The following post was kindly written by Woodlore Aspirant Instructor Sarah Day:

Though spring can seem a long way off during the final throes of a British winter, it won’t be long before the new course season starts!

For me, this year is especially exciting because I will be working on some courses that I’ve never worked on before. Some of my outdoorsy books have been removed from their shelf and are lying around the house in various stages of read-ness, the backs of my notebooks are full of diagrams of things I want to make, lists of kit I need to mend and things I need to do in preparation for the new season.

However, one aspect of preparation that isn’t always mentioned in conjunction with Bushcraft is fitness. Although the set up of a camp and the day-to-day running of it demand more walking about than an average day in an office job, many of the skills that form part of your outdoor arsenal are aimed at minimising the amount of energy required and working efficiently; but that doesn’t mean being unfit is fine – it’s not.

A recent training exercise made it quite clear just how important fitness is. Quite apart from increasing your ability to get yourself out of trouble, it frees you up to enjoy every moment you spend outdoors. If you’re slogging up a hill, out of breath, the scenery will be of less interest than if you’ve just loped up it with relative ease; or put another way, the quicker you collect firewood/dig the trench/collect water, the more time there is to watch wildlife/sit around the campfire or learn a new skill – the stuff of great and lasting memories.

Use this time of year to gear up for the coming spring: practice your skills (particularly fire lighting!) in the more difficult conditions, get out and learn how to identify trees without their leaves, go bird watching – see if you can spot any winter visitors before they depart and… GET FIT, so that when the opportunity arises you can be off, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed ready for whatever the new season can throw at you!

Recently some senior members of the Woodlore Field Team received swift water training at the National Water Sports Centre in Nottinghamshire. We were instructed by an extremely experienced group of fire fighters, who make up part of an international search and rescue team.

Practising defensive swimming in fast moving water

When we are in the wilderness, bridges and ferries become a rarity, yet sometimes we are still faced with no option but to negotiate rivers, streams and lakes, and so we regularly find ourselves entering water that potentially can be cold, deep and fast-flowing.

It is no surprise that water is one of the most dangerous elements we face outdoors and it is therefore essential that any outdoors person can swim and is confident in water.  As outdoor professionals, running courses in and around water, it is also essential that we have an understanding of the hazards presented by water and a  knowledge of how to prevent and deal with problems, should they occur.  This recent training provided us with that knowledge and offered a refresher for the more experienced members of our team.

At the National Water Sports Centre we were able to realistically recreate threatening scenarios in a sterile, safe environment and it provided a valuable opportunity to get into the water and physically experience its immense power.

The training has increased our teams’ confidence and has undoubtedly contributed to our understanding of the dangers associated with water and will in turn help to improve the service we provide for our clients.

Learning to deal with submerged obstacles such as branches and fences

Negotiating a river crossing as a team

 

 

Practising throwing rope to a swimmer

 

 

Once a swimmer has grabbed the rope, they can be pulled ashore

 

 

Some of the Woodlore team after training

(…if you can beat the squirrels of course!)

The following post was kindly provided by Woodlore Aspirant Instructor Sarah Day

During a walk around a local wood, I noticed the ground was littered with thousands of ripe chestnuts – while I picked some of those (extricating them from their spikey cases with the toe of my boot) more were falling out of the trees; luckily none hit me – I imagine it would have hurt! It makes me wonder how people would have extracted the nuts thousands of years ago when most folk would presumably have been barefoot or wearing soft moccasins – maybe they just squashed the cases with a log then picked out the nuts?

Ripe chestnuts peeking from their husks

It was interesting trying to notice clues as to which husks held the best nuts. Obviously some of them were bigger, but I found the best way to tell was to look at the back. Where the nuts had grown to a fairly good size there was a cross of un-spikey husk showing – some of these held 2 or 3 good sized nuts. The other clue was to avoid husks that were browner in colour, as these had mostly fallen before the nuts were ripe or had already been raided (and rejected) by squirrels; I concentrated instead on husks that were still light green.

Some of the nuts contained little worms although no holes were visible on the shells – I expect their eggs were laid before the fruits formed and the holes are made as the mature insect burrows out. The main indication of bugs inside was that the shells were shrivelled, usually around the top of the nut. Some trees seemed much more affected than others, so if you’re out foraging and are finding a large proportion of buggy chestnuts, it may be worth moving to a different tree. Some trees were much more productive than others, with most cases containing 3 huge chestnuts, wheras on some trees nearly all the nuts were shriveled or full of bugs!

The result of a little foraging...

The other innovation was that it was far more efficient to kick several into a pile (preferably on the hard surface of the path!) and squash them at the same time – I wonder if in the past it could have been a group activity, with everyone joining in – especially if it was a case of beating not only the ever present squirrels and other rodents, but presumably wild boar!

 The other picture is beefsteak fungus – edible, grows on oak, turns the wood a  rich dark colour – furniture makers love it! Very tasty, but can be bitter – soaking overnight in milk or water helps. Does not taste like steak unfortunately!

