Jason’s interest in Survival was sparked as a child when he went on his first survival course, rushing straight out afterwards to buy Lofty Wiseman’s SAS survival guide and all the kit he could purchase! However as he developed an understanding of what nature could provide he soon understood that it was the knowledge he held in his head and not the gear in his pack that was all the essential kit he needed.

As a teenager growing up deep in the heart of the Lincolnshire Fens, Jason spent every minute of his spare time on the banks of the River Welland and in the estuaries of the Wash, building shelters, learning the art of fire lighting and tracking the vast wildlife of the Marshes, and he has been learning ever since.

Over the years Jason developed a passion for the British Countryside, and so formalised his bushcraft skills under the excellent tutelage of Jonny Crocket of Survival School. Jason worked with Survival School for a number of years, passing his extreme survival course and gaining his instructors certificate.

From here Jason, Dan and Kev decided to set up Woodland Ways & Desert Ways to showcase the huge bredth and depth of skills that come under the term of "Bushcraft". A highly respected Instructor within the top tier of the Bushcraft Industry Jason was instrumental along with his other leading peers in setting up the Institute for Outdoor Learnings Fundamental Bushcraft Competency Award. He stills sits on the Executive committe to assist steering safety and quality standards within the industry.

Jason also leads our Instructors Apprenticeship scheme, setting the highest possible standards of skills and safety to all our instructors to ensure that you have the most knowledgeable experience when you join us.

Jason's knowledge of bushcraft skills is immense, and has been gleaned through extensive personal applied experience, practicing and developing these skills for real, in real circumstances. He has also developed the UK's first and only internal instructor skills programme for existing instructors. Jason still teaches on many of the Woodland Ways courses and here it is about you, and not him. It is not unkown for Jason to spend hours upon hours of extended 121 tuition with someone if they have the desire to learn, because he has a passion for passing on these skills. Everyone here at Woodland Ways wishes to show that learning the skills of our ancestors can not only be a wonderful and enlightening experience for the individual, but it can also be beneficial to the environment.

With a skills base that has been called upon on many occassions to work with mainstream media, the BBC, educational programmes, universities, and regular invitations to undertake talks and demonstrations at leading establishments throughout the UK, including the Eden Project and the National Forest, you can be assured that with Jason you are in the best hands.

With a particular interest in both modern and ancient fire lighting techniques, aswell as appalling campfire jokes, you will findhis enthusiasm for his subject infectious.

Further background skills are provided by being an experienced hill walker and a qualified Walking Group Leader, recognised through the British Mountaineering Council and Mountain Leader Training UK. Jason personally leads on all our Navigation Courses, passing on his skills to enable you to enjoy the hills in safety.

He has spent a lot of time wild camping in the Scottish Highlands, the ranges of Snowdonia, the Black Mountains, and walking in the Peak District, although his favoured environment is our good old British Woodland. He has trekked widely throughout Europe learning from different cultures on the way, and also developed his desert survival skills in the Sahara and the deserts of the Middle East. Jason also considers himself to be most fortunate as having trekked in the very remote jungles of Borneo, aswell as climbing the three highest peaks on the island in just 9 days!

Jason has now taught many hundreds of people from all walks of life the different skills it takes to survive in the wild and invites you to come and join us for an amazing adventure. 

Kev is recognised within the industry as being one of the UK’s leading Bushcraft Instructors. An Approved Assessor for the Institute for Outdoor Learning Fundamental Bushcraft Competency Award, a leading expert in Flora incorporating Wild Foods and Medicinal Plants, a highly accomplished woodsman, craftsman and naturalist, you can rest assured you will be working in the woods with one of the most knowledgeable bushcraft instructors in the industry.

However, what is even more exceptionally surprising, is that Kevs' style is not one of about “this is how much I know”, but more of how he can help you to glean the encyclopaedic knowledge he holds. A fantastic ability to adapt his own style to the needs and requirements of you, his customers, is rare in most people, for Kev it is second nature. A completely unflappable instructor, with such a sound knowledge base, who will put your desire to learn above anything else, will ensure that you leave the woodland at the end of your course completely at home with your new found skills.

Kevs' knowledge has developed since childhood where an interest in flora, fauna and the great outdoors began. Kev would spend his school holidays at his grandparents in Suffolk where he would disappear out of the door after breakfast and not return until evening having spent the day tracking the wildlife of the local woods and heaths.

Membership of the scouts and the Woodcraft folk gave him early experience of camping and bivouacking and it was at the tender age of 9 through the Woodcraft Folk where he was introduced to edible wild plants which kindled his lifelong passion for the subject.

