Category Archives: Bushcraft Courses & Expeditions

Bushcraft Courses & Expeditions

#AskWoodlore – Keith Whitehead

“Scotland is the perfect location in which to host the final courses of Woodlore’s 2015 UK course season.  The stunning woodland of Perthshire has a very different feel to our usual forest home in the Weald, and certainly puts an edge on the courses that we run there.  There is a sense of urgency as the red squirrels scamper about, making ready for the winter, and the fallow begin to rut, occasionally bellowing their presence through the mists that hang low in the trees.

There is urgency too in the students who build their homes and begin to gather the essentials that will sustain them through the coming week on our Journeyman course.  All those who attended our Fundamental Lochside and Journeyman courses this year had a taste of this beautiful place, and some even enjoyed an unseasonal spell of very warm weather!  Well done to all, but especially to those who attended the Journeyman course – it is an achievement to be proud of.”

– Keith Whitehead

A shelter built during the Journeyman course

A shelter built during the Journeyman course in Scotland

Keith Whitehead, one of our Fundamental Instructors, has very kindly offered to participate in an interview this week, in between his busy quartermaster duties, preparing for our winter expedition in Canada, and taking some time off for a well-earned rest. So, if you have any questions you would like to put to Keith for a short interview about the Woodlore course season, or anything else relating to our courses, please post it in the comments section at the bottom of this article. Alternatively, you can post your questions on facebook or twitter using the hashtag #AskWoodlore.

The interview will take place on Thursday 29th October, so please get your questions to us by Wednesday 28th October at 5pm and a selection of them will be answered by Keith.  We look forward to hearing from you.

The person who asks the best question, as chosen by Keith, will receive a £20 Woodlore voucher.

Keith Whitehead

Woodlore Fundamental Instructor Keith Whitehead

2016 UK Courses are Now Available to Book

The wait is over – we are pleased to announce that our UK courses for 2016 are now available to book on our website, so why not start or continue your Woodlore journey…

We are also giving away a free Petzl Headtorch with every 2-day or week-long UK course booking made by 31st October 2015. Please read our previous post for further details.

UK Bushcraft Courses

The serene loch in Scotland where the Journeyman takes place

How often do you yearn for something truly inspirational to shake up your life and open the door to a new and exciting world of adventure? For Woodlore instructors Dan Hume and Keith Whitehead, this is exactly what happened when they first made the decision to book onto a Woodlore course. They found the passion, insights and skills that are the gateway to the wilderness beyond our courses and on to their own trips and expeditions. We invite you to take your first steps in to the wilderness with Woodlore.

In the time since I started exploring the natural world, I have had the privilege to witness more of its variety and splendour than I could ever have imagined. Woodlore has taken me on a tremendous journey that has really only just begun. Why not start yours now and see where it takes you?” – Dan Hume

Woodlore put everything together for me and from the minute that I walked into the woods, everything made sense. The outdoor world is now a far more vibrant place and there is a lifetime of learning and adventure ahead of me.” – Keith Whitehead

A stunning landscape in Canada

A stunning landscape in the Woodland Caribou Provincial Park, Canada

 

Memories of Namibia

As we look ahead to our next Namibia expedition in 2016, Woodlore’s Dan Hume unearths some unseen photos from his last visit to this remarkable country.

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Isaac, one of our bushman guides, and Ray pause under the shade of a tree for a few moments before continuing to look for leopard tracks

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Learning to Live Comfortably in the Woods

We recently ran our first Camp Craft course of the season in a beautiful piece of countryside, close to the historic town of Battle in East Sussex.

As part of the preparation for the course, our most senior instructors Dan Hume and Keith Whitehead had been busy practising the splicing and whipping techniques that they’d be passing on to those attending. Learning traditional skills such as these is what makes this course such an enlightening and rewarding experience.

Splicing Rope

The results of Keith’s whipping and splicing work in preparation for the course

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#AskWoodlore – Interview with Sarah Day

Just over two weeks ago we asked you to send us some questions for an interview with one of Woodlore’s Aspirant Instructors, Sarah Day. Many of you took the time to kindly send us your questions, which we then whittled down to the best 10 and Sarah took some time out of her busy schedule to give us this insightful interview:

Sarah Day

Sarah Day taking part in Woodlore’s swift water training

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#AskWoodlore – Sarah Day

Following on from our recent article in which Woodlore Instructor Keith Whitehead answered your questions, we thought we would keep the ball rolling with a new interviewee. This time around we’re giving you the chance to put your questions to Woodlore Aspirant Instructor Sarah Day.

Woodlore Aspirant Instructor Sarah Day

Woodlore Aspirant Instructor Sarah Day

To put your question to Sarah, simply post it in the comments section at the bottom of this article. Alternatively, you can post your questions on facebook or twitter using the hashtag #AskWoodlore. All questions must be posted by midday on Friday 1st May, and a selection of them will then be put to Sarah.

The person who asks the best question, as chosen by Sarah, will receive a £20 Woodlore voucher.

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Prepare for Life

In the heart of winter, it can seem that the long, dark nights are closing in around us. But the forest, seemingly asleep, is already making preparations for the most spectacular of its annual displays. The days are already starting to draw out again as we are blessed with crisp mornings, and soon we will feel the excitement of change in the air. Look closely and you will see that buds of many trees are already formed, holding close their furled treasure; spring is waiting.

Buds

The magic of the British woodlands in spring is the wonder of transformation and new life. The leaner times of winter are washed away in a flood of colour, scent and sound. Once again we can rest in coppices bathed in the deep perfume of ramsons; walk beneath the cathedral bowers of the beech, fresh in the succulence of their new leaves; drift slowly to sleep, lulled by the heady perfume of bluebells, and wake to the serenade of birdsong. These are the experiences that form our year and bring renewed vigour to our love of the forest. There is an irrepressible thrill, a deep connection with the life of these very special places, which wakes the soul and sets our pace into the coming year.

As the sun’s weak rays start to muster their strength and bring warmth to our forest home, the plants that surround us respond with generosity. The sap will rise in the birch, giving us a short-lived opportunity to enjoy this invigorating draft. The willow will loosen its bark, allowing us to harvest the fibres needed for cordage at this time of year, and many other plants will provide their fresh, young leaves, ready for salads: a welcome repast which speaks of the freshness of the season.

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Postcards from Namibia

Having returned from an extremely successful expedition in Namibia this year, we wanted to share with you a small taster of our experiences:

Isaac, one of our San Bushman guides

Isaac, one of our San Bushman guides

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The Perfect End to a Beautiful Season

This week marks the end of the UK course season at Woodlore.

Our first course this year, the Advanced Tracking that took place in April seems so long ago and so much has happened since then. We have run a wide variety of exciting Bushcraft courses throughout East Sussex and further afield, meeting and enjoying spending time with clients from all walks of life.

Woodlore courses

Woodloreans taking notes during the salmon lecture on the Woodlore Fundamental Bushcraft course

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Wood Mouse Spotting

During the UK course season, our team of instructors often find themselves gaining a unique level of intimacy with their surroundings at our various course sites. A number of our team are also keen photographers, and occasionally this blend of interests pays off in spectacular ways:

The common wood mouse

The common wood mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus)

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