Team

Thijmen Apswoude

Eigenaar en Hoofdinstructeur

Nature is the dominant theme in Thijmen’s life. It has been for as long as he can remember. When he was still a young boy, his father used to take him out on a regular basis, to watch the wildlife, tend to bees and to find an altogether sense of serenity in nature. During his father’s twelve-year absence, Thijmen tended to find exactly that in forests everywhere.

Thijmen grew up amongst hunters, nature lovers, bee keepers en many other nature oriented enthusiasts. At the tender age of seventeen, Thijmen moved out being already well groomed to meet nature’s tough demands. It was at this age, with an already high basis, he started developing his know-how of nature by his own initiative. He stocked up on nature themed books, went out to forests with friends and acquaintances and experimented with building shelters, crafting cordage, foraging for food and gaining an overall experience of living in the wild. He not only went by the modern equipment for surviving in such environments, but indulged in learning and adapting the ancient ways of survival. It is then he first coined the term ‘bushcraft’ among friends. Little did anyone know that soon after, at the age of 18, Thijmen would not only be scurrying amongst trees and bushes for pure fun, he would transform his passion into something that has become more than learning. It has become teaching.

His knowledge of living by nature has become so abundant; he’s applied himself to showing others the craft and benefits of the ways of the old. The ways that still apply today. Surviving alone or with a single companion for over five weeks, with no other equipment than a knife, has taught him many things. Not in the least that he found his place.

That place is not where walls of brick and stone keep out the conditions that weary most other people. It is those places where you feel small and at one with nature. Where he doesn’t feel like a citizen but as a human being. “If you’ve never done it before, it’s hard to imagine,” he says, “I became conscious.” Over the past 25 years he has seen many European/Northern/Scandinavian/Canadian/American/Japanese landscapes and the last 15 Years he designed courses for different environments and scenario’s, He developed several courses for bushcraft schools & company’s in Europe and the rest of the world, has been a guest – instructor for companies and founded his own school: Living by Nature, which nowadays is one of the most outstanding schools in primitive and native skills.

(2019) has been full of education with over 300 days of teaching with colleagues and for other schools. His CV is ‘one of a kind’ in bushcraft and entrepreneurship. Runs courses & expedition,

(2023) yes yes, he’d decided to take it more relax and put Quality above Quantity Forever ”he says”

No more 300 days a year, 299 is discussible ?

His speciality is crossing bridges and creating possibilities. He brings together academic and practical education, militaries and citizens and creates courses from a day to over a year! He even teaches a full year program for aspirant Bushcraft instructors.

One thing is most important to him and that is practice what you preach, solo trips with only a knive and nothing more than that spending over 5 weeks in the Swedish wilderness is nothing new to him

He is adamant in everything he is doing in nature and with his company. He intends to let people get acquainted with ‘the bushcraft experience’ and to realise what it’s like to forego many ways of modern civilisation. “People ask me frequently how I started in the bushcraft world and what makes me a ‘bushcrafter’,” he says, “I reply by saying I was raised that way.”

Besides all his knowledge and expertise, Thijmen is also a sincere and fun guy to be with, he has a taste of humour and surprise you with a funny joke or either something big he just happened to organise in a minute, like a 7 course dinner on a bushcraft event.

Never a dull moment with Thijmen around.