Coming Soon – The Swazi Tussock Range

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The Swazi Clothing Tussock Range

Here at Woodlore, we’ve been firm believers in the Swazi Clothing brand ever since Ray brought his very first Tahr Anorak back from a trip to New Zealand. Their claim of producing “the world’s most durable outdoor clothing” piqued our interest, and we’ve been putting their gear to the test – and proving them right – ever since.

The Tahr Anorak quickly became Ray Mears’ favourite and most reliable piece of outdoor clothing, and has remained so ever since. Their distinctive designs and trademark Tussock Green colour can now be found on outdoorsmen and women the world over, helping them through wind, rain and snow, while the production of all their garments has proudly been kept in New Zealand.

In 2012, Woodlore continues to be the UK’s exclusive distributor of Swazi Clothing, a title of which we are very proud. And so, it is with great excitement that we announce a brand new series of exclusive products to the Woodlore shop, in the form of the Swazi Tussock Range:

The Swazi Nahanni Shirt

The Swazi Nahanni Shirt

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Jim Little’s Julius Pettersson Knife

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The following post was kindly supplied by Woodlore customer Jim Little:

Hi Woodlore,

I’ve noticed a couple of people have sent in finished articles regarding their Julius Pettersson Knife. So, getting in the spirit of things I thought I would do the same.

Other than purchasing the blade itself and the pommel section of Reindeer Antler, the other materials have been collected on rambles with my son Alex. The thin coin sections are deer antler from the nearby fields, they have been separated with sections of deer leather given to us by the local game keeper. The central wood section was brought back from an olive farm in Corfu, from a dead olive branch. Yes, I did get funny looks from immigration!

Nearly there...

Nearly there...

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The Joys of Spring

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With Woodlore’s 2012 course season now well underway, Aspirant Instructor Sarah Day shares her thoughts on working and living in the outdoors at this time of year:

Woodlore Aspirant Instructor Sarah Day

Sarah Day

I started working at Woodlore in 2006. But since then I’ve not been able to work courses during the early part of the season due to other commitments. I think I’d forgotten just how much I love spring.

Watching summer mellow into autumn is a different affair, the last flush of colour before you wake up one morning and know the summer is over. The day when it seems the birch leaves have turned yellow and started to drop almost overnight; it always makes me feel a little sad. I love winter, and I love autumn but the end of the summer means the end of the course season and a few months until I’ll be back outdoors properly again.

Spring is a season of firsts – the first Woodlore course, the first butterflies and bluebells, the first bumblebees. The woods are so alive with the hustle and bustle of life that it’s impossible to ignore. The changes are so much more tangible than in other seasons too. For two weeks I watched buds on the beech tree near the store tent swelling almost imperceptibly, then burst into a riot of vivid green in the space of three days. The leaves start thin and crinkled, like a butterfly that’s just emerged from its chrysalis, but quickly spread into a beautiful emerald canopy, until the whole wood is dusted with a delicate sprinkling of green. It looks good enough to eat – and some of it is – nettles, hawthorn, dog rose shoots, ramsons and beech leaves are all spring delicacies.

The sun setting over one of Woodlore's bivi sites

The sun setting over one of Woodlore's bivi sites

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Justin Burns’ Julius Pettersson Knife

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The following entry was kindly provided by Woodlorean Justin Burns, who made his own handle for the Julius Pettersson Knife Blade:

Hi all,

After browsing your website it got me thinking about making my own Julius Pettersson knife handle. I loved the idea of having a handle that you could put your own stamp on.

Justin's knife, in progress

Justin’s knife, in progress

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A Hangi Making Guide by John van Zanen

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Regular followers of the Woodlore blog may well be familiar with the name John van Zanen thanks to his fantastic hammock-making guide, which we posted on these pages last year. Well, John has been busy once again, this time sharing his enthusiasm and bushcraft skills with a group of scout leaders in his homeland of the Netherlands. Here he shares with us photos and videos of the group working together to create a hangi – a traditional Maori method of cooking food outdoors in a heated pit oven:

Hello Ray and Woodlore Team,

I attended the Woodlore Camp Craft course in 2011 and was challenged by your team to spread the knowledge of bushcraft. Not long after, I spent a few days with a group of scout leaders to teach them some of the skills I have learnt in the past years attending courses with Woodlore.

Each year, scout leaders come together to open the new season and to get new energy and inspiration for the year to come. This year I was invited to join them and teach some bushcraft skills. We talked about quite a few topics, but the highlight of the weekend was surely eating the food from a hangi. Instead of rocks, we used bricks and covered the pit with wet towels, branches and soil. The result was really great and the food tasted fantastic. During the four hours that the food was cooking underground, we all carved a spoon to eat our dinner with.