Inspired by Eddie Magee’s TV series “Staying Alive” this foundation of knowledge naturally extended into the realms of Bushcraft and Survival and was built upon by subsequent overseas travel in Europe, Africa, USA and the Middle East. The first person to pass the Survival School Instructors Award, not only has Kev taught hundreds of people throughout the UK, but has also provided specialist survival advice and support for numerous TV programmes from the BBC, ITV all the way through to Diverse TV’s world famous Bear Grylls “Born Survivor” programme.

Kev worked as an independent freelance instructor through his company Barbary Bushcraft for many years, with Bushcraft companies throughout the UK contracting him in for his specialist skills. Kev joined Woodland Ways in 2006 as someone who had trained and worked alongside Jason for years previous. Kevs' skills are still called upon throughout the UK and overseas, and Kev also leads our sister company Desert Ways and is on every expedition.

Dan’s earliest memory as a child is one of being bundled into a rucksack, slung over his father’s shoulders, and taken on fishing trips. Unbeknown to Dan at the time it was during these trips that his father, a keen naturalist, was gradually introducing Dan to both the beauty and the harshness of nature. Throughout his childhood Dan's father taught him the skills of identifying Britain’s flora and fauna, and he has continued to be an inspiration ever since.

Dan expanded his knowledge through work at a local nature reserve and went on to attain a BSc (Hons) in Science and the Environment. Since then Dan has worked as a wildlife surveyor, a warden, a ranger and is a qualified arborist.

Dan’s interest in Bushcraft and Survival developed through this initial passion for conservation. Sparked by his interest in plants and trees Dan developed a keen knowledge of wild foods, Richard Mabey's food for free a constant source of amazement. Being a keen hill walker Dan was able to practice his skills often rustling up a quick meal from nature’s bounty.

Dan has spent time wild camping throughout the UK but his most memorable experiences came from his two separate Month long expeditions to the Shetland Islands.

Here Dan has stepped on over 50 of the Shetland Isles uninhabited islands, watching otter, a variety of sea mammals, and numerous species of sea birds.

Dan’s middle name is “practical”; his ability to find ingenious solutions to problems whilst out in the field, coupled with his ability to thrive no matter what the weather throws at him and his honed naturalist skills, makes Dan a valuable instructor for Woodland Ways.

When Alec came on his first Woodland Ways course our instructors recognised immediately that he possessed an incredible amount of knowledge, and enthusiasm for, Bushcraft. It also appeared that as the weather worsened, Alec’s smile just grew and grew!

Completely at home in the woodland environment, with a wide knowledge of flora and fauna, Alec quickly signed up with us to become the first person to work through the Woodland Ways Apprenticeship Scheme. Here he further developed his Bushcraft knowledge and learnt how to teach his skills. Alec has now proven himself on numerous occasions, in some extreme conditions, to be a fine and capable instructor.

Again, it was Alec’s father who was a key to forming Alec’s passions for the outdoors and conservation. From as young as five his dad was taking Alec night fishing, and Alec remembers “just the atmosphere of being somewhere remote, the smells, the sounds, and the cold… I felt I really connected with my environment, I just pestered my dad every weekend to take me out from then.” At this time Alec developed a keen interest of preparing fish in the wilds.

After spending years in the army cadets, where he competition shot for the county and became a national champion at tug of war, it was natural for Alec to enter the Army. After a spell with the REMEs as an Armourer, Alec decided to leave the forces and went back to college where he trained to become a qualified tree surgeon, and once again pursue his interest in conservation.

His favourite aspect of Bushcraft remains game preparation, and he is the first to volunteer to show people his techniques. He is also very keen on sharing his vast knowledge on the folklore and history of trees, as well as his techniques for identification and their practical use in a bushcraft setting. Alec has the ability to communicate this knowledge to people from all walks of life and has been an inspiration to many on our courses by showing that you can achieve your ambition of turning an interest in to a career from a young age.

But a word of warning… don’t ask him his favourite joke about elephants and cherry trees… he’ll laugh for hours…

Martyn was born and raised in Norfolk, England, and still lives in the area. As is common with many people who practice Bushcraft, it was Martyns father who taught him the skill of fishing, however his biggest influence came from an old boy named 'Alfie' who taught him how to shoot and trap small and large game. Alfie taught Martyn how to respect the countryside and shared his vast knowledge which to this day Martyn is grateful for.

Before joining the Instructor Apprenticeship Scheme Martyn consolidated his Bushcraft knowledge through attending a range of our course, beginning with the Woodland Ways Weekend, before pushing his skills further on to our Stone Age Weekend. Martyn states “It was incredible to be able to put down my Bushcraft Knife, choose an appropriate piece of flint, fashion it into a tool, and then prepare a whole deer. Just connecting with a process that had until recent times being going on for centuries was incredible, and in such a beautiful and relaxed environment”.

