Bushcraft Club

Event details

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Events at Sherwood Pines - Bushcraft Camp
Buy tickets for on Saturdays: 13 Jan, 10 Feb, 9 March, 13 April, 11 May, 15 June, 13 July, 10 Aug, 12 Oct, 9 Nov, 14 Dec

Nature-based activities in a monthly club just for adults.

Each session is different as we move through the seasons and usually includes fire lighting, foraging and a craft skill … all based round the campfire at our secluded bushcraft camp. Activities can include whittling, weaving, natural dyeing, leather work and antler carving. These sessions encourage a genuine connection with nature and can help to improve mental health and wellbeing.

Date of EventSession 
Saturday 13th JanuaryAntler carving and rush lights. Make antler buttons, beads, toggles and keyrings and decorate them with a traditional Viking design. Use soft rush to create a candle to light up the dark evenings.
Saturday 10th FebruaryPine needle coil basketry. Learn to stitch and weave pine needles into little baskets. Enjoy a hot soup cooked over the campfire.
Saturday 9th MarchA day spent whittling, woodworking and carving. Create something to take home and cook flatbreads over the fire.
Saturday 13th AprilCreate natural fabric dyes from plants. Find out how to dye fabric and wool using foraged plant materials. Create yellow from gorse, grey-green from nettle and red from birch bark.  Enjoy some wild garlic pakoras cooked over the fire.
Saturday 11th May Fire lighting session. A chance to practice using various natural tinders to light fires. Try a couple of different friction fire lighting techniques and make your own kit to take home. Make glue from pine sap and use it to fix your own fire steel into an antler handle
Saturday 15th June Sap is high now so it’s the best time for foraging bark for making containers. We’ll peel and process strips of bark ready for next month. Use the wool we dyed in June to weave a small bookmark and have a go at Nalbinding – a single needle, Viking knitting technique. 

We’ll forage for elder flowers to fry up some fritters over the fire

Saturday 13th JulyUsing the bark we processed in June we will weave and stitch willow and chestnut bark to create containers and small baskets. We will also be harvesting and processing nettles ready to spin into fibre next month
Saturday 10th AugustNettles and netting. Find out how to turn nettles into soft thread and strong cordage. Learn netting techniques to create your own net bag
Friday 13th -Saturday 14th SeptemberOvernight Camp - details coming soon!
Saturday 12th OctoberFungi foray time! We’ll take a stroll through the woods in search of fungi to see how many we can identify. We’ll also forage for chestnuts to roast over the fire
Saturday 9th NovemberPaper making - Find out how to create paper from plant fibres as we bash and blend a pulp to mould into sheets
Saturday 14h DecemberChristmas party! Enjoy festive spiced punch warmed over the fire and create natural Christmas decorations

Booking and payment in advance are essential. 

For more information, please contact our Customer Relations Team by email at customerrelations@forestryengland.uk  or by phone 0300 068 0400.

If an event is showing as sold out, please contact the event leader Karina Thornton at karina.thornton@forestryengland.uk to be added to a waiting list.