A survey shows millennials are missing out on practical skills such as map reading or fishing, compared to their grandparents’ generation.



More than half of young adults were unable to tie a single knot and 40 per cent had never swum in open water, despite Britain being an island nation.



The poll, conducted ahead of the London Boat Show, found simple life skills have been left behind with advances in technology.



Researchers also found that most people under the age of 44 prefer to use Google Maps and Sat Navs to get around, but half of over-55s stick to a paper street map.



Just a third of the 2,000 surveyed know how to spark a flame by natural means, with less than a third having caught their own fish or seafood.



Those born before 1950 were also three times more likely to be able to tie a sheepshank knot compared with those born in the 1990s. And the survey also revealed that 44 per cent have never actually been camping.



A London Boat Show spokeswoman said: “Despite the rise of TV shows such as I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here and Bear Grylls: Born Survivor, young people lack basic survival skills such as building a fire or catching food.”