Book one of our Bushcraft & Primitive Skills Courses
Now hosted from our new home in the Brecon Beacons National Park, South Wales. Dates below, or buy Course Voucher from our SHOP and arrange your date later
Our courses are designed to teach any experience level from novice to masterclass. We aim to give people a fun and educational experience and give you the confidence to use the skills you learn again and again. We teach one-to-one, to large groups at a time and can teach from age 5 upwards.
Check out our Eventbrite page for dates or to book your course. Or book with us directly if you prefer – just get in touch
NEW for 2023! We can also now host you overnight on our 8 acre smallholding! Either book our Shepherds Hut or bring a tent to camp for £15 per night.
BUSHCRAFT & PRIMITIVE SKILLS COURSES
Fish Skin Tanning
Learn how to create incredibly beautiful fish leather
Did you know that you can make leather from fish skins instead of throwing in the bin or compost?! Most people don’t realise that you can make a soft and amazingly strong material from fish skins. With this course, we want to introduce you to the art of Fish Skin Tanning.
Fish skin is incredibly versatile and can be used for a multitude of crafts. It’s perfect for making little pouches and if sewn together, larger bags and even clothing. In the UK in the past, eel skin gloves were the height of fashion and wallets and bags were often made from eel and other fish skins. They seem to have fallen out of fashion in more recent years but now seem to be making a comeback with the popularity of sustainability and zero waste living.
Fish skin is by far the easiest of skins to tan and is one of the few that can be tanned in a single day. This surprisingly addictive skill is often a gateway to other ancestral skills – absolutely no previous experience is required and the workshop is suitable for all abilities. It’s also very accessible – once you have the knowledge, it can be done anywhere with very limited equipment.
Come and spend a peaceful and restorative day with us within the Brecon Beacons National Park, South Wales. Here, you’ll experience blissful peace and quiet, incredible Black Mountain views and the freshest of mountain air!
On this one day course you will learn:
- How to flesh, de-scale and prepare the skin using primitive tools
- About creating a natural oil solution to soak the skin to preserve its flexibility and suppleness
- Also, a second tanning method using a bark ‘tea’, which produces a darker coloured skin
- How to stretch and work both skins to a dry, finished and beautiful pair of leather fish skins – ready for your craft of choice (which we’re very happy to advise you on!)
The finished article has a beautiful, striking pattern – and no fish smell at all, we guarantee!
Spoon Carving Course
Learn how to hand carve your own wooden spoon
Embrace the opportunity to learn to carve your own wooden spoon. Steve will share with you his many years of carving experience and knowledge of the tools and materials to use. You’ll learn a range of cutting techniques using an axe, a sloyd knife and a crook knife, allowing you to create your own wooden spoon efficiently and safely.
£120 per person, including tea and coffee all day – please bring your own lunch
* Max group size 8 – Min age 16
Purchase a course voucher today and arrange your date with us later on. Easy peasy.
Moccasin Making
We’ll use an authentic Native American pattern to create your own leather moccasins.
Spend a peaceful couple of days, immersed in the primitive skill of making buckskin moccasins.
We’ll use an authentic primitive pattern and organically tanned buckskin, made by Steve using local deer. With Steve’s expert tuition, you’ll create your own functional pair of the most comfortable shoes you’ll ever wear! An experience not to be forgotten.
£250 per person – 2 day course, including:
- Camping (please bring your own tent) or treat yourself to a stay in our Shepherds Hut
- All the campfire coffee, tea and soft drinks that you can drink
- Delicious snacks (please bring your own meals, which you are welcome to cook over the fire)
- Materials and tuition
- Moccasins!
* Max group size 4 – Min age 16
Purchase a course voucher today and arrange your date with us later on. Easy peasy.
Paddle Carving Course
Learn to carve a canoe or kayak paddle using locally sourced wood
Join us for a peaceful and restorative two days learning about wood selection and character, paddle shapes, uses and history, and the safe use of an axe, draw knife and finer carving tools. You’ll ‘rough out’ your paddle shape and start work on shaving away the bulk on day one. You’ll camp under the stars (or in our log cabin, if you’re more comfortable indoors!) and then day two will be spent on the finer detail, sanding and finishing with oil and an optional Axe & Paddle heat stamp.
£250 per person – 2 day course, including:
- Camping (please bring your own tent) or treat yourself to a stay in our Shepherds Hut
- All the campfire coffee, tea and soft drinks that you can drink
- Delicious snacks (please bring your own meals, which you are welcome to cook over the fire)
- Materials and tuition
- Your masterpiece paddle to take home
Purchase a course voucher today and arrange your date with us later on. Easy peasy.
Organic Fur Tanning
Produce naturally tanned furs
Over the three days (3rd day optional), you’ll learn how to produce a finished deer skin. We use a local deer and use entirely organic, primitive methods, as our ancestors would have done. Did you know that almost every mammal on the planet has the exact size brain to organically tan its own skin? Using this age old method is messy and it can be hard work – but it produces the softest furs and we love that it promotes ‘zero waste’. Something we’re very passionate about.
£250 per person – 2 day course, including:
- Camping (please bring your own tent) or treat yourself to a stay in our Shepherds Hut
- All the campfire coffee, tea and soft drinks that you can drink
- Delicious snacks (please bring your own meals, which you are welcome to cook over the fire)
- Materials and tuition
- Your own fur or buckskin to take home
Purchase a course voucher today and arrange your date with us later on. Easy peasy.
The Whole Deer
Skin and prepare a whole animal
Using a beautiful deer from a local gamekeeper, we demonstrate how to skin the animal and prepare the hide for tanning, butcher the animal and provide tips on cooking and preserving the meat. We also show you how to use the bones for tools and the sinew for string. At the end of the course we’ll cook up a delicious venison steak and you can tuck in!
£150 per person, for the one day course, including:
- All the campfire coffee, tea and soft drinks that you can drink
- Delicious snacks (please bring your own lunch, which you are welcome to cook over the fire)
- Materials and tuition
- Meat and materials to take home
* Max group size 4 – No min age
(under 16s must be supervised by a guardian)
Purchase a course voucher today and arrange your date with us later on. Easy peasy.
Book Your Course Below
