Frequently asked Questions

Woodlore receive many hundreds of emails and letters each month asking to talk to Ray and ask his advice about a range of issues. Needless to say, Ray is often away leading expeditions or is busy researching other work. This means that Ray cannot answer every request. The Woodlore office will pass your requests to Ray, if he is available, so please visit our contact page to send your email in the first instance.

Nowadays, Ray is often too busy to fulfil the many autograph requests that he receives. However, at this time, all of the books written by Ray in our Online Shop come individually signed by Ray. Please visit the Books section of our shop to see the available titles. Please note that these exclusive signed copies are only available through Woodlore.

We accept all major credit and debit cards (AMEX, VISA, MasterCard etc.) You can make payments for courses and kit online via our secure payment interface. Alternatively you can make payment over the phone by calling us in our office on 015280 819668. Woodlore is part of the VISA and MasterCard Secure system that adds an extra level of security for credit card holders online.

* Please do not send payment card details via email. Please ensure that you call us to pass over any card details if you do not wish to make payment online.

We also accept PayPal™ payments. When checking out online, click on the "PayPal" bar where you can enter your details. Please note we do not accept PayPal e-cheque payments.

If your order is placed before 2PM GMT (Monday – Friday) we aim to dispatch same day. Please note that any order placed after 2PM will be dispatched the next working day.

• Please note that any order placed after 2PM on a Friday will be dispatched the following Monday when we re-open at 9AM GMT.

UK orders with a total value over £300.00 will be dispatched via a next day delivery service free of charge.

For all other orders, please refer to the following estimated Delivery Times:

• UK: 1 - 2 working days
• Europe: 3 - 5 working days
• Rest of the world: 5 - 7 working days

* Please note that Rest of the World orders are likely to experience customs checks which may result in additional delays to delivery. This is not a guarantee; however we estimate that this should take 3-5 days if experienced.

Yes; we can deliver to BFPO stations. For this we will use the following services:

• Under £300 + Less than 2Kg – Royal Mail Tracked
• Over £300 + Less than 2Kg – Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed
• Over £300 + More than 2Kg – ParcelForce

Unfortunately we are unable to guarantee a delivery time as this depends on the stationing of your Unit. However, we expect this to take between 3-7 working days.

All BFPO mail must be marked as United Kingdom, regardless of the station location geographically.

Yes. However, for this to be processed, we require a letter from your CO confirming your eligibility for VAT-free purchasing. In any case, please call us in the office to place your order over the phone, or email us once you have placed your order on our website.

You may not have cookies enabled. Cookies are small pieces of information that persist throughout your visit to raymears.com. We use such a cookie to hold the contents of your shopping basket, and this form of cookie is temporary; the cookie is deleted when you leave our website.

Please note: Making www.raymears.com a "trusted" site in your web browser will also allow cookies to be used for the purposes of accessing our site and online shop. Any third-party Internet security software you have installed may also block cookies.

Note: Privacy software installed on your computer may block cookies and/or your referer address. If you are having problems with your order basket, or if a security message appears upon checkout, please ensure that raymears.com is "trusted" by your privacy software. Examples of popular privacy software include the McAfee™ Security Centre and Norton™ Internet Security packages.

We scan all incoming messages for spam, as well as other offensive content. Our filters may be isolating your message and rejecting it because a specific phrase in the body or subject of your message is also one of our filtered keywords.

Please also note that we prefer plain-text emails, as opposed to HTML-formatted emails, if at all possible. If you cannot get an email to be accepted, please telephone us.

If you wish to return your purchase for any reason, please return it (along with a copy of your invoice and a covering note) to the following address:

Woodlore Limited
PO Box 3
Etchingham
East Sussex
TN19 7ZE
United Kingdom

A refund/exchange will only be provided if the items have not been worn and are un-used. The items must be returned to us within 30 days of receipt with all relevant tags and packaging intact. You (the customer) are fully responsible for the cost of return (+insurance relative to product value) of any products that are no longer required.

Postal tracking codes are provided for all UK orders over £10 and ALL overseas orders via email once your order has been dispatched with Royal Mail. This tracking number can also be viewed via the order status page.

UK orders £10 and under typically take two days to be delivered, and will not receive tracking information.

UK orders over 2.5Kg and International orders over 2Kg will receive an email from ParcelForce with tracking information enclosed.

If you have not received your tracking code, please get in touch with us via the contact us page, and we will be more than happy to provide this to you.

Yes. All pages of raymears.com are encrypted for maximum security, ensuring that no information can be intercepted during transit. You can verify our security certificate by clicking on the padlock icon in your web browser, which indicates you are on a secure page. Furthermore, no card details used for payment are stored on our servers.

No; unfortunately not. We only offer kit and courses for sale via our website, and over the phone.

We ship worldwide. All available destinations can be found on the checkout page.

Both are calculated at the time of checkout based on the destination country. The majority of overseas orders will not be charged UK VAT, however customers will pay their local tax rate upon import into their country.

Some of our items are already zero rated for VAT e.g. food/books.

