Traditional Woodland Crafts To Take Home
Step into the woods and discover the timeless craft of hurdle making, a skill once vital to rural life and still loved today for its beauty, strength and connection to the land. This hands-on course invites you to create your own pair of traditional hurdles using materials gathered straight from the forest.
Under expert guidance, you’ll learn to split, shave and weave greenwood using traditional hand tools. Working with hazel and ash, you’ll craft two distinctive styles of hurdle: a woven hazel hurdle and a cleft ash hurdle. Both are perfect as decorative features in your garden, or as sturdy panels for edging, fencing or plant supports.
As you work, you’ll gain a deeper appreciation for the craftsmanship and woodland management that make these ancient skills sustainable. You’ll come away not only with two beautiful handmade hurdles, but also with the confidence to continue your journey into greenwood crafts at home.
This full-day course takes place under our large basecamp shelter set against the background of mixed woodlands and wetlands of Park In The Past’s 120 acres of wild space.
Enjoy a day of purposeful craft, warm company and woodland connection. Take home two beautiful pieces of traditional craftsmanship made entirely by your own hands.
ACTIVITIES INCLUDE:
* Use traditional hand tools such as the froe, drawknife, billhook & shave horse
* Learn to split (cleft) green ash ready be be worked
* Craft a woven hazel hurdle from rods harvested in local woodland
* Understand the different properties of hazel & ash wood
* Gain insight into the heritage & uses of hurdles in rural life
* Explore coppicing & woodland management for sustainable materials
* Take home two handcrafted hurdles (approx. 2 x 2½ ft each), perfect for your garden or allotment
* Enjoy scrummy welsh cakes, freshly made & hot from our campfire skillet
BOOKING
Get in touch if you’d like to know more. Phone James, 07876 794 098 or email us. Advance booking is essential.
Tickets are available on our website:
https://woodlandclassroom.com/event/hurdle-making/
The course costs £65.00 per person.
ABOUT YOUR TUTOR
James is the Head Bushcraft Instructor at Woodland Classroom, having worked in outdoor education & conservation for over 10 years. James’ approach to teaching steers students toward fostering a deeper connection with nature through understanding the landscape around us; “Bushcraft skills are an effective way to do this as we learn how to make use of natural materials and live lightly with the land, whilst also connecting with our own ancient past by seeing the land through the eyes of our ancestors.”
In 2017 James received the Bushcraft Competency Certificate awarded through the Institute for Outdoor Learning after 2 years of teaching experience and practical study. He is also a member of the IOL Bushcraft Professional Practise Group. The group aims to promote best practice in the growing industry of bushcraft activity providers.
ABOUT THE VENUE
Park In The Past comprises 120 acres of outstanding natural beauty offering woodlands and wetlands, a magnificent 35-acre lake and the gorgeous River Alyn winding through it, as well as wonderful walks and spacious fields. Visitors can journey back 2,000 years and discover the recreated Roman Fort Build, an ongoing project in experimental archaeology and the only one of its kind in the UK.
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