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A fantastic opportunity to spend time in tranquil woodland in the heart of South East Kent making your own unique Hiking Staff, Walking Stick or Foraging Crook that you will value and use for a life time. You can choose to personalise your Staff with markings or carvings and could EVEN make your own Foraging Crook to use in the field on our Forage and Fire Course. Sitting around a warm camp fire you will design and create your own personalised Staff/Stick with the guidance of an experienced instructor. During this one day practical event you WILL be... Given the tools and advice of how to make the most of your PERSONALISED design. Choose from various seasoned wood, Hazel, Ash or Maple. Decide on the length, the width and design for your UNIQUE Staff. Design and carve your own unique hiking staff Shown how to STRIP and SHAPE the seasoned wood correctly. Be given clear bushcraft instruction on SAFE knife and tool use. Provided with all the EQUIPMENT and materials needed, seasoned wood, tools, vanish and wax. Carvings of your choice on your newly made Staff you may choose to add your own personal CARVING. Given a choice of finishes for your Hiking Staff or Foraging Crook with either varnish or bees wax. Choosing whether to add a rubber base to the bottom of your Staff. What's included in the price? Wood All tools and equipment Hot drinks Free parking Cancellation policy Medium - Cancellation and a full refund can be obtained up to 4 weeks before the course starts
Working bone is a skill that was fundamental in our journey towards making evermore effective and reliable tools. Not only that, but making bone tools allowed our hunter gatherer ancestors to share a deeper connection with, and understanding of, the animals that they were so dependent upon. Bone is a versatile material that can be used to make all manner of tools and craft items ranging from simple designs to very intricate. The use of bone allowed us to create more effective clothing utilising tools such as needles and pins. In a recent find, 500,000 year old bone tools were found in Britain, highlighting just how far back in time they stretch. During this one day course you will learn techniques on how to work bone using other natural materials such as flint and abrasive stones, as well as selecting specific bones to create different tools. The day will start by discussing some of the points above and looking at a selection of bone tools such as: Needles, Awls, Harpoons, Spear tips and Arrow heads. After that it will be time for you to warm up those fingers and start shaping some bone! About us and the venue: Jack Raven Bushcraft was founded in 2011 and we've been delivering bushcraft, craft and foraging courses since then from our 30 acre private ancient woodland on the Kent Downs in an area of outstanding natural beauty. Courses in the summer are held outdoors in our woodland camp complete with covered work areas, an outdoor kitchen and a composting loo. Courses in the winter are held in our workshop in a converted barn. What's included in the price? We include all tools, equipment and materials. The kettle is always on for tea and coffee. Cancellation policy Strict - Cancellation and a full refund can be obtained up to 8 weeks before the course starts
Our 1 day foraging courses are for anyone who’d like to gain an insight into the edible delights of the British hedgerow and woodlands. So if you’re curious about the plants, berries and fruits that grow around you and wonder which you can eat and which you need to avoid, come and join us! On our foraging courses the focus is on edible plants, nuts, berries and fruits commonly found in the hedgerow and woodland. Note that what we find and forage will depend on the time of year you come along. From the meeting point we’ll take an amble along the tranquil lanes of the stunning North Downs Way and look at common plants, hedgerow fruits, berries and nuts that can be eaten; we’ll collect some as we go. We’ll also point out any plants and berries that are poisonous so you know what to avoid. From the hedgerow we’ll move into ancient woodland and look at different plants, again collecting as we go. When we arrive at our ancient woodland camp, we’ll have a refresher on the plants we’ve collected before settling in for the afternoon and cooking them. Everyone gets their own dish to cook and contribute to the banquet. About us and the venue Jack Raven Bushcraft was founded in 2011 and we've been delivering bushcraft, craft and foraging courses since then from our 30 acre private ancient woodland on the Kent Downs in an area of outstanding natural beauty. Courses in the summer are held outdoors in our woodland camp complete with covered work areas, an outdoor kitchen and a composting loo. Courses in the winter are held in our workshop in a converted barn. Whilst we don't have many reviews on Craft Courses, we have hundreds on our website, Facebook page and Google Business page, take a look for yourself! What's included in the price? Tea and coffee You'll need to bring a packed lunch Cancellation policy Strict - Cancellation and a full refund can be obtained up to 8 weeks before the course starts