We mainly use Royal Mail; however for orders over 2.5Kg (UK ONLY) and 2Kg (REST OF WORLD) we will use ParcelForce. Some orders may require other freight companies; so please feel free to get in contact with us if you are unsure about how your order will be dispatched.

* All deliveries above £10 are registered and a tracking code may be available.

If your enquiry is regarding an order that has been successfully placed, please get in contact with our office by email/phone. When in contact, please have your PaySafe code to hand, as we may require this to find your order.

If your enquiring about a failed order, this is best handled by your bank, as we do not pass or fail orders (the acquiring bank is in control of this).

A link to your Woodlore invoice is included with your email confirmation, and a physical copy will be sent with your order. You can view your invoice online; however you will require your purchase code to gain access. If you require your purchase code, please contact the Woodlore office to verify yourself beforehand.

If you have your purchase code, you can use our order status page.

Unfortunately, we may not always have an exact date for new stock. In this case, we would advise that when you see the “Out of Stock” message on a particular product, you sign up for a stock notification using the “Notify Me” button. You will need to enter your name and email address to sign up, and you will receive an email when stock becomes available.

Alternatively, we advise checking our website regularly for new stock.

Please understand that Woodlore in not informed to why an online transaction has failed; it is the acquiring bank (i.e. your bank) that are declining the transaction. Please check that all card details are correct and your name is spelt as printed on the card. If the transaction is declined again, please consider using another card, or attempting payment using PayPal.

Multiple failed purchase attempts will be automatically blocked by your bank, so please resist repeat orders after previous failed attempts. Should your card be rejected on multiple transactions, please consider contacting your bank.

Depending on the payment card that you use, some banks require additional security information. This is because Woodlore have enrolled in the VISA™ and MasterCard™ Secure scheme. This system asks you for additional information at the time of payment, such as a special code which only you know and which will be known to you by an additional look-up card supplied by your bank. If you do not know this information, please contact your bank in the first instance. You can also make a manual order with us.

Remember, Woodlore want to make sure that your credit card is used only by you, and not by someone else.

Under UK law any person who places an order for knives, axes, saws and bladed products will require proof of age. Orders containing such items MUST be made by someone who is 18+. This is the law and we cannot make any exceptions to this under any circumstances.

Woodlore will check the open electoral-roll against the address provided (if the address you are registered to is different, please advise to avoid any delays). Alternatively, you can provide us with ID e.g. passport or drivers licence. Should Woodlore require any additional information, Woodlore will be in contact.

No. If you wish, you can call us on 01580 819668 and place your order over the phone.

It is best if we actually cancel and refund your order first, and then create a brand new order.

E-vouchers (electronic vouchers) can be purchased from our online shop. Each voucher has a specifically unique code and can be used towards payment for your order. When purchasing an E-voucher, your unique code(s) will be sent via e-mail. This can be passed onto as a gift by someone (i.e. using e-mail or printed) allowing them to use the voucher(s) online as they wish.

To use your voucher, select the items you would like to purchase as normal. In the checkout select the “vouchers” tab then copy your voucher code you wish to use from your email/invoice into the “voucher payments” field. Once complete click “Add Voucher” and this will be deducted from the outstanding payment; you can use more than one voucher per transaction.

* Please note it is unlikely that the value of your order will match that of the voucher(s) total. We are unable to issue outstanding credit balances if your vouchers amount to more than your order total; therefore we advise using your lowest value voucher, and topping the payment up with a credit/debit card payment to avoid losing the excess value.

* If your order total is equal to or less than the voucher value, you will beitted to check-out without top-up payment.

Course booking can be made using e-vouchers however this must be done by contacting the Woodlore office.

Ray normally attends expeditions. Woodlore have a fully trained team of instructors for most courses. For a definitive answer please check our website for the relevant course. Course leaders for each workshop will be shown. If a course has TBA (to be announced) please call us for more information. Because of Ray's busy schedule, he does not lead all of the Woodlore courses.

We have a page that details all the courses that Ray leads.

No. Please see our Terms and Conditions for more information. You may pass your course place to another person however. Please contact us directly in order to amend your booking information in such cases.

Yes, subject to availability of places. Please note that there is also a £25.00 administration charge to move course dates.

Woodlore courses are frequently booked up very quickly. Registering for course cancellations via the Course page itself (via the Notify button) is the best way of getting the occasional last-minute place on a course when a cancellation occurs (see below). Cancellations do often occur.

Booking your place via the website is the fastest way of securing a place. Please note that there is no paper-based list for people awaiting courses - the workshops page has all up-to-date booking information and availability in the first instance.

See the Course calendar for all course dates this year, and beyond.

Woodlore hold courses in the United Kingdom and abroad (mainly for expeditions). A general area should be given on the course description page of our website, e.g. East Sussex. Once we have received your final payment for a course we will send out full joining instructions and directions to the course site.

Once we have received your final payment for a course we will send out full joining instructions and directions to the course site etc. However due to a variety of factors, such as weather and travel issues - which may also be beyond our control - final course information may take longer to be released. If you are worried about your plans please contact us for assistance.

Subscribe to our mailing list and keep watching our website for new announcements. We cannot tell customers about course dates in advance until they are actually published on our website.