Digging the hangi pit

Digging the hangi pit

 

The prepared food in steel baskets, ready for cooking

The prepared food in steel baskets, ready for cooking

 

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Campbell Metcalfe’s Kuksa Cup

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The following post was kindly sent in by fellow Woodlorean Campbell Metcalfe:

Hi Woodlore,

After coming on a Fundamental Bushcraft course in September I’ve been enjoying walks around the forests near where I live in Scotland. After seeing a traditional Kuksa in a couple of Ray’s programmes, I thought I’d give it a go; having only carved one or two spoons before I knew it would be quite a challenge.

On one of my walks I found a recently fallen ash tree with a large enough burr on the side of it to try to make my cup. I started by hewing the rough shape out with the Small Forest Axe and carving the bowl out. After a slightly over enthusiastic hit with the axe I unfortunately snapped the handle. A quick repair job later and the cup looked fine, so kept on going.

Campbell's in-progress Kuksa

Campbell’s in-progress Kuksa

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A Woodlore Student’s Handmade Knife

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After attending our Fundamental Bushcraft course last year, Woodlore customer Stan Intihar had a go at making his very own knife for the first time, with great results:

Howdy,

Here are some pics of my completed knife and leather sheath; a carbon steel Enzo blade and desert ironwood handle with red liners:

Stan's hand-finished knife and leather sheath

Stan’s hand-finished knife and leather sheath

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Woodlore’s Staff Induction and Training Week 2012

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New Woodlore Assistant David Southey

New Woodlore Assistant David Southey

On 9th – 11th March Dan Hume and Keith Whitehead ran an induction weekend for the new members of staff who joined the team recently as a result of our recruitment process in November.  New members of the team were shown the ropes of setting up camp, useful routes to our course sites, shops and hospitals, amongst being introduced to other essential knowledge required for assisting on our courses to ensure they run seamlessly for our clients.

We would like to take this opportunity to welcome David Southey, Joel Toren, Mark Callard and Nigel Hopkins to the team and we hope they will enjoy their time with us.

Following the induction weekend the newer members of the team were joined by the rest of the outdoor team for Woodlore’s annual training week.  Everyone was pleased to be back in the woods again, and although a training exercise, training week is a fantastic chance for everyone to get together to compare their winter adventure stories and to discuss the year ahead.

During the week Head of Operations Dan Hume hosted many activities for the group including a tracking evaluation, carving, training for trainers delivered by Brian Fox and PT.

High on the agenda was Woodlore’s annual First Aid Training.  Expertly run as always by Fusion Medical Limited, it provided the Woodlore team with a high level of competence in this essential field of Bushcraft.  First aid is often an underrated skill, but one which anybody who is keen to enjoy the outdoors should have.

Dressing a wound during a first aid scenario

Dressing a wound during a first aid scenario

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Ray Mears and BADA-UK Warn of Potential Rise in Tick Numbers

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Tick-borne disease charity BADA-UK and its Patron, Ray Mears, are warning both outdoor workers and outdoor-pursuits enthusiasts to be vigilant about a potential increased risk of tick bites this spring. The charity is using its annual awareness campaign Tick Bite Prevention Week (26 March – 1 April) to highlight the health risks that ticks pose, especially following the recent EU ban of the herbicide Asulam.

BADA-UK's Patron Ray Mears

BADA-UK's Patron Ray Mears

Asulam was used by hill farmers to control the invasive spread of bracken which provides the perfect habitat for ticks. Ray Mears warns:

The control of bracken is vital to the survival of numerous species of flora and fauna as well as reducing tick populations. The spread of bracken as a result of this ban will lead to increased tick numbers, making it all the more important that the public takes precautions against tick bites when out and about in rural areas.

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Steve Satterthwaite’s Julius Pettersson Knife

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The following post was kindly provided by Woodlore customer Steve Sutterthwaite, who created his own knife handle and matching sheath for his hand-forged knife blade:

Hi Woodlore,

I thought you might like to see some pictures of the knife handle I have made for the Julius Pettersson knife blade I purchased from you:

Steve Satterthwaite's Julius Pettersson Knife 1

Steve's knife handle, complete with matching sheath

Whilst purchasing a Julius Pettersson knife blade for my son as a birthday present I saw the wonderful handles created by your readers and decided to purchase a second blade and have a go myself. I had recently been given a quantity of yew in small pieces, left over from the bow-making process which I planed flat and laminated together to create a blank for handle and sheath.
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