Woodlore Nordic Skiing Expedition

With the Woodlore Winter Expedition courses fast approaching in early 2012, we asked Woodlore Head of Operations Dan Hume to write us an article of his memories from the Woodlore Nordic Skiing course.

I have very fond memories of my time spent in Norway in February 2008. Perhaps it’s a course that almost lurks in the shadows and goes unnoticed but it really was so much more than I expected and truly was one of the best weeks I’ve spent outdoors.

Brian Desmond who led the course, is a very experienced person in his field and he introduced the group to the basics of skiing over several days, pushing some members of the group onto more difficult terrain when appropriate. We had time to practise our newly learned skills whilst being amongst breathtaking scenery.

After completing the first few days, I felt confident in setting up and maintaining my skis and negotiating some surprisingly tricky terrain, I’d also become better at managing my layers, an important consideration in cold environments.

At the end of the week, we drove up into the mountains and travelled with our equipment, on skis, staying each night in a mountain hut, amazing scenery and team atmosphere; great fun.

It was a good feeling to know I had started the week as a beginner and by the end had travelled confidently and safely for many miles with my gear. A great introduction not only to Nordic skiing but to the north in general.

If you are wondering weather to join us this winter, I assure you, you will not be disappointed.

If you have any questions regarding this course please do not hesitate to contact us in the office and speak to Dan.  If you would like to join Woodlore and experience a fantastic introduction to the north on the Nordic Skiing Expedition or any other winter expedition in early 2012, please book soon as there are only a few spaces remaining.

Recently, Woodlore field staff member Adrian Newton e-mailed us to let us know that the first aid training provided to him by Jamie and his team at Fusion Medical Limited, during Woodlore’s Training Week, had really paid off.

Luckily the incident did not occur on one of our courses, but at Adrian’s place of work.  It just goes to show, accidents can happen anywhere and you never know when you may need this life-saving training! 

This is what Adrian had to say;

“Hi everyone in the office,

Hope everyone is well. I just wanted to pass on my thanks to Woodlore and Jamie for all the first aid training you have given us. I got to use it for real yesterday when a scaffold collapsed at work with a friend, Stewart on top of it.

Stewart fell twelve feet, hitting his head on the way down. I wasn’t the first person there and Stewart had been moved to a safer place away from the scaffold. He was conscious but had blood pouring from the back of his head. I got him to remain in the position I found him, sitting upright, keeping his head still. I was worried about a neck or back injury. He complained his back hurt but there was nowhere flat to lie him down. I stopped the bleeding with every bandage in the first aid kit. Standard kits for the workplace really are rubbish. There wasn’t even any surgical gloves let alone anything to support his neck.

The paramedics arrived and gave him a thorough examination. They put a brace around his neck and were happy enough to walk him off site. He was x-rayed at the hospital and had twelve staples in the cut. He’s back at work today. Damn! He’s got a hard head.  

Thanks again to the company for organising the courses for us and if it’s at all possible, could you send my thanks to Jamie. It could have been a lot worse, but thanks to you guys I didn’t feel overwhelmed dealing with it.

See you all soon.”

If you are interested in attending a first aid training course, Woodlore, teamed with Fusion Medical Limited, have several excellent courses running, ranging from a 2-day to week long courses:

Woodlore’s Wilderness Emergency Medic Courses

All of our first aid courses are approved by the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh and provide you with a certificate.  We  include mainly scenario-based learning as, after many years of teaching experience, we find this is the best way to remember such vital information.

Last week we held the first Woodlore Woodsense course of the year; here’s what course instructor James Bath had to say about it:

Clients checking their ageing stands on the Woodsense course

Perfect weather, keen clients and a week of tracking.  What more can a Woodlore instructor ask for?

The course season has been flying by so far with plenty of happy clients and great weather.  The ‘T-Shirt tans’ of the outdoor team are coming along nicely as well!

This week sees our first Woodsense tracking course of 2011.  Tracking is one of the most important skills in the subject of bushcraft and is not, as many would have you believe, some black voodoo art. Neither do you have to have been raised by wolves to get to grips with the skill. We hardly ever follow a ‘Man Friday’ set of footprints in soft sand but look for more subtle sign – something out of the ordinary in the environment in which we’re working. If you walked into your living room at home and saw the T.V. remote wasn’t in its usual place on the armchair but on the coffee table you would notice. It’s exactly the same principle. Aside from being a great challenge and extremely addictive, tracking can only enhance our enjoyment, observation and skills when we are in the outdoors; we notice the deer flicking its tail, the spiney oak up in the canopy and the edible fungi before anyone else. However, the best thing about tracking is its accessibility. You need only two things: time spent outdoors and your eyes.

Those of you who track will understand my enthusiasm. Those who have never tried it trust me; get outside, switch on, take your time and enjoy. Your time in the woods will never be the same again.

