Woodlore Blog

If you’ve missed any episodes of the new series of Wild Britian with Ray Mears, you can now catch up online with the ITV Player - just click on the image below:

The following post was kindly provided by Woodlore customer Craig Turner:

Dear Ray Mears and Woodlore team,

First and foremost I would like to thank you for the enlightment over the years on the many people, places and the knowledge that you hold. Alongside forgotten pioneering explorers, you have also brought wonderful craftsman to the forefront of my attention. Thank you.

The raw materials

My Julius Pettersson knife handle is a composition of reindeer antler supplied by Woodlore, leather spacers, Berchemia Zeyheri (Pink Ivory Wood) and Brosimum Guianensis (Snake Wood):

Gluing the pieces into place

All finished off with scraper and 1200 grit paper, and then boiled linseed oil:

Craig's finished knife

About to start another, could get addicted to this!

Craig Turner

<< Read Part 1 <<

Part 2:

Make a small Bowline Knot in the first piece of rope and put the loop around the nail in cross B. Zigzag the rope loosely around the nails of the first and second row. When you reach the last nail in the first row, put the rope around the last nail in the third row and turn to the last nail of the second row to make your first knot (see Figure 3A & 3B).

Figure 3A - The Start

Figure 3B - The First Knot

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Click here to watch the new series online

We are excited to announce that the popular ITV series Wild Britain with Ray Mears will be returning to our screens this year for a second series. Starting on Friday 14 October, Wild Britain kicks off a new 10-part run, as Ray takes us to some of Britain’s finest and most beautiful natural habitats and celebrates the very best of our wildlife.

See the official ITV trailer for this series below:

From ITV:

In this second series, Ray ventures further afield as he explores the wild landscapes of Great Britain – ancient pine forests, deep bogs and remote mountains. From the dramatic Cairngorms in the Scottish Highlands and the underwater world of a sea loch in the Outer Hebrides, to the steep sea cliffs on an island off the coast of Wales, Ray unlocks the vital links between the plant, animal and insect worlds and the role of man in the evolution of our ever changing landscape. Sharing his knowledge of field craft and his passion for our native wildlife, Ray shows us the hidden natural world that lives just beyond our doorstep.

 Broadcast dates:

1. Caledonian Pine Forest – Friday 14 October at 8pm, ITV1 & ITV1 HD
2. Skomer – Friday 21 October at 8pm, ITV1 & ITV1 HD
3. Chalk – Friday 28 October at 8pm, ITV1 & ITV1 HD
4. Lowland River - Friday 04 November at 8pm, ITV1 & ITV1 HD
5. Sea Loch - Friday 11 November at 8pm, ITV1 & ITV1 HD
6. Ancient Forest - Friday 18 November at 8pm, ITV1 & ITV1 HD
7. Flow Country – Friday 25 November at 8pm, ITV1 & ITV1 HD
8. Broadland - Friday 02 December at 8pm, ITV1 & ITV1 HD
9. Mountain & Moorland – Friday 09 December at 8pm, ITV1 & ITV1 HD
10. Best of Show – Friday 16 December at 8pm, ITV1 & ITV1 HD

We are delighted to announce three new Woodlore courses to take place in the UK in 2012:

Woodlore Walk in the Woods with Ray Mears

The first is the welcome return of Woodlore’s classic Walk in the Woods with Ray Mears in East Sussex.  Due to popular demand, we have reinstated this fantastic chance to spend a day in the woods with Ray and to learn from him first-hand.

The second new course is the exciting Fire Lighting Techniques course; a 2-day workshop that will teach you numerous ways of fire lighting and fire management.  This course will be led by Woodlore’s Head of Operations, Dan Hume.

The third course to be announced is the brand new Rekindling the Fundamentals course.  This 5-day course is catered specifically to those who have already completed the Woodlore Fundamental Bushcraft course and wish to recap on the skills, refine their techniques, or simply find somewhere to practice.

We anticipate these courses to sell out quite fast, so please book soon to avoid disappointment. If you have any questions at all on any of these courses, please feel free to get in touch.

Over the coming weeks, we will be releasing a four-part guide on how to make your very own hammock using para cord. This excellent step-by-step tutorial was very kindly supplied by Woodlorean John van Zanen of the Netherlands; thank you!

