Spring Foraging Course - East Lothian

There are many reasons we can give, and several are mentioned below but the first one is customer reviews.  A lot of businesses, in all sectors, will select review comments to display on their web sites, but it’s easy to cherry pick the best and display them prominently, we’re more confident.  Simply take a look at our Google reviews where we have no control to cherry pick the best but are proud of what we achieve - take a look, click here.

You can see bushcraft skills on the internet, but you really gain the skills and confidence by experiencing them for real with our team on hand to guide you through the learning process in a safe environment. Our dedicated instructors have honed their knowledge and skills through real-life, practical application and then draw on this experience to teach you the skills that enable adventures of your own. The breadth and depth of knowledge of a Woodland Ways Instructor far exceeds the content of a given course, and the structure and design of the courses gently pushes you to find a new comfort zone, becoming comfortable in the wild and with new skills.

Whether you're booking onto a one day Fundamentals or a two year Woodland Wayer course you will be surrounded and guided by like minded people, and you will learn skills that are not only practical and enjoyable but also build a great deal of respect for the lives and skill sets of our ancestors stretching back to the beginnings of humanity. A belief we hold close to our hearts that underlines all of our courses, is that once we’ve taught you something, that information is yours. If you forget something a week, a month, a year or 10 down the line, simply get in touch and we’ll be glad to go through it with you. 

Woodland Ways are a part of the global bushcraft community and are proud to walk some or all of your bushcraft journey with you through this amazing, vast topic. We are all students of bushcraft, and we learn from you and your experiences too. Even though we are the leaders at what we do, there are others who teach to high standards also, and we will have no hesitation to signpost you to them if we think your learning style or approach might be more appropriately met by them.

Derbyshire - Haddon Hall Estate

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Set in the Heart of the stunning Peak District National Park our woodlands are based on this beautiful 3800-acre historical estate, home to Lord and Lady Edward Manners. A warm and caring family estate, woodlands comprise over 600 acres, and our beautiful camp is nestled on the banks of the river Wye. 

Surrounded by a mature mixed canopy of Oak, Ash, Birch, and numerous conifers, the diverse flora is home to a wonderful array of large and small fauna. You may spot Fallow, or see the sign of a Badger, and will be immersed in a cacophony of bird noise as you share the home of Owl, Buzzard, Woodpecker, and more. 

Oxfordshire

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Nestling on the banks of the river Thames we have sole access to a 250 acre private woodlands just outside the village of Appleton, in Oxfordshire. with 125 acres designated as SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest) there is an abundance of flora and fauna. 

With a mixed canopy throughout the woodlands and a mosaic of habitats this woodland provides us with amazing resources, with Oak, Ash, Beech, Birch, Hazel, Hawthorn, Cherry, Blackthorn and more. We have resident populations of Muntjac, Roe and Fallow Deer, plus a huge variety of other fauna with almost daily sightings of Stoat, Tawny Owl, Buzzard, Red Kite and so much more. We operate all our courses here for individuals to book on to, including our Woodland Ways Weekend, we also offer private bookings, school bookings, stag dos and corporate events.

There are central covered teaching areas within the woodlands comprising of timber and canvas structures.

This wonderful woodland is situated within 45 minutes of West London and the local train station (Oxford) is less than a 15-minute cab ride away. Please ensure when traveling to the venue you use the directions and do not rely on Sat Nav in order to prevent getting lost. 

East Lothian- Scotland

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Our courses in East Lothian run from Blinkbonny Wood, a 100-acre mixed canopy woodland, nestling on the edge of the Lammermuir Hills which provides easy access to hill and moor.

Approximately 20 miles from Edinburgh and 5 miles from the historic market town of Haddington.

It is close to Longyester, and therefore public transport to the area is easily achievable with international flights coming into Edinburgh, as well as Edinburgh Waverley train station.

The canopy is a mixed patchwork with Birch, Hazel and Scots Pine a plenty. Gorse throws in its usual colours in the year and at the woodland boundaries there are stunning views of the hills in one direction, the coast in another, and bordering farmland.

Within our woodlands here you are likely to see Roe Deer, and we have regular sign of Badger. There is also a variety of species of Owl.

We operate weekend and day courses from this woodland and occasionally, longer duration courses that require access to the hill side. We also offer private courses for schools, parties, stag dos etc. 

This course doesn't require much kit. Please follow the link below to view our recommended kit list. 

