Author Archives: Woodlore Limited

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About Woodlore Limited

Woodlore, The School of Wilderness Bushcraft, was founded in 1983 by the British Bushcraft expert, Ray Mears. Paving the way for Bushcraft courses in the UK, Woodlore began with Ray teaching small groups of students the knowledge and techniques that he had spent most of his early life honing. With Ray’s ambition and perserverance, Woodlore has since grown into a world-renowned and highly respected school, offering in-depth courses on a wide range of bushcraft and survival subjects.

The Spyderco Ray Mears WolfSpyder Knife – Now Available to Order

We are pleased to announce that the long-awaited Spyderco Ray Mears WolfSpyder Knife is now available to order, exclusively through Woodlore. For further details or to place your order, please click here.

The Spyderco Ray Mears WolfSpyder Knife

The Spyderco Ray Mears WolfSpyder Knife

The WolfSpyder Knife is an exclusive collaboration between Ray Mears and the prestigious American knife makers Spyderco. It is the first ever folding knife to be designed by Ray Mears.

Meet Woodlore’s Instructors: Brian Fox

Since Woodlore’s inception many decades ago, our aim has always been to offer the most prestigious level of training in bushcraft and wilderness survival skills. As such, we pride ourselves on our dedicated team of instructors, whose passion for the subject shines through in their teaching.

And so it is with great pleasure that we introduce a new series of blog posts today focusing on individual members of our team. If you’ve been thinking about booking a course with Woodlore, here is your chance to get to know the instructors who may be guiding you this year.

Brian Fox

Brian Fox

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See the Spyderco Ray Mears WolfSpyder Knife in Production

Step inside Spyderco’s renowned Golden, Colorado factory as the Ray Mears WolfSpyder Knife is produced:

The WolfSpyder Knife is an exclusive collaboration between Ray Mears and the prestigious American knife makers Spyderco. It is the first ever folding knife to be designed by Ray Mears, and is available to order exclusively through Woodlore. For full details, please click here.

Becoming a Woodlore Aspirant Instructor

We are delighted to announce that Steve Corbyn has joined the ranks of Aspirant Instructor in our field team, after passing the rigorous test set by Woodlore this winter.  We look forward to seeing Steve bring his excellent leadership skills to many courses in the future.  Steve had the following words to say about his experience:

Woodlore Aspirant Instructor Steve Corbyn

Woodlore Aspirant Instructor Steve Corbyn

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Final Preparations for the Season Ahead

The following post was written by Woodlore’s Head of Operations, Dan Hume, with regard to this year’s annual staff training in East Sussex:

This week saw another successful passing of the annual field staff training at Woodlore, and our dedicated team of instructors are now poised and ready for the exciting course season ahead which begins with the first British courses early next month.

As our clients will attest, many of the bush skills Woodlore teaches are perishable and so even the fundamentals of bushcraft must be practiced regularly to avoid deterioration. Every year the team gets together to both catch up with each other after the winter and to maintain, refresh and extend their knowledge of a selection of crucial skills. And this year was no different.

This time we concentrated on a small but important selection of subjects; cordage making was the first, being much more of a challenge outside of the summer months due to the availability of suitable materials. Nevertheless, we went out into the forest to collect natural fibres before turning them into beautiful and functional cord.

We then looked at several trapping techniques gathered from around the world, from Africa to Scandinavia and of course here in Britain too. Travelling in the wilderness is made far safer if knowledge of how to feed a party is possessed by those involved. It is similar to first aid knowledge; you hope you never have to use it but it is there if you need to rely on it. It also breeds confidence as you relax in the knowledge that you can look after yourself and those accompanying you in a crisis.

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Aspirant Instructor Sarah Day prepares a warming meal for lunch in the Dutch oven

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Woodlore and Ray Mears Unveil the Spyderco WolfSpyder Knife

Woodlore is proud to finally reveal the Spyderco WolfSpyder Knife, a unique collaboration between Ray Mears and the prestigious Colorado-based knife makers. It is the first ever folding knife to be designed by Ray Mears, and is available to order exclusively through Woodlore.

The Spyderco Ray Mears Wolfspyder Knife

The Spyderco Ray Mears WolfSpyder Knife

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Ray Mears and the Path of Grey Owl

The question is not what we get out of nature, but what can we give back to nature.

The Path of Grey Owl is a new film by Goh Iromoto, shot on location in Ontario, Canada. It follows Ray Mears through the wilderness of the Temagami region, as he explores the path of acclaimed author and conservationist Grey Owl (also known as Archibald Belaney). While reflecting on the landscape that shaped Grey Owl into the person that he was, Ray further delves into Grey Owl’s message about protecting our wilderness, and explains why this is still so relevant and important in our present day.

For more information on Grey Owl, please click here.

Ray Mears on the Legend of Grey Owl

In 2015, Ray journeyed deep into the remote backcountry of the Temagami region of Ontario, Canada. Here he found himself immersed in Canada’s canoe culture, and the captivating legend of Archibald Belaney, better known as Grey Owl.

Grey Owl Portrait

Archibald Belaney, better known as Grey Owl

Born in the British seaside town of Hastings in 1888, Belaney would eventually become one of the most powerful spokespersons for the preservation of a pristine wilderness and a strong Native identity in Canada. From childhood he held a fascination for the Native peoples of North America, and at the age of seventeen Belaney left England for Canada. However, it was not until he was in his forties that Belaney began his career as the conservationist for which he is best known today. Continue reading

Ray Mears to Headline the Bushcraft Show in 2016

Ray Mears has been confirmed as the main guest speaker at The Bushcraft Show in 2016, heading a line-up that includes such other experts as Dr. Lewis Dartnell, Ffyona Campbell and Andrew Price.

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Ray will be speaking on the main stage at 3PM on Saturday 28th May. Spaces are limited for this talk, and tickets can be purchased for a small booking fee here. Please note that tickets for this particular talk should not be purchased without a valid ticket for The Bushcraft Show itself.

Wild River with Ray Mears – Coming Soon to ITV

Ray returns to our screens on New Year’s Day with a one-off hour-long programme on the natural wonders of the River Wye. Take a look at the official trailer below:

Regarded as one of the most stunning waterways in the world, the Wye runs for over 200 km between Wales and England, flowing through spectacular mountain gorges and forests teeming with wildlife.

Wild River will be broadcast for the first time on Friday 1st January 2016 at 17:30 on ITV1.