RURAL SKILLS

Hedge laying (Midland Bullock style), charcoal burning in a steel ring kiln, Cotswold dry stone walling, coracle making, in situ wattle fencing and wattle hurdling. Keep your eye on our courses page where we will post opportunities for all of these as they arise throughout the year.

Coming soon: Check out our highly recommended 'Coracle Making - Learn to Make a River Boyne Curragh' intensive (Available by request, minimum group size two people).

HUNTING AND GATHERING WILD FOODS AND MEDICINES

Creating lively spring salads, soups and sautes, harvesting wild berries and mushrooms, trapping crayfish, learning the skills of fishing and preparing game and knowing the law.  At the Wild Side of Life we are fond of our seasonal treats!  We can also teach you about using wild plants for First Aid (note this is not a recognised qualification), the creation of simple yet useful herbal medicines, and the identification of poisonous plants. 

Coming Soon: Keep an eye out on the courses page for the 'Mushroom to Plate' courses, and 1:1 Wild Food Mentoring.  Also check out our 2 Hour Foraging Walks and the Herbal Medicine Chest Day, where you will learn to create a box of remedies for the simple ailments of life.

WILDERNESS AND SURVIVAL CRAFTS

Bushcraft, knife work, tapping birch sap, preparing and lighting fire from raw materials without  using matches or a lighter.  Shelter building from woodland materials, complete with bedding and a thatched roof.  Campfire cookery, pot swingers, kettle cranes, clam bakes, earth ovens, water purification, safety skills and navigation techniques. 

Coming Soon: Check out our courses page regularly for opportunities to learn a variety of the wilderness and survival skills used by nomads in temperate climes.

GREENWOOD AND TRADITIONAL CRAFTS

We specialise in tutoring people in the traditional rural crafts that have sustained life in this land for thousands of years.  Keep an eye on our courses page for opportunities to learn dry stone walling, hedge laying, the greenwood crafts of the underwoodsmen, pole lathe turning, charcoal burning, coracle making, primitive metal smithing and much much more.

Coming Soon: You could try our 'Backwoods Metal Casting', where you will visualise, design and create your cast items by casting molten pewter over a charcoal fire, using the incredibly ancient cuttle-fish bone method.

THE CYCLES OF NATURE AND THE TURNING WHEEL OF LIFE

Birth, adulthood/parenthood, maturity, wisdom, death, spring, summer, autumn and winter.  The seasons of life and the wheel of the seasons of the year  can be gateways to personal understanding for us all.  

Coming Soon: Check out 'Tree Ogham Camp' on our courses page - where you can learn to use a powerful traditional divination system thought to have been used by the Druids, and that centers upon the properties of native trees, to enable you to gain insight into the patterns that affect your own life.

Our caring, experienced instructors will make your learning experience as rich and fun as possible, and we sincerely hope that you will enjoy your time with us.  Visit our site often for updates, and check out the blog and courses too!

You can also find our latest updates on Facebook, at:

 http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Wild-Side-of-Life/134725973288137