upfront
RAY MEARS
Television’s favourite
bushcraft expert, Ray
Mears, has done
everything from survive
a helicopter crash to
hunting down a serial
killer. About to set out
on his new tour, Ray
speaks to Heather
Arnold about danger,
technology and the
world’s wilderness.
“
In Britain we always talk about being the best
in some way,” states Ray Mears. “We’ve got
to go to the highest, or we’ve got to be the
fastest, or go to the coldest. It seems like a
really odd way of looking at wild places. It’s not my
view. It’s my view that the journey is more important
than the destination.”
Already with a CV that reads like a list several pages
long Ray Mears has just added another project to
his catalogue of achievements. His tour An Evening
With Ray Mears: The Outdoor Life finds its way
to the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff Bay this
month, and promises to provide plenty of advice,
thoughts and stories about the world’s wilderness –
all through the eyes of Mears.
“I’ll speak to people about wild places. Why I go to
them. What they mean to me,” Mears explains. “Very
often people say to me ‘I’d like to go there, but...’ I
think people sort of talk themselves out of it.”
Though a large part of Mears’ show is focussed upon
how wondrous and awe-inspiring the wilderness can
be, he will also getting serious about safety. “There
seems to be a lot of people in their late 20s who now
go after the woodlore life, and some of them are
getting into trouble. They’re not doing basic things.”
Having taught wilderness and bushcraft skills since
1983, Mears is aware of what skills pe ???????????)?????????????????????????????????????)???????????????+?q%?e?????????????????????e??e??????????????)????????????????e??????????????t????????????+?q??????????????????????????????????????)?????????????????????????????????????????) ????? ???????????? ?????5?????????????() Uih???(+?q????????$)????????????)?????????????'?e?)????????????)%?e???????????t)???????e???????????+?q'?e??????????????????????????????????????????)???????????????????????=??????t????????????+?q=?????????????????????????????????????????)??????????????????????????????????????)!??????????????????????????????????e?)?????????????????????????????????t)%???????????????????????????????????QX?????)?????????????????????????I???????????)?????????????????????????????????I????5???)???9?????????????????????+?q%?????????????Q???????????????????????)?????????????????t???????5??????q???$????)?????????????????????????????????????$???)?????????????????????$???????????????????????)??????????????????????????????????????)????????????????'?e?????????????e????$?????]????)??????????????!??e????????????????????+?q ?????$???????????$??????QX????????????)????e???????????????????????????????????????)?????????????????????????????????????????????)?????????????????????????????t()Q?????????????????????????????????5????e?????)????????????????????q'?e???????????????????)???????t?????????q???e?????????'?e?????????)????????$?????????????????? ??$?????????)???????????????????????????t+?q'?e???????????????????????????????????????)???????t????????5??????q$??????????????????)???????????????????????????????? ??$????)?????????$??????e??????????????????????????)??????e????? AL????????????????e???????????)??????????????$??????????????????????????'?e?)?????????????%?e???????????t))??????????????????????U,?????5???????????)????M??????
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