We’ve split the guide into four different sections, allowing you to have a go at each stage before the next set of instructions is released. Today we have Part 1; we hope you enjoy this guide and would love to hear from anyone that gives it a go.

Part 1:

It is always very rewarding to make your own kit. When I finished the Camp Craft course at Woodlore I decided to make a hammock. I learnt making a hammock using this technique when I was a boy scout and it was quite a long time ago since I had made my last one. But when you are living in a fixed camp a hammock is a useful item. It not only gives you a place to sleep at night but also a place to sit during the day and it adds comfort to the times you spend outdoors.

This is an easy technique and you don’t have to be a knots expert to try to make this sort of hammock. So during the construction of my latest project this summer I took some pictures while I was working and translated the instructions they gave me as a boy scout into English. I hope this guide will inspire my fellow Woodloreans to make their own project. Good luck.

What do you need?

• Sisal rope, two wire, about 1 kilo (when using paracord you will need about 230 meters depending on the length of the hammock)
• Two pieces of wood from 2.6 cm by 1.8 cm by 70 cm long (or just two pieces of wood from nature)
• Two steel rings (optional)
• A shelf or board of about 24 to 110 cm
• Sixty-six nails of 6.5 cm
• Stick or broomstick of about 120 cm
• Tape

Preparing your work board:

Draw the pattern in figure 1 on the shelf and hit the nails into the board at the spots marked with the dots. Remove the heads from the nails with a pair of pliers. Also, drive a nail in the board at the site of cross B. The nails have to stick about 4 cm out of the board. Be careful for nails that protrude below the shelf! Treat the top of the nails with a file and sandpaper and remove the sharp edges to save your hands and your rope.

Figure 1A - The Pattern

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The very first photo has been released today of the brand new Ray Mears Bushcraft Knife. Stephen Wade Cox has been working extra hard this week to bring us our first delivery of the new oak-handled knives this morning; for the full-size photo, head over to the Woodlore Facebook page:

A special delivery of the new oak-handled Ray Mears Bushcraft Knife

This first batch of knives will go on sale on Tuesday 4 October; to receive an automated e-mail as soon as they are available to buy, please click here, and then select ‘Notify Me’.

The following kit review was very kindly sent in by Woodlore customer Julian who, we’d like to point out, is not affiliated with Woodlore in any way – he’s just a very happy customer!

Dear Woodlore,

Yesterday I just used the Honey Stove, and I must say what an amazing piece of kit it is. The crusader cup and stand don’t even compare.

Julian's Honey Stove being put to the test

It’s surprisingly easy to setup and compared to other equipment I’ve owned and used it’s lightweight. The different setup configurations are really handy which make for a very versatile piece of kit.

Once set up, it is a very strong structure. The best thing about it is its flat-pack structure; this makes it ideal for expeditions as it does not take up much space at all. Considering the distances I had to travel and weight limitations put in place on previous expeditions, I say: I wish I had bought it before.

Works extremely well with both wood and fuel tabs. For me this is the best kit in its category I ever bought. I would recommend it to any one. It’s a MUST HAVE!

So far I’m satisfied with all the items I bought from RayMears.com. The best website I came across so far. As I’m doing, I would recommend the website and products to anyone looking to buy this sort of equipment. The quality of the products and knowledge available is the best I ever came across.

Kind Regards,

Julian Muscat Doublesin

Ray Mears will be appearing at The Forum this October, giving a talk as part of this year’s Cheltenham Literature Festival:

 

 

 

 

 

Ray Mears at The Forum
Friday October 7, 2011, 20:45 pm

The Times Cheltenham Literature Festival promises a feast of literary treats with more than 600 of the world’s greatest writers, poets, politicians, thinkers and actors heading to the Regency town. Now in its 62nd year, 2011 promises the most ambitious and varied programme to date, with BAFTA-award winning actress Joanna Lumley, musician and radio broadcaster Jarvis Cocker, presenter and film critic Jonathan Ross and comedian Frank Skinner all taking to the Cheltenham stage.

Instantly familiar from TV series such as Bushcraft Survival and Northern Wilderness, bushcraft expert Ray Mears has tested his survival skills all over the world, whilst exploring the traditional cultures of indigenous peoples and following in the footsteps of noted explorers. In a hugely enjoyable event he looks back on some of his enthralling adventures.

For further information, or to reserve your ticket, please visit the following link:

Event information and bookings

Hans Hilverdink,
The Netherlands