It wasn’t long before Martyn made a life changing decision and decided to travel with us to the Sahara. “I joined fellow like minded people on a 10 day experience which changed the map of my life. The experiences I shared and the knowledge I gained led me to enrol immediately on the Apprenticeship Scheme.”

Since that time Martyn applied himself to work his way through the Woodland Ways Apprenticeship scheme, working 12 months of the year, through rain and shine, to develop the skills to teach his knowledge. His highlight during this time was working with the Masai warriors to teach them about the tinders available to us in the UK. Following completion of his training it was never going to be a question that Martyn was then employed to teach you the skills only his years of experience can bring.

Martyn also holds the Institute for Outdoor Learnings Foundational Bushcraft Competency Award.

Tracking and game preparation remain Martin’s forte, his enjoyment is apparent as he passes on the skills he learnt from Alfie, the new skills he has learnt with Woodland Ways, and the skills he has developed himself, to customers of all ages. Martin has that uncanny knack of ensuring all his customers know exactly what they are supposed to be doing, before they have even guessed they are supposed to do it, which put people at ease knowing they are being taught by someone with years’ worth of experience under their belt.

Apprentice Instructors:

Joanne joined the Woodland Ways Instructors Apprenticeship after attending the Woodland Ways Weekend and then the Woodland Ways Week. Being a keen angler Joanne was used to Bivvying up under the stars and loved nothing more than being outside. Joanne has also worked with the Princes Trust Volunteers to undertake conservation tasks and is a keen outdoor pursuits enthusiast, with canoeing, caving and being an award winning climber under her belt! It was this keen interest in the outdoors that led Joanne to join us on the Apprenticeship Scheme and develop her Bushcraft Knowledge, and the skills required to teach this knowledge. With a keen interest in tracking you will often find Joanne on her belly on the woodland floor watching deer. Her favourite experience being the time she got to within 15 metres of a Red Deer Stag during the rutting season in the Outer Hebridies. In 2009 Joanne was lucky enough to assist us with an expedition to the Sahara Desert and the Atlas Mountains, where she stayed with the Berbers and began her desert survival training.

Andy joined Woodland Ways in early 2007 with many of the qualities that we look for at the end of the apprenticeship scheme, already in place. With an existing wide knowledge of Bushcraft & its application, coupled with vast experience in the conservation sector Andy was a natural to join us.

With a lifelong interest in Bushcraft, and an OCN Level 2 in Woodland Survival Skills, Andy is a keen student on Friction Fire Lighting, Wild Foods and Wilderness Cookery. He has also developed further skills including Axe n Knife work and Tracking. During his week long course as part of the programme Andy was at the forefront of shelter design, producing possibly one of the best Thermal A Frames we had ever seen on a course. The Apprenticeship scheme has enabled Andy to develop these skills further, and to learn how to pass this knowledge to others.

When you speak to Andy it is also quite clear he has a passion for Conservation, and how Bushcraft is fundamental to working with, and improving where necessary, our wild places. With a National Diploma in Countryside Management and his experience of working in Forestry, his calm approach to teaching his subject, and a sense of humour to match the best of them, Andy is a pleasure to spend time in the woods with, whether you’re there for a day or a whole week.

After 30 years in the outdoor sector John has worked as a mountaineering and climbing instructor, a level 3 kayak and open canoe instructor, and as a yachtmaster. On top of this John has years worth of experience in off road driving, green laning in the UK, France and Spain... this is before we even begin to talk about his life long passion for Bushcraft! John came on a number of our courses bringing with him a great building block with which to learn how to teach, it was then time for John to begin our Apprenticeship Scheme. Immediatly John made an impression with his existing skills base and our instructors were extremely impressed, as indeed were his customers. John has a passion for campcraft and is the first to share his skills gained over a lifetime of being outdoors.

Alec (or Burt as we call him to avoid confusion!) grew up in Harefield and as a youngster was persuaded to join the 1st Harefield Scout Group. It was here that Alec discovered a passion for wilderness camping and as his father shared the same interests it was natural for his father to begin to hone his sons campcraft skills. He soon realised it was the outdoors that was for him and so combining his career as a warden on a large country estate with the Territorial Army Royal Yeomanry it was the perfect combination to develop field skills aswell as a keen interest in conservation. Alec is one of those people who you just cannot fail to respect his passion and interest in his natural environment, a passion he communicates to each and every one of his customers.

When Ruth joined Woodland Ways it was obvious from the very begining that her approach to life was one of fun and enjoyment, and she has the amazing ability to put you at ease from the second you arrive at camp. With a passion for wild foods Ruths dedication to teaching you the skills to identify, harvest sustainably, and enjoy the wild foods available to you is fascinating. Having worked through the woodland ways weekend, the woodland ways week, flint knapping, foraging, and basketry courses- not forgetting her desert survival training, Ruth is quickly building on her existing knowledge and consolodating the skills required to teach these skills to others.