Click here to view the kit list

Yes, Call Us: 01234 351006 (09:30-16:30 7 Days)

We’re happy to take course bookings and payments over the phone. Simply give us a call and we’ll place the booking for you before emailing through confirmation. Alternatively, drop us an email at info@woodland-ways.co.uk and we’ll call you back.

If your course booking is for a gift, no problem, just let us know at the time of booking and we’ll email you a personalised gift certificate or 18-month voucher to print at home. Or, for a small supplement, we’ll print out a gift pack and pop it in the post for you.

If you have any dietary requirements or allergies, please let us know at the time of booking. We will provide a suitable alternative for you. We would still encourage getting involved in the game preparation sessions, but we will completely understand if you didn't wish to.

The course will start at 09.30. We ask people to arrive around 09.00 (preferably earlier) so that you can have your boots on your feet and your bag on your back to set off at 16.30. Late arrivals may be turned away so as not to disrupt the course for everyone else. The course then runs until 12.00 on Sunday when you will be returned to your vehicles. 

If you're running late, you should tell us as soon as you can. We can't hold the course from starting as it's unfair on everyone else and you may be turned away and unable to join the course. This will be considered a late stage cancellation, and no refund or re-booking is possible.

Not at all. We don't make anyone participate in any session if they don't want to. It's your course and we want you to enjoy it as much as possible. We would definitely recommend attending the session, and listening to the information, but you don't have to get hands on with the animal.

We require a reasonable level of fitness to participate in our courses. They start with a 10-20 minute walk with the kit on your back, on uneven terrain. We won't be marching at a fast pace, and we won't be covering hundreds of miles over a weekend. The shelter building can include some heavy lifting, but this can be done as a pair or team. If you have any concerns, please feel free to get in touch.

Yes. Rain or shine, snow or plagues of locusts our courses will still run. We have policies in place for severe wind or lightning, but rain doesn't stop play. After all, there's no such thing as bad weather, only a lack of preparation! Follow the kit list and you'll be fine!

There's no mains water in the woods, but that doesn't mean we can't be hygienic and comfortable. We have a sheltered composting toilet and there's plenty of trees to water. When it comes to feminine hygiene we have a process for that too. There will be soap and hands-free hand wash facilities available throughout the course. This will all be explained on the introduction to the camp by the instructor. 

Absolutely. You can pay in instalments or you can book now with a deposit and pay the balance later. Simply select the appropriate option at the checkout, where you'll find more information.

If it's more than 8 weeks until the start of your course, then yes, we can move your booking. It may be subject to an administration fee of £20.

If it's less than 8 weeks until the start of your course, then I'm afraid not. We have overheads and bills to pay before the course begins, so late cancellations cost us, but they also stop someone else from booking on to the course. Please get in touch with the office if you have any questions or concerns.

Absolutely! This course works brilliantly for groups. Simply add more places when booking, or book the same date and location. If you have a large group, you may wish to get in touch with us to arrange a private course, which could be customised to suit your preferences.

Please give us a call to discuss this. The content of this course is suitable for all ages, but we need to be mindful of expectations of the group. 

We have a parking area at all of our sites. They are out of the woodlands and away from the camps, so please make sure you can carry all your kit in one trip. While the car parks are considered safe due to their remote location, vehicles are left at the owner's risk. They're easily accessible by most cars with standard suspension, though some of our sites have uneven farm tracks between the main road and the car park. 

We do allow dogs on our courses, but we have some rules. Firstly, the instructor has the final say, if they deem that your pet is disrupting the course, they may ask you to take them back to your vehicle/shelter. All dogs need to have a 100% reliable recall, even if they take off after something. They are to be under control at all times, and on a lead around, or kept away from, game or food preparation areas. You must pick up after your dog, and all litter must be taken away from site with you. This is because of the associated health risks for small children.

 If a client on the course has any issue with a dog, be it a phobia or an allergy etc, then the dog is to be kept on a lead at all times and away from that client, if the client agrees. Otherwise, the dog will have to be kept in your car or at your shelter. You must pick up after your dog, and take the waste home with you, and please don't encourage or allow them to urinate on plants - the base of trees is fine. We don't want to contaminate what we might need to forage!

Please let us know if you wish to bring your dog with you. 

While we encourage you to bring your phone to take photographs (or your camera if you prefer) there is no power supply to the woods. Power banks are a great addition to your kit for keeping your gadgets charged when outdoors.

No. Absolutely not. No. Nope. No. No. Stop it. No.