In addition to the 25 years of experience I have of working in a school as a class teacher, assistant headteacher, deputy headteacher and headteacher (11 years) I have also undertaken the following training:

 

Forest School training - June 2017

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Spoon carving – April 2018

Bow making – August 2018

Flint knapping – June 2019

Navigation – November 2018

 

Woodland Wayer – approximately 60 days of training that I started in February 2019 – a 2 year part time advanced Bushcraft course delivered by Woodland Ways (see details below).

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GB Archery accredited instructor – May 2018

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Additional experiences I have had to put skills / knowledge to practical use:

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Sept 2019 – River Wye 3 day 43 mile canoe experience

May 2020 – Sweden canoe expedition 8 day – wild camping / Bushcraft

experience

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Woodland Wayer:

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Welcome Weekend and Edged Tools Training – 15th Feb to 17th Feb 2019

This module coves knife law, selection,  sharpening,  use and safety. Folding saws, bow saws, crook knives. We look at axe selection, maintenance and small axe works including carving. 

This module includes several carving projects designed to use a range of edged tools.

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Spring Forage (1 day – 17th March 2019) 

Here we initially consider the safety aspects of foraging, before moving on to plant

and tree identification, edible uses, other uses, and wild plant food preparation

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Tracking and Awareness Weekend – 26th-28th April 2019

Here we aim to open your eyes (and ears, and nose, and feet, and hands) to discovering life in the woods. This weekend will give you the confidence to not just understand what animal has left a track, but to interpret the tracks and signs to enable you to get closer to wildlife. With our unique down to earth, practical and realistic approach the Woodland Ways instructors will go beyond the classic realms of identifying tracks and signs for food, to give you a deeper understanding of animal behavior within the UK and provide you with the opportunity to experience nature as close as you can get.

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Intermediate Fire Weekend – 10th May to 12th May 2019

This includes its importance and use, fire building, fire lays, kindling, man made and natural tinder collection and preparation. Ignition sources such as matches, lighters, ferrocerium rods, flint and steel, flint and iron pyrites. Also the proper extinguishing of fire and clearing up to leave no trace.

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Intermediate Shelter Weekend – 14th to 16th June 2019

This includes the importance  of shelter, the pitching of tarps and hammocks, simple emergency shelters, the correct construction of basic one and two man shelters including lean toas and kennels etc.  We also look at thatching options, bedding and cot beds.

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Cordage and Bark Work Weekend – 26th to 28th July 2019

Throughout this weekend you will discover the huge variety of available natural

cordage, how to select the appropriate material, preparation, plaiting, braiding, and

laid cordage. You will also discover rope making. Further to these skills you will

learn how to process various barks in order to make containers. We will also look at

birch bark usage, birch tar, and plant glues.

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Autumn Forage (1 day – 15th Sept 2019)

Here we initially consider the safety aspects of foraging, before moving on to plant and tree identification, edible uses, other uses, and wild plant food preparation

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Camp Craft  - 18th Oct to 20th Oct 2019

Throughout this weekend you have the opportunity to produce cooking cranes,

pot hangers, tripods, seating, camp gadgets and woodsman candles and lamps

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Water and Camp Hygiene Weekend – 15th Nov to 17th Nov 2019

This weekend de-mystifies the science of making water safe to drink. From

sourcing your water, collecting it, and then on to removing contaminants and

waterborne pathogens. You will discover a whole array of techniques for

filtering and purification, including primitive methods for boiling, chemical

purification, and UV purification. We also investigate camp hygiene in relation

to dealing with human waste, leave no trace practice, camp latrines and personal

hygiene.

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Axe Workshop – 13th Dec to 15th Dec 2019

This weekend focuses on axe selection, maintenance and safe use. You will learn how to fell, split, limb and section your timber. When the arms no longer move our instructors will impart there knowledge on tree identification and interpretation, we include in this weekend a night time tree identification session which will really hone your ID skills.

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Advanced Shelter Weekend- 31st Jan – 2nd Feb 2020

This weekend moves us on further from the Intermediate Shelter Weekend where

we advance to group shelters, teepees, wickiups, winter shelters , raised beds,

incorporating a fire and then finally dismantling and leave no trace.

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Basketry weekend – 21st to 23rd Feb 2020

This weekend is purely dedicated to the craft elements of hedgerow basketry;

including material selection, producing different basket and container styles

utilising different weaves. We also include coil basketry and different stitching patterns.

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Primitive Weaponry Weekend – 20th March to 22nd March 2020

During this weekend we discover the ancient weaponry that our ancestors would have hunted with. You will have the opportunity to produce your own tools including sling shot, atl atl, bolas, throwing sticks, green bows and catapults.

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Bow Making – 24th April to 26th April 2020

By the end of this weekend you will have the skills and knowledge to enable you to have produced your own ash bow. We will guide you through the process to discover the joys of fashioning wood, once the stave has been shaped roughly, we then move onto the finer detail of the curve, before cutting the string grooves. Its then down to the fine tuning of the tillering process, where you will finely balance the bow.

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Navigation & Natural Navigation – 15th May to 17th May 2020

This weekend you join our walking group leader qualified and national

navigation award instructor for an introduction to map and compass. You

will learn how to utilies bearings, undertake resections, back bearings,

provide grid references, and the use of hand rails. We also assess the

reliability of comparative natural navigation techniques including the use

of the sun, stars, moon, trees and plants, man-made features and landscapes.

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Advanced Fire Weekend – 19th June to 21st June 2020

Here we move on from the skills taught in the previous weekend to really develop your skills in friction fire lighting. The focus is on refining your fire bow technique, including making your own fire bow set from the woodlands, the use of natural cordage, fault analysis and alternative fire bow techniques. We also aim to cover other friction firelighting techniques- these will include the hand drill and fire saw, variations on the pump drill and fire thong will also be covered.

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Medicinal Wild Plants (1 day – 19th July 2020)

Furthering the knowledge gained on the foraging courses this day looks s

pecifically at the medicinal uses of various plants, including the preparation of

them

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Wild Food Weekend – 2nd Oct to 4th Oct 2020

This course covers preparing and cooking a variety of game for consumption and

includes small and large mammals, small and large fowl, fish, crustaceans, and

insects.  In the process we will examine basic animal anatomy and talk about food

safety. We will also begin to process and incorporate wild plants into your recipes.

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Hide tanning and Using your deer  (2 weekends) 21st Aug to 23rd Aug & 4th Sept to 6th Sept 2020

This section of THE WOODLAND WAYER course is spread over two weekends. Here you have a go at brain tanning and veg tanning ultimately to produce buckskin and leather. We also undertake a variety of leather working projects. This will include elements of bone work, antler work, producing hide glue and rawhide.

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Flint Knapping – 6th Nov to 8th Nov 2020

On this course we look at Primitive Technologies. Here we guide you through pre historic hand axe production, and how to make flakes for butchery and hide scrapers. You will then have the opportunity to use your tools to prepare your meals. We will also work with you on the production of blade cores and basic survival tools. On the second day we step up a gear and work on the production of finer tools where you will initially make a barbed and tanged arrowhead, followed by the production of a fully fledged arrow using hazel from the woodland. You will also be using the scrapers and blade core tools produced on day one for all of your work, enabling you to come away with the confidence that you could produce useable tools without the use of modern equipment.