The following post was written by Woodlore’s Head of Operations, Dan Hume:
For most of my life I have been fascinated, amongst many other things, by fire, and from very early on in my childhood I set out on a path to learn the vast array of methods to conjure it. Needless to say, the journey ahead remains a long one, but I have had some great experiences along the way and I thought I might share my most recent with those that are interested. Continue reading
Earlier this week we invited you to send us your questions for an interview with one of Woodlore’s Fundamental Instructors, Keith Whitehead, about our courses. Many of you kindly took the time to submit your excellent questions, and yesterday Keith sat down to answer them:
Keith teaching splicing on the Camp Craft course
Question: After just completing the last course of the season I finally understand what you and the other instructors have been saying when quizzed about the Journeyman. “The more you put in, the more you get out.” I put a lot into the course, physically and mentally, but I got a lot more out of the Journeyman, including good friends and an unforgettable but tough and rewarding experience. Dan, Keith and Rob, thanks for all your help, encouragement, support and sense of humour.My question to you, Keith – After the Journeyman and the obvious positive experience and impact it had on you, what course/adventure/challenge did you undertake next and why?I’m really interested to know how the Journeyman experience contributed to what you did next, plus I’m looking for something else to do after next year and you haven’t steered me wrong yet. 😜 – Chris G (WINNER OF KEITH’S FAVOURITE QUESTION)
Answer: Hi Chris, I’m glad that you enjoyed the Journeyman; you and your team did very well! Just like you, the course set me thinking very deeply about my approach to the outdoors and about what I would like to do next. I think that it is the subtle differences that really show through: you have a better idea of priority, you realize the importance of looking out for others and taking in the slack when you need to and you have a much better understanding of how to prepare for future trips.As far as what I decided to do next, I made the decision to make teaching and working in the outdoors a full time occupation. This in turn led me on to learning more advanced skills in the Arctic and here in the UK. I think the key is to use the skills that you have learned to pursue what you are passionate about. Once you have identified what that is, you can move forward better prepared and continue the learning. That’s something that never stops!
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“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 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.
Woodlore Fundamental Instructor Keith Whitehead
A folding saw is an essential item of equipment when travelling in woodland areas, but sometimes something a little larger can ease the workload and open up possibilities. Carrying a buck saw or pack saw is one way to address this, but if you want to travel a little lighter it is possible to carry just the blade and improvise a frame from the woodland; one of the many skills taught on the Woodlore Camp Craft course. The bending of the wood is usually facilitated by heating, but this is not always necessary as you will see. For this guide, we used a 24″ Bahco Bowsaw Blade.
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.
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 the Woodland Caribou Provincial Park, Canada
The following post was written by Woodlore Aspirant Instructor Sarah Day.
Our wonderful waterways are now being accessed and enjoyed by more people than ever. The rivers teem with canoeists, kayakers and paddle boarders, as well as the traditional rowers and anglers. Most are aware to some degree of the risks of sharp (often man-made) debris in the river, fallen trees, and the hazard of the water itself – even that of Weil’s disease – but many are unfamiliar with the harm that their own actions can cause to the ecosystem and how they can avoid doing so.
I was paddling recently in the River Stour in Suffolk, near Langham. My partner spotted a jawbone (probably from a cow) on the river bed of the shallow section and picked it out to show me. It wasn’t the worn teeth and odd hole through the side that I noticed first though – it was the tiny, striped mollusc shell clinging to the bone.
The zebra mussell found by Sarah
I recognised it from the warning poster I’d seen at Alton Water the week before. It was almost certainly a zebra mussel; an invasive species of freshwater mussel, native to Russia, that probably came here originally in the ballast water of ships. It is small but prolific, and can totally clog up water treatment plants, kill native swan mussels, and cause lake beaches to become virtually unusable due to the swathes of sharp shell fragments.
Continue reading
In this edition of our outdoor cooking guides we focus on the method of steaming your food between two layers of moss. While not often seen, this technique happens to be one of the simplest ways of cooking in the outdoors, particularly with fish. It requires very little in the way of utensils or equipment (which also means minimal washing up), and is very hygienic.
To us though, the greatest benefit of using this method is the way that it leaves you feeling truly immersed in the outdoors. The act of reeling in a fresh catch and cooking it just minutes later over the campfire, using little more than the materials nature provides us with, gives a profound feeling of self reliance and respect for nature that is hard to match.
This particular dish requires just two ingredients – trout and wood sorrel, the latter being a very pleasant stuffing when working with fish. In order to cook this meal, you must first prepare a hot fire with a good bed of embers, preferably of oak.
Ingredients:
Ever since we began stocking Julius Pettersson’s hand-forged knife blades, craftsmen and women the world over have been sending in photos of the superb finished knives they’ve made using these carbon steel blanks. From the more traditional reindeer antler, right through to reclaimed bowling balls, we’ve seen an incredible variety of materials being used to make an equally wide range of handle styles. Shown here are just a few of the more recent submissions:
James Vann
“As a forester, I often come across pieces of timber that are too good to go to waste. The handle here is made from an oak burr that was on a tree I felled in Lamberhurst, and I added a brass bolster and lanyard tube as I thought the colours would match nicely. After a lot of filing and sanding, I got it to fit in my hand comfortably. I then decided I would try to make a sheath, as I thought it would be another fun project… Little did I know leather working is very time consuming! After a couple of late nights, it was finally finished and I’m glad I made it myself. It was a pleasure, and probably wont be the last one I’ll make. I have also filed down a section of the back of the blade so it works with a firesteel now.” – James Vann
Thank you to everyone who entered the recent Ontario Tourism competition to win a wilderness adventure to Ontario with Ray Mears. Ontario Tourism Marketing Partnership has now revealed the winner of their UK prize draw. Congratulations to Jonathan Armstrong (pictured with his wife below) from Manchester, who was drawn at random from over 26,000 entries to the competition.
Jonathan and Joanne Armstrong, winners of the trip of a lifetime with Ray Mears to Ontario
The Woodlore Summer Sale is now here, with big reductions to over 50 items of bushcraft clothing and equipment, from such brands as Bergans, Buffalo, Fjallraven, Hilleberg, Icebreaker, Petzl and Swazi.
To view the full range of sale items, please click here.
The Ray Mears & Woodlore Bushcraft Blog 