The Forestry Commission is staging a unique sleepover bushcraft event for grown-ups involving building a des res shelter from natural materials, foraging for food and learning how to identify animal tracks on the estate in 3,440 hectare (8,600-acre) Dalby Forest, near Pickering.

The event takes place on Saturday 20 March and again on 15 May and 18 September.

Forest chiefs have staged similar smaller scale day-time events for youngsters for many years and came up with National Den Building Day to celebrate the great outdoors.

Ranger Mark Barker explained: "We found that the adults were just as enthusiastic as the kids, which got us thinking there's scope here to do something quite ambitious.

"Interest in bushcraft has never been higher thanks to such gurus as Ray Mears.

"But it also fits in with a growing belief that we must live more in harmony with our environment and learn to husband natural resources.

"And of course, bushcraft is such tremendous fun and total escapism, a world away from the rat race."

Learning outdoor skills and self-sufficiency has become a way of life and a passion he wants to pass on to others.

Booking for the paid for event is essential, call (01751) 460295 or 472771