Woodlore Blog

The following article was written by Aspirant Instructor Rob Bashford about a recent coast to coast journey he undertook across the top of Scotland:

The plan was simple. To cross the Northern Highlands of Scotland on foot from West coast to East coast, a distance of some 65 miles.

Packing for a trip is an art and my girlfriend and I were striving to achieve the right balance between light pack weight, safety and comfort. This means thinking hard about what items are really essential and those which can be considered a luxury. On this note, we opted to carry bivi bags and a tarp, rather than a tent. As someone who has spent a lot of time under tarps in the woods, I know they are a fantastic way to sleep out and I was keen to experiment with pitching my new Hilleberg tarp in the open terrain of the Scottish Highlands.

The Hilleberg Tarp in use in Scotland

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The first of the Woodlore UK courses took place over the Easter bank holiday weekend.  Here is some feedback from client Stuart Mason after he attended the Woodlore Introduction to Bushcraft course:

I got back today from my Introduction to Bushcraft course, taught by Keith and Mark.

I wanted to say how much I enjoyed the course, how much I learned, and home much stuff I thought I know that I unlearned! The pace and content of the course was ideal, and I have nothing but praise for the skills, patience and friendliness of both Keith and Mark.

Client shelters on the Introduction to Bushcraft course

In terms of expectations, the washing facilities were rather tough – but then I guess you don’t yet have the mastery over the weather!! Ice cold water (with ice crystals!) in a bowl.

The packing list was very useful, and I came more prepared than required, which is far more preferable to the alternative. So, I’ll be looking at the other courses available, and will now be trying to persuade a few friends to try it too.

Stuart Mason

Last week Woodlore ran it’s annual training week, which included our usual first aid training from Jamie Cooke at Solo Medical Training Limited.

On Aspirant Instructor Sarah Day’s return home, the first aid training she had recieved left her feeling reflective. Here are her thoughts:

It’s not often that the whole team gets together; we often go a whole season without seeing certain people – apart from chance meetings at the beginning and end of courses.

One of the best aspects, both of our annual training weeks and of the end of season get-together, is that we can all share our stories of the season, and what we’ve been up to over the winter. As an inevitable and very helpful part of our regular first aid training, we often exchange stories of first aid incidents we’ve dealt with, (or even been the victim of!).  It’s natural to try and analyse an incident afterwards, whether it was real or a training scenario, and think about what you might do differently another time. I often think about two incidents I was involved in several years ago.

First aid scenario during the Woodlore staff training week

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The following post was kindly written by Woodlore Senior Course Assistant Wayne Egerton:

Woodlore Team Member Wayne Egerton

“I’m having a girlie night in tonight with some friends.” Barely had my wife finished uttering these words and my rucksack was being stuffed and hoisted onto my shoulder. I knew just the spot… a seaside location about an hour’s walk away, and usually deserted.

The weather was clear, cold (2-3 degrees) and not a breath of wind. The joy of walking on one’s own is you see and hear more; wildlife not scared away by the idle banter of a pair. A woodpecker, wren, robin and not to mention a surprised fox, and that was only on the way there.

Tarp up and fire going, just big enough to keep warm and have a brew. As light faded, the tide retreated and it was just the oyster catchers, the curlew and the chill. I’m sure a fox visited in the night, but my hat was still on my head when I woke.

Home for the night

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The following post was written by Woodlore’s Aspirant Instructor and Quartermaster, Keith Whitehead:

Woodlore Team Member Keith Whitehead

During our many months spent in the field, we have the chance to see much wonderful wildlife and most of it is a joy to behold. There are some exceptions to this rule however, and racing its way to the top of most people’s lists of unwelcome visitors is the humble slug.

At this point you may be expecting me to extol the edible virtues of this creature in order to curry favour for the unpopular pest, but in truth they are best avoided; if you want a meal, put them on a hook and use them as bait. There is more to the average slug than meets the eye though and a recent encounter prompted me to investigate a little further.

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