TheCourier.co.uk
“Survival expert Ray Mears has travelled to the four corners of the globe in his quest for knowledge — but could he cope out in the famously unforgiving Highlands? Ahead of a talk he will be giving in Perth, Kirsten Johnson of The Courier learns what inspires the intrepid adventurer and picks up some top tips on how to make the most of Scotland’s dramatic scenery.”
You can now read this article in full from the link below:
Ray Mears shuns life with the in crowd
Tackling the bow drill method of fire lighting on the Fundamental Bushcraft course
A new photo gallery is now online showcasing just some of the goings-on from our Fundamental Bushcraft courses from 2009 to 2010, including fire lighting, shelter building and spoon carving techniques:
Fundamental Bushcraft Photo Gallery
Spaces on our 2011 Fundamental Bushcraft courses are now live on our website and available to book.
DailyRecord.co.uk
In the lead-up to Ray Mears’ forthcoming lecture tour across Scotland and Ireland this year, Ray was recently interviewed by the Scottish Daily Record.
The interview covers, amongst many other subjects, “what Ray thinks about the prospect of re-introducing wolves to Scotland, what we should do about urban fox attacks and how he feels about being mistaken for Daybreak’s Adrian Chiles…”
You can read the full interview with Ray from the following link:
Ray Mears: Why I won’t be hunting Nessie during tour of Scotland
The hand-forged knife blade
The Hand-forged Knife Blade is a great piece of kit to have if you’re one to get hands-on with your bushcraft gear.
Made using traditional forging techniques by esteemed Swedish blacksmith Julius Pettersson (as seen in the ‘Sweden’ episode of Bushcraft Survival Series 2), each carbon steel blade comes ready to be fitted with your own handle, allowing you to be creative and finish off your very own custom tool.
Rupert Farnsworth, a customer of ours who purchased one of these blades back in 2009, kindly sent in some photos of the blade that his son Max had worked on, producing a fantastic-looking finished knife:
Max’s knife blade and working materials
The following story and fantastic photos were kindly supplied by Woodlore customer Dan Metcalf and his family:
To Ray Mears & the Woodlore Team,
I have just returned from a family canoeing trip in Minnesota, USA (BWCA, Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness). I was up there with my 69-year old father and three brothers (30-45 years old). We paddled about 40 miles and portaged about 10+ miles in 6 days.
The Metcalfs heading out into the BWCA at Moose Lake; left to right – Bob, Dan, Seth, Andy
Patrick Jansen, a customer of Woodlore’s who purchased one of our Large Crooked Knife Blades earlier this year, kindly sent in some photos of his finished knife, complete with an engraved handle made from common walnut:
Patrick’s finished knife
BBC Wildlife Magazine online
How do you become at one with the landscape and follow the animals that live there? Well, BBC Wildlife Magazine spent a day in the woods with Ray Mears and asked that exact question.
You can now read the full interview with Ray online, complete with useful tracking insights and stories from his past adventures, from the following link:
Ray Mears: How to track wildlife
If you’re interested in learning about tracking and giving it a go yourself, why not take a look at our Woodlore Tracking course, or the Animal Tracks & Signs guide book.
The following text and excellent photographs were kindly sent in by Woodlore customer James North:
Dear Woodlore,
I have just returned from my month-long trip to Tanzania and would like to thank you for all your help you gave me when I phoned to ask about equipment. My Rogue boots were sublime, my Golden Eagle sleeping bag kept me toasty even at 4,000 m and my Karrimor SF rucksack was solid throughout the trip.
James North (left) with friend Jack Greenyer, at the summit of Mount Meru in Tanzania
An excellent selection of staff and student photos are now available to view in the Woodlore Photo Galleries area for the first ever Woodlore Wilderness First Aid course, which took place earlier this month. Be warned though, they’re not for the squeamish…
Woodlore instructor James Bath on the WEM2 course
Field staff member Tom with students during one of the navigation tasks
Last week we ran our first ever Junior Expedition Skills course. This is an advanced course for our younger woodloreans who have already completed the Junior Fundamental Bushcraft course, and are looking for ways to advance their skills in the field. Continue reading
The Ray Mears & Woodlore Bushcraft Blog 