Photo: THE WOODLANDER
THE WOODLANDER
"The ultimate bushcraft course”
This is THE most comprehensive bushcraft course available in the UK.
Aimed at those with either a personal and or a proffesional interest in progressing their bushcraft knowledge to heights they did not think possible, the depth and breadth of skills taught here is unsurpassed.
This is a personal development course with extra special private access to our woodlands for you to consolidate your skills. However there is the option to add our "Bolt on” Instructors Qualification at the end of the course to enable you to convert your personal skills to into an instructional framework, click here for more information.
THE WOODLANDER consists of 17 weekend courses and 3 one day courses spread over 2 years.
THE WOODLANDER also includes our unique "Platinum Membership” card. Exclusive to THE WOODLANDER course participants this allows you access to our woodlands on 12 further weekends, to your own area of woodland, to practice and develop your own skills. Further to this membership includes a 10% discount on all equipment and 15% off further courses & expeditions.
They will also give you rare occasional "behind the scenes” access to see what it is like to run one of the busiest Bushcraft & Survival Schools in the UK.
All the weekends start midday Friday and finish 5pm Sunday, this means it is easy to complete this course and remain in fulltime employment, also for each year's intake we try factor as many of the modules as possible to fall on the same weekend of each month to make it easier to plan for.
The Weekend Courses consists of:
Welcome Weekend and Edged Tools Training
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.
Intermediate Fire Weekend
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.
Advanced Fire Weekend
Here we move on from the skills taught in the previous weekend to really develop your skills in Friction Fire Lighting. You will discover in depth the techniques of friction firelighting including; fire bow and its variations; hand drill, and thumb loops; pump drill; fire saw; fire thong; fire plough; and group fire bow.
Intermediate Shelter Weekend
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 to’s and kennels etc. We also look at thatching options, bedding and cot beds.
Advanced Shelter Weekend
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.
Tracking and Awareness Weekend
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.
Primitive Weaponry Weekend
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.
Wild Food Weekend
This course covers preparing 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 encorporate wild plants into your recipies.
Cordage and Bark Work Weekend
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 items such as elm and ash bark containers. We will also look at Birch bark usage, birch tar, and plant glues.
Basketry weekend
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.
Hide tanning and Using your deer (2 weekends)
This section of THE WOODLANDER 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.
Axe Workshop
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.
Water and Camp Hygiene Weekend
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.
Navigation & Natural Navigation
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, manmade features and landscapes.
Camp Craft and Camp Cooking
Throughout this weekend you have the opportunity to produce cooking cranes, pot hangers, tripods
ovens, seating, camp gadgets and woodsman candles and lamps
Bow Making
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.
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.
Spring Forage (1 day) & Autumn Forage (1 day)
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
Medicinal Wild Plants (1 day)
Furthering the knowledge gained on the foraging courses this day looks specifically at the medicinal uses of various plants, including the preparation of them
Calendar
The whole course consists of 17 weekends plus 3- one day courses. It also includes our platinum membership card, exclusive to THE WOODLANDER course participants. This allows you a further 12 weekends free pre-arranged access to our woodlands over 2 years, 10% discount of equipment and 15% discount of further courses and expeditions. You cannot buy this membership, it is exclusive to THE WOODLANDER course participants.
We acknowledge that this can be quite an initial outlay for you, and so we are happy to offer you the opportunity to pay a slightly increased rate but spread over 4 equal instalments of £900 over the 2 years of the programme. Just email us on info@woodland-ways.co.uk to set up a direct debit.
Need to buy some kit for this course? Look no further we have what you require right here....
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This course can be purchased as an 18 month voucher, to book online choose "18 month voucher" from the drop down menu and we will email the details over to you. Alternatively if you are purchasing this course as a gift we can post you a full colour gift presentation pack for just £4.25, just choose posted instead of emailed delivery option. Or contact us by phone to make the arrangements.
Call us on: 07843 064114
We'll take your details and payment over the phone and then email or post you and information pack along with the booking form. All you need to do then is complete the form and return it to us, your places are confirmed at the time of payment.
Simply download the booking form and pop it in the post to us with your cheque for payment. We'll get in touch once your payment has cleared to confirm your booking.
