Woodland Ways Ltd

Foraging Course

Woodland Ways deliver both Spring, Summer and Autumn Foraging courses to enable you to see the different resources available to you at different times of the year. On both courses you will join our instructors on a days forage around our Oxfordshire and Derbyshire woodland to take a look at what we can find.

During these forages we will cover flora identification techniques, and some of the useful edible and medicinal plants available to us in our British Woodland.

Further to this, through hands on training, you will learn how to harvest these resources in a sustainable manner, and finally how to prepare each ingredient. There will be tasting sessions through the day and the opportunity for you to practice cooking techniques.

You will also have the opportunity, should you wish, to prepare and cook your own game lunch around the campfire, (Vegetarian options are always available). This lunch will be either Rabbit, Pigeon, Partridge, Pheasant, or Trout. If you have a specific interest in a particular food type then just can also let us know in advance and we will do our best to accommodate this.

Woodland Ways Weekend
The Woodland Ways Weekend is our introductory Bush craft & Survival Course; learn the skills of fire lighting, natural foods including fish/game preparation, shelter building using only natural materials, water collection filtration and purification. Spend a night out in the wood under the stars! Dates of the Woodland Ways Weekend

Family Bush Craft Course
Our Family Bush Craft course is a one-day and one night course aimed at parents and children who want to learn how to live more comfortably in the wilds. The course is designed to be a family friendly course, enabling parents and children to discover together some of the delights of learning to live with the resources available to us in the wilds, skills include shelter building, fire, water. Dates of Family Bush Craft Course

Bush Craft Basics Day Course
An introductory day aimed at teaching you the skills of how to survive, namely lighting your fire without matches, preparing wild food, building a waterproof woodland shelter using only natural materials and collecting, filtering and purifying your water. Dates of Bush Craft Basics Day Course

Foraging Day Course
Join our instructors on a forage and learn flora identification techniques, useful, edible and medicinal plants. Learn how to harvest these resources in a sustainable manner and how to prepare each ingredient. Includes tasting sessions throughout the day and the opportunity to practice cooking techniques, including preparing and cooking your own game lunch, vegetarian options are also available. For details on Foraging Day Courses

Woodland Ways Week
The 5 day Woodland Ways Week is our advanced bush craft course & prior bush craft experience is essential. We gradually reduce your reliance on modern equipment & by the end of the week you are using only natural materials for all your activities. We cover Navigation techniques, Tracking, Fire, Food, Shelter & Water plus much more. We also construct a group woodland Sauna. For details on Woodland Ways Week
Tracking Weekend
Join our instructors to learn the ancient art of tracking. Throughout the weekend our instructors will work with you to identify animal tracks and signs, moving further into the realms of tracking we will also develop your stalking techniques to allow you to move silently through the woodland. Experience the woodland come alive at dawn and experience dusk through the eyes of a deer!

Stone Age Weekend – Flint Knapping
Have you ever wanted to know how prehistoric man made their tools? Join us and learn the art of pre historic hand axe production, how to make flakes for butchery and hide scrapers. You will then have the opportunity to use your tools to prepare your meals. We will also work with you on the production of blade cores and basic survival tools. On day two we step up a gear and work on the production of finer tools where you will make a leaf point arrowhead, followed by the production of a fully fledged arrow using hazel from the woodland. For details on Stone Age Weekend

Canoe Building
Over this 4 day course you will build and use your very own Birch Ply Canoe. Either as an individual or a group of up to 3 friends/family, our instructors will provide you with all of the necessary materials and equipment to build your canoe, and teach you how to use it! There are also opportunities for you to learn some Basic Bush craft skills, including fire lighting & game preparation. For details on Canoe Building

4X4 Off Road Driving
Our 4x4 Voyager course is designed to give you the confidence and ability to plan and tackle your off road adventures, whilst learning survival skills at the same time. For details on 4x4 Off Road Driving

Woodland Ways Walks – Intermediate Navigation
Our Intermediate Navigation course is designed for people who have an understanding of the features on the map but would like to develop their knowledge further. We cover interpreting the map within the landscape, understanding scales, calculating distances, providing grid references plus more advanced techniques including calculating magnetic & grid bearings, walking on a bearing plus much more. For details on Navigation

Sahara Desert Survival Course – Morocco
Our highly skilled Instructors will teach you how to survive in one of the most unforgiving environments in the world. We travel into the Sahara including the Cedar forests of the Atlas Mountains wild camping along the way. You will learn how to source water, light fire, build shelters & find food in a variety of desert environments. No prior experience is required for this course. For details on Sahara Survival Course

Hide Tanning
This four day Hide Tanning Course will equip you with all the skills you need to skin, prepare and cook a deer. Working through all the different stages of hide preparation and tanning a hide using natural resources. You will skin, scrap and soak the hide and make needles for sewing from the bones and sinews. Our instructors will be on hand to help you design a bag or pouch to sew from your skin.

Woodland Crafts Weekend
Over this weekend our instructors will show you how to source the right materials & prepare them for willow weaving & how to make a simple basket. The various techniques learnt will enable you to make any woven container such as arrow quivers & willow fish & eel traps. We also cover the different types of wood used for various applications & show you how to carve spoons, ladles & bowls.

For more information on all these courses and dates, contact 07843 064114 or email jason@woodland-ways.co.uk