Who cares wins! Grylls’ SAS-style course...with PPE
HE has beaten starvation by eating bugs in some of the world’s most inhospitable locations and famously taught TV viewers to survive in a sandstorm by sleeping inside the carcass of a dead camel – not to mention serving with the SAS.
But thrill-seekers signing up for Bear Grylls’ survival courses in the Highlands – the first since lockdown – might be surprised at the kit now being handed out... face masks and aprons.
Strict health and safety measures have been imposed to allow his Survival Academy at Alladale Wilderness Reserve, in Sutherland, to reopen – meaning adventurers will be asked to wear personal protection equipment (PPE) and have regular temperature checks.
The Eton-educated star, 46 – whose hit shows include Running Wild with Bear Grylls – said: ‘Safety is our top priority and we are making sure all necessary safety requirements are in place so we are ready to start running courses as soon as Government guidelines permit. All of our instructors have been trained on Covid-19 safety protocols and will use face masks, gloves, aprons and eye protection as necessary.
‘All participants will be asked to sign a Covid-19 acknowledgement of risk form and agree to temperature checks before being allowed to take part in course activities.’ The pandemic meant the first two of the bushcraft expert’s survival courses could not take place this year, but the next pair are due to go ahead in August and September.
‘Survive the Highlands’ begins with a three-day course in Grylls’s techniques for coping in the wilderness and finishes with a 30hour mountain journey.
The ‘intense survival course’ – which costs £1,590 per person and is limited to 12 participants each time – follows the same format of his TV shows. The accommodation is outdoors in a tent and participants forage for wild food, grubs and other insects.
In the past, close teamwork has been key as instructors urge on weary participants, but socially distancing will now be vital.
Other changes being brought in include minimising the handling of equipment, handwashing and sanitation at regular intervals and people having to refrain from gatherings.
The course’s lead instructor, Martin Norton, said: ‘Covid-19 has changed the way that we do our courses and safety is our number one concern. Our courses will still be fun, fast and dynamic and an unforgettable experience.’