Clients looking for sign on the Woodsense course

 N.B. Please note, that from 2012 onwards the Woodsense course will be re-named the Woodlore Tracking course.

The following article was kindly written by Woodlore field staff member Sarah Day:

I found this moth larvae on an apple tree in my garden. It is the larvae of a vapourer moth as far as I can tell though it doesn’t have the ‘tail’ tuft shown in a lot of photos. The odd thing about this species is that the female is flightless, looking a bit like a hairy overweight woodlouse! They live on a variety of trees and shrubs, as well as broad bean plants it would seem, as they have demolished mine very efficiently.

A larvae of a vapourer moth found in Woodlore field staff member Sarah's garden

While trying to find out exactly what it is, I came across some amazing pictures of our other native caterpillars, we tend not to notice them, or villify them if we do, but they are fascinating, often strikingly beautiful and surprisingly common (hairy caterpillars can cause skin irritations so don’t touch them).

The other two pics: what I suspect is a dead drinker moth caterpillar (huge!) and a common emerald that flew into the house.

A dead drinker moth caterpillar

A common emerald moth

The following article was kindly written by Woodlore Field Staff member Sarah Day: 

Rose hips

A few days late and you may miss out- that’s why it pays to know your local area. Some of the spring greens may have toughened up and gone to seed, but you can still make a mental note of where they are for next year. 

This time of year there is food to be had, but the delectable fruits and nuts that will be ready in a couple of months are still unripe and unappetisingly sour. When they ripen however, the race is on; you’re up against the elements (a few days of rain or an early frost can really spoil the blackberries) the wildlife (grey squirrels like to eat beechnuts and hazelnuts before they’re even ripe!) and potentially other foragers, not to mention the local council- many a prime hedgerow harvest falls victim to the autumn round of hedge trimming (philistines!). 

Bullace

Even if you live in a town, there are many possibilities, you may even be lucky enough to find some escaped cultivated varieties of wild favourites, apple trees are surprisingly common along old railways- probably due to generations of passengers throwing apple cores out of train windows!

Pears

Wherever you live, now is the time to do some serious reconnaissance; not all bramble patches yield good fruit, but those that do will already be showing. Elderberries, rowan, rosehips, haws, sloes and other wild plumbs, hazelnuts, walnuts, acorns and apples are already well on their way. All you need to do having found the best patches is wait… and maybe start salivating over recipe books!”

If you’re looking to do some foraging of your own, the Jonas Swedish Berry Picker is a useful tool to have. It is a modern version of the tool that Ray used in his Wild Food series a few years back, and is perfect for the harvesting of small berries such as raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, gooseberries, lingonberries and many others.

Haws (Hawthorn)

The following post and accompanying photos were kindly put together by Sarah Day of our Field Staff team:

Foraging for fungi and the resulting activity in the kitchen is often thought of as an autumn pursuit; not so. Chicken of the woods (sulphur polypore/Laetiporus sulphureus) is one of many types of fungi that appear over the summer. This particular fungus often appears in late June, rather obligingly in the same place year after year; its dead whitish fruitbodies signposting the way to next years crop.

Laetiporus sulphureus, commonly known as 'Chicken of the woods'

It’s impressive to behold; bright yellow brackets with peachy orange highlights, often growing  in quite large groups. It grows on a lot of different trees too – broad leafs like Willow, Alder, Oak, Beech to name but a few and some conifers (particularly yew apparently!).

Unfortunately the fungus eventually kills the tree it grows on, turning the heartwood to a brown mess- so not exactly a never ending supply! It is delicious though;  I like to slice it thinly, fry it up with bacon and liver and have it on toast.

There are many other fungi around during the summer, some edible, some distinctly not, but all fascinating. So keep your eyes open, and a field guide handy and you  might be in for a culinary treat (or a really interesting photo!).

DO NOT EAT ANY FUNGUS UNLESS YOU ARE CERTAIN OF ITS IDENTIFICATION.

The correct identification of fungi is covered in a number of Ray’s books – Outdoor Survival, Wild Food and more extensively in Essential Bushcraft - as well as on our Journeyman Course, where Mycologist Claudia is on hand to give in-depth advice.

The following article was kindly written by Woodlore Field Staff member Keith Whitehead:

On my way home from a course, I was walking a stretch which takes in part of the Basingstoke canal’s towpath. One stretch, between two locks, had been drained for maintenance and the muddy bed was covered in what looked like mussels. I decided to take a closer look and removed my pack so that I could climb down the bank.

One of the mussel shells found by Keith

I found tens of empty freshwater mussel shells, some of which were of a considerable size. All of them had been scavenged by the time that I found them, but I was still amazed by the richness of the resource that I had been completely unaware of beforehand.

Whether eating a filter-feeding shellfish from a stretch of water such as the canal would be a wise thing or not, is another matter. I’m just glad that I know that they’re there and that my eyes have been opened a little further.