SEASON 1 ========= Episode 1 ABORIGINAL BRITAIN How did hunter-gatherers survive in Stone Age Britain? From flint-napping and bow-making to fire-lighting and cooking venison, Mears uses replicas of tools from that era to demonstrate – and celebrate – Britain’s lost bushcraft skills. Episode 2 JUNGLE CAMP "No matter how many times I return to the jungle I always forget just how awe inspiring it is." And for Ray Mears, the Amazon's human inhabitants are no less impressive. As he sets up camp outside a remote village, Ray is joined by three of the Yekuana people. From building a shelter out of bark, to treating illness with plants, they instruct Ray in some of the numerous skills necessary to their survival. Mears maintains that their technology is just as sophisticated as ours, only different. Can he teach his new friends something in return? Episode 3 JUNGLE TREK Ray treks along a traditional trading path through the Amazon jungle. The path runs in the shadow of incredible mountain formations called Tepui. These flat-topped mountains inspired Conan Doyle's tale of living dinosaurs in The Lost World. En route, Ray finds spectacular waterfalls, clouds of butterflies and one of the most beautiful villages on Earth. Episode 4 AFRICA CAMP Ray travels to Africa, to the home of bushcraft. The Hadza of Tanzania is one of the few remaining tribes of bona fide hunter-gatherers on Earth. Theirs is a way of life that demonstrates a profound connection to the natural world. As he spends time with the tribe and films them, Ray explains why he has such deep respect for their way of life. Episode 5 AFRICA SAFARI Safari is the Swahili word for journey, and for Ray Mears the only way to get a true feeling for the world around you is to tackle a safari on foot. The survival expert teams up with a Masai warrior in Tanzania and, with the aid of bushcraft, walks through a valley thronging with wild animals, makes use of the plants, and sleeps out beneath the stars. SEASON 2 ========= Episode 6 BIRCHBARK CANOE In Canada, a quarter of which is water, Ray learns the ancient Indian craft of creating a canoe from birch bark. Every log has to be split by hand and every cut judged by eye. It’s held together entirely by roots and resin. Experienced Algonquin canoe maker Pinock Smith – one of the few traditional craftsmen left – allies his experience with Ray’s skills to create the perfect natural vessel. Episode 7 CANOE JOURNEY Ray travels by canoe through the Canadian wilderness along a river that was once an arterial route for the fur trade, and encounters moose and beaver on the way, along with canoe expert Ray Goodwin. Episode 8 AMERICA Ray takes a journey into America’s past as he travels in the footsteps of Jim Bridger, one of the mountain men who opened up the route to the Pacific Coast of America. Ray makes a bull boat using willow and buffalo skin and spends time with the Shoshone. Episode 9 SWEDEN One country where the ancient skills of Bushcraft are alive and in daily use in. Lars joins Ray to share the campfire and discuss some of the Swedish traditions and cook a salmon. He shows how pine tar is made and used on traditional skis before spending time with the Sami people and Yana sings for us. Episode 10 FOUR SEASONS In the final episode, Ray comes home to Britain and shows how bushcraft brings a new perspective to our countryside and its changing seasons. From foraging pig nuts to a salad made with lime leaves, he points out the foods and plants that are available and explains why he loves to be out all year round. He says: “If I think about one lifetime, maybe we have 80 years if we’re lucky. That’s not many seasons to be out. If we only come out in the summer, we’ve missed out on three-quarters of a lifetime.”