No. See below.

Please subscribe to our mailing list and any new courses will be brought to your attention.

You could load the course booking/payment page in multiple web browser windows, and then submit each one after the other, or you can contact us to make a block-booking (or family booking.) Only individual bookings are taken online to give as many individuals the chance to book courses as possible. Please call us regarding bespoke courses for larger parties. We can arrange special events for large groups of people on a bespoke basis.

See the pre-course information page for detailed pre-course information for all of our courses. If your course is not listed it is because course requirements may change last-minute, so please contact Woodlore directly in this case.

If you want to cancel your place, please email or phone us in the first instance. It would be helpful if you could provide your payment code (PaySafe code, or manual purchase code) to allow us to find your booking information more quickly. Please bear in mind that there are strict cancellation rules in relation to customer refunds. Please read our Terms and Conditions for more information.

No. The Introduction to Bushcraft course is recommended as a taster for those who are unsure if a full week’s course will suit them. You will learn the basics of Bushcraft which will hopefully whet your appetite for more!

Yes. This is a prerequisite for attending the Journeyman. It is important you master all the bushcraft skills needed to survive in the wilderness for three days with just your cooking pot and knife!

We are happy to supply a vegetarian option on the courses where we cater for you i.e. Introduction and Fundamental. If you have a more limited diet or have food allergies we would be grateful if you could supply your own food.

If you have attended a Woodlore course, we would love to hear your feedback on it, whether good or bad. Please visit our Course Reviews page to submit a review about a course that you attended.

There are strict data privacy rules that prevent us from ever divulging contact details of our course attendees. If you wish to stay in touch with them, the best way is obviously to ask for their details during your course. Failing this, you can contact Woodlore to see if we can get in touch with the person(s) concerned. Alternatively, you may want to start a blog or other personal web page that we can then direct other people to. Many past students have started photo galleries and blogs for this purpose.

We would ask that all such photos and other information are passed by us first so that we can authorise this. Please respect the privacy of other workshop attendees by asking us first.

Our Ray Mears Leather Knife Sheath - Neck has been designed to fit The Ray Mears Bushcraft Knife from 2017 onwards.

Our Ray Mears Leather Knife Sheath – Belt has been designed to fit The Ray Mears Bushcraft Knife of any age and The Wilkinson Sword Woodlore Knife (both Maple and Micarta handled versions).

If you wish to purchase one of our sheaths for a different knife, it is very difficult for us to simply say whether or not it will make a perfect fit. To make things a little easier for you, we have provided some of the key dimensions of the knives that our sheaths are designed to fit:

• Handle length: 110 mm
• Blade length: 110 mm
• Blade depth: 27 mm
• Blade thickness: 4 mm
• Approximate circumference of handle: 84 mm

No. You don’t have to spend a great deal of money on new equipment, especially clothing. Many items can be found in any good Army Surplus store.

See the pre-course information page for detailed pre-course information for all of our courses. If your course is not listed it is because course requirements may change last-minute, so please contact Woodlore directly in this case.

The Alan Wood Woodlore Knife is no longer being made and orders are not being taken for this item. Occasionally a second-hand Woodlore knife will come up for sale on auction sites e.g. eBay™

First and foremost, you must seek permission of the landowner where you intend to camp or light fires etc. In the United Kingdom, the Forestry Commission may be able to assist you with finding suitable campsites, but there are strict rules which must be followed at all times.

If you are trying to find a private location to build a shelter and light a fire etc., always ask the landowner in advance - you may be pleasantly surprised to find that they will give permission. If not, keep trying until you find a suitable location - there's no harm in asking.

Unfortunately, we cannot give any advice on precise locations where you can practice your skills, simply because we do not have the necessary authority to tell you. Likewise, we cannot give out details of Ray's filming locations due to privacy concerns.

Many Woodlore items are resold on auction sites such as eBay™, and there is no problem with doing this just as long as the following rules are adhered to.

If you wish to use the trademarks "Ray Mears" or "Woodlore", please be aware that these names can only be used in context to genuine branded products sold by Woodlore Ltd and must not be used for any items that are not connected with us.

If you are selling a DVD or Book authored by Ray, then there is no problem using an item description such as "Ray Mears Bushcraft", but please do not create false endorsements such as "Grid Reference Finder / Ray Mears" or "Ray Mears Cutlery Set." If an item has been purchased from Woodlore (or via raymears.com) then please quote only the item description. Please note that we have an automated process for actively scanning and reporting all trademark violations, as well as sales that are using Ray's name for false endorsements.

Woodlore are members of eBay's VERO programme and can have items removed from auction very quickly. Repeated VERO violations will lead to a permanent ban of that eBay member.

If in any doubt, please contact us for clarification in the first instance.

We do not permit our workshop places to be re-sold on auction sites, such as eBay™. The reason for this is that Woodlore have cancellation and waiting lists in place for our workshops, and to circumvent these by offering places to bidders on an auction website would be unfair to other people who are waiting for a cancellation.

Unfortunately these programmes are not available at the current time. You may find some on websites like YouTube, however. Good luck.