Private sessions & outdoor skills
Tracking & Mantracking Courses in Devon
Learn to notice the signs most people walk straight past.
Tracking is the practical skill of reading signs left by people and animals as they move through a landscape. Our tracking and mantracking training in Devon develops observation, sign awareness and trail-reading through hands-on outdoor learning.
Practical tracking skills
Good tracking is not about guessing. It is about slowing down, observing carefully and building a picture from small pieces of evidence. Training can include identifying and interpreting footprints, disturbed vegetation, compressed ground, broken material, direction of travel and other signs that help a tracker follow a trail.
What you can learn
- How to search for and recognise track and sign
- Footprint and ground-sign awareness
- Reading disturbance in vegetation and natural surfaces
- Direction-of-travel indicators
- Developing observation and attention to detail
- Following a trail methodically
- Understanding how weather, terrain and time affect sign
- Practical exercises in outdoor environments
What is mantracking?
Mantracking focuses specifically on recognising and following signs created by human movement. The principles overlap with wider tracking skills but the exercises concentrate on the subtle evidence people leave behind as they travel through woodland and other terrain.
It is a fascinating skill for bushcraft practitioners, outdoors people and anyone interested in becoming more observant in the natural environment.
Tracking courses for beginners
You do not need previous tracking experience. Introductory training starts with the fundamentals and gives you time to practise what you have been shown. The aim is to develop a repeatable method rather than simply showing you a collection of tracks.
Tracking as part of bushcraft training
Tracking fits naturally alongside other traditional outdoor skills. If you want broader practical training, explore our bushcraft courses in Devon and survival courses in Devon.
For a session built specifically around your group, see our private bushcraft experiences.
Previous specialist mantracking training
Devon and Cornwall Bushcraft has hosted specialist basic mantracking training with tracking instructor Kyt Lyn Walken. Our existing guide, Basic Mantracking Skills: How to Read the Trail in Devon, gives an introduction to the subject and the way trackers begin interpreting signs in the landscape.
Where is the training held?
Training arrangements vary depending on the course or private booking. We operate in Devon and across the wider South West, using suitable outdoor environments for practical skills. Check our Courses & Events for scheduled training or contact us about a private session.
Can groups book tracking training?
Yes. Tracking can work well as a focused private session or as one element of a broader bushcraft experience. Tell us the group size, ages where relevant, previous experience and what you would like to get from the training.
Develop your tracking skills
Whether you are completely new to tracking or want to sharpen your observation skills, contact us to discuss scheduled courses and private training.