Fish and small game made up an important part of our hunter gatherer ancestors diet, meaning that hand knitted net making was a crucial skill to master. A net is an openwork fabric in which threads are fused, looped or knotted at their intersections at regular intervals and have long been used for fishing and trapping animals, as hammocks, or simply as a means of carrying things around. So we’ve put together this net making course to show you how to make your own net from entirely natural materials so that you can go away and make your own net for a variety of situations. You’ll start the day by looking at natural cordage as you’ll need cordage to make your net! We’ll discuss various plants and trees that can be used to make cordages, such as nettles, brambles, lime bast and the inner bark of sweet chestnut. With the materials prepared, we’ll show you how to make a simple 2 ply cord and then, How to plait, braid or ply them. From there you’ll move on to net making itself and will cover: The various netting tools available and different materials they can be made from, How to begin a net, How to change the size and shape of your net, How to finish off your net, How to join nets together to make a bigger one. By the end of this net making course you will have the skills and knowledge to make your own nets from scratch, either for fishing or trapping small game, or even to make your very own net bag! Jack Raven Bushcraft was founded in 2011 and we've been delivering bushcraft, craft and foraging courses since then from our 30 acre private ancient woodland on the Kent Downs in an area of outstanding natural beauty. Courses in the summer are held outdoors in our woodland camp complete with covered work areas, an outdoor kitchen and a composting loo. Courses in the winter are held in our workshop in a converted barn. What's included in the price? We'll supply all tools and materials for the course. We'll make sure the kettle is on the go and supply tea, coffee and biscuits. Cancellation policy Strict - Cancellation and a full refund can be obtained up to 8 weeks before the course starts
Over the years our 2 day bushcraft course has proven to be our most popular bushcraft course. It’s been carefully designed to initiate you into the joys of outdoor living, although many of the skills that you’ll be taught are easily transferable to other outdoor activities. This 2 day bushcraft course is intended for people who would like to understand what bushcraft is all about and to learn simple, repeatable bushcraft and survival skills. This includes campers, backpackers, hikers and other outdoors people who wish to learn some of the skills required to be comfortable in the outdoors, so that you have the time to really enjoy what is around you. We have people attend who have no previous bushcraft experience as well as those with some prior experience and we can say with absolute honesty that everyone leaves knowing more than when they arrived! During your time spent with us on this bushcraft course, you will: - Learn how to safely use essential bushcraft tools including knife, folding saw and bow saw - Have plenty of practise creating a flame using matches, fire steels, fire pistons, wire wool & a battery, solar mirrors, flint & steel, chemicals and fire by friction - Carve your own honey spreader or spatula from materials you gather in our ancient woodland - Understand the pros and cons of debris shelters, where & how to build one, and sleep in one if you wish - Put up a tarp and hammock using only 3 simple knots that can be tied and untied wearing gloves (you can sleep in a hammock if you like) - Find, filter and purify your own water - Go for a woodland walk to gain an insight into some of the trees and plants around us and what they can be used for - Learn how to sharpen a knife so that it will slice through a sheet of paper - Locate and identify different natural tinders easily found in the woods - Gather your own materials and light a fire following a method that will work in all weather conditions. At the end of this bushcraft course you will have a good working knowledge of the skills needed to enjoy your time in the woods or enhance your camping or outdoor activities. About us and the venue: Jack Raven Bushcraft was founded in 2011 and we've been delivering bushcraft, craft and foraging courses since then from our 30 acre private ancient woodland on the Kent Downs in an area of outstanding natural beauty. Courses in the summer are held outdoors in our woodland camp complete with covered work areas, an outdoor kitchen and a composting loo. Courses in the winter are held in our workshop in a converted barn. What's included in the price? Included in the price is: - Breakfast and dinner - Hot and cold drinks - Tools, equipment and materials Cancellation policy Strict - Cancellation and a full refund can be obtained up to 8 weeks before the course starts
