Ray Mears on the Passing of PC David Rathband

News emerged earlier this week of the passing of PC David Rathband, who was found dead at his home in Blyth.

In July 2010, the British police officer was shot and blinded by the gunman Raoul Moat, as he sat in his patrol car in Newcastle.

Prime Minister David Cameron, who had met the officer, described him as an “extraordinarily brave man”, adding:

After his horrific injuries he did an enormous amount for charity and other injured police officers, and for families who had lost police officers in the line of duty.

Ray Mears, who assisted in the search for Raoul Moat in 2010, said the following:

I was deeply saddened at the news of PC David Rathband’s death. He was an extremely brave man, who was victim to a tragic injury. His case serves as a stark reminder of the dangers which our police officers can face on a daily basis. My condolences go out to his family and loved ones at this difficult time.

Neil Salisbury’s Julius Pettersson Knife

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The following post was kindly provided by Woodlore customer Neil Salisbury:

Hello Woodlore,

Here are some photos of the handle I made for my Hand Forged Knife Blade. Im calling it my ‘Brecons Knife’, as the red deer antler and pieces of rowan came from the Brecons during one of my many trips there. I made the bolster from antler too, and added my initial as a little personal touch; the leather came from an old rifle sling – I’m all about recycling!

 

Neil Salisbury's Knife Handle

Neil Salisbury’s ‘Brecons Knife’

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Tips On Foraging For Rose Hips

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The following post was written by Woodlore Aspirant Instructor Sarah Day:

Rose hips are one of my favourite wild foods, and the sight of a few of them clinging to an otherwise bare hedge is always welcome in late winter. They are delicious and full of vitamin C, but tricky to eat.

Rose hips (or haws) - the fruit of the rose plant

Rose hips (or haws) – the fruit of the rose plant

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A Canoe Trip in the Snow

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The following post was written by Woodlore Aspirant Instructor Sarah Day:

A Canoe Trip in the Snow – Approx. 27 km – River Stour, Suffolk

“When there’s ice on the river, a wise man sleeps with his canoe boots.”

(Mine froze solid during the night – most unpleasant, though a dip in the water made them flexible enough to put on, they were still very, very cold.)

A night-time walk in the snow along my nearest river was enough to convince me that I needed to get the canoe out and paddle my favourite river; the Stour in Suffolk. Having just outfitted my canoe with airbags and skid plates, it seemed like a perfect excuse to get back out on the water.

A Canoe Trip in the Snow

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Roger Howard’s Julius Pettersson Knife

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The following post was kindly provided by Woodlore customer Roger Howard, who crafted his own handle to fit our Hand Forged Knife Blade:

Dear all,

I thought I would send you a picture of my Julius Pettersson knife. It has been a pleasure to make and I look forward to using it soon, although it has already shed blood, my own!! So I’m told this is lucky!

Roger Howard's finished knife

Roger Howard's finished knife

I have used moose antler, English walnut and green fibre board. It looks just like a ‘Sheaf knife’ that my dad owned when I was a kid, (I always wanted it off him). Now I have one of my own and I made it myself.

I hope you can share this on your blog.

Roger Howard

Gear Up For The Coming Spring

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The following post was kindly written by Woodlore Aspirant Instructor Sarah Day:

Woodlore Aspirant Instructor Sarah DayThough spring can seem a long way off during the final throes of a British winter, it won’t be long before the new course season starts!

For me, this year is especially exciting because I will be working on some courses that I’ve never worked on before. Some of my outdoorsy books have been removed from their shelf and are lying around the house in various stages of read-ness, the backs of my notebooks are full of diagrams of things I want to make, lists of kit I need to mend and things I need to do in preparation for the new season.

However, one aspect of preparation that isn’t always mentioned in conjunction with Bushcraft is fitness. Although the set up of a camp and the day-to-day running of it demand more walking about than an average day in an office job, many of the skills that form part of your outdoor arsenal are aimed at minimising the amount of energy required and working efficiently; but that doesn’t mean being unfit is fine – it’s not.

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Ray Mears and the Woodlore Team receive Swift Water Training

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Recently some senior members of the Woodlore Field Team received swift water training at the National Water Sports Centre in Nottinghamshire. We were instructed by an extremely experienced group of fire fighters, who make up part of an international search and rescue team.

Practising defensive swimming in fast moving water during swift water training

Practising defensive swimming in fast moving water

When we are in the wilderness, bridges and ferries become a rarity, yet sometimes we are still faced with no option but to negotiate rivers, streams and lakes, and so we regularly find ourselves entering water that potentially can be cold, deep and fast-flowing.

It is no surprise that water is one of the most dangerous elements we face outdoors and it is therefore essential that any outdoors person can swim and is confident in water.  As outdoor professionals, running courses in and around water, it is also essential that we have an understanding of the hazards presented by water and a  knowledge of how to prevent and deal with problems, should they occur.  This recent training provided us with that knowledge and offered a refresher for the more experienced members of our team. Continue reading →

Please Welcome Our New Woodlore Assistants

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Field staff member Rob Bashford

Woodlore Field staff member Rob Bashford

Please join us in welcoming six new members of staff to our Field Staff Biographies page. We are very pleased to introduce Mark Booton, Rob Bashford, Ross Burt, Steve Corbyn and Susan Hipkin as yearling members of Woodlore’s Outdoor Team, following their assisting on various courses during the 2011 course season. Click on the above links and get to know them if you’re joining us for a course this year!

All six new members of staff have fitted in perfectly to our fantastic and ever-professional team, and we are very pleased to have them on board.

We are already looking forward to our new UK course season beginning in April, and it is with great pleasure that we also welcome the following people as new course assistants for 2012: David Southey, Joel Toren, Mark Callard and Nigel Hopkins.  They have all recently passed our intensive recruitment process and we look forward to working with them this coming season.

Five Tonnes Of Firewood And Still Going Strong

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Here at Woodlore, we’ve been using and stocking the classic Gransfors Small Forest Axe for as long as we can remember. Woodlore customer Peter Burton recently got in touch with us to offer his feedback on this tool, after really putting it to the test:

Hi Woodlore,

My name is Peter Burton, I purchased a Small Forest Axe from you two years ago to split some logs in my garden for my indoor wood burning stoves. I have access to three trees felled by a farmer – Chestnut and Sycamore, as well as fallen Beech and Ash branches from his land. I have cut these using a bow saw and my axe, splitting over 5 tonnes of logs this year:

Pete's reward for many hours of log splitting...

Pete’s reward for many hours of log splitting…

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New and Upcoming Courses for 2012

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Tracking in Namibia with Ray Mears

Coming soon: Tracking in Namibia with Ray Mears

We are extremely pleased to unveil a new area of our website today, where you can find details of our New and Upcoming Courses. This brand new page means that you can now easily and regularly check what’s new in the Woodlore Course Department.

Our most recent addition to this page is a brand new expedition, led by Ray Mears himself. Tracking in Namibia with Ray Mears is a fantastic new course, taking place in October 2012. You can now sign up to be notified by e-mail as soon as places are released.

A number of other exciting new courses and expeditions are currently being developed here at Woodlore, and these will be added to our New and Coming Soon page throughout the year, allowing you to share in the excitement of these forthcoming events and plan your future adventures with us.

We hope in providing this information it makes it quicker and easier for you to check what’s new and assists you in your planning ahead. 

Remember to check in on a regular basis, as we have a lot planned for this year!