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, which led him to a career in countryside management working in one of the country’s premier Country Parks.

Jason 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.

Jason is also 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 decided to set up Woodland Ways as he wanted to show that learning the skills of our ancestors can not only be a wonderful & enlightening experience to the individual, but it can also be beneficial to the environment. Jason has now taught many hundreds of people from all walks of life the different skills it takes to survive in the wild.

With a particular interest in both modern and ancient fire lighting techniques, you will find Jason’s enthusiasm for his subject infectious.

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.

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.

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…

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.
 

Martin was born and raised in Norfolk, England, and still lives in the area. As is common with many people who practice Bushcraft, it was Martins 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 Martin how to respect the countryside and shared his vast knowledge which to this day Martin is grateful for.

Before joining the Instructor Apprenticeship Scheme Martin 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. Martin 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 Martin 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.”

Tracking and game preparation is Martin’s forte, his enjoyment is apparent as he passes on the skills he learnt from Alfie, and the new skills he has learnt with Woodland Ways, 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.