compared to The Bushcraft Company.
• Hollowford Centre: UK outdoor education centre in the Peak District offering residential school trips focused on adventure activities. Comparable in serving UK school groups with residential outdoor programmes, though not specialist bushcraft.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/BushcraftOnline
• Instagraminstagram.com/thebushcraftcompany
• Facebookfacebook.com/thebushcraftcompany
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-bushcraft-company

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Bushcraft Company