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January 20 @ 9:30 am - 4:30 pm
£45
Embrace the crisp winter air and immerse yourself in the enchanting world of traditional woodland skills at Coppice & Cawl. This one-day event offers you a unique opportunity to connect with nature, learn sustainable woodland management techniques, and savour a heartwarming meal by the campfire.
Discover the age-old craft of woodland coppicing, a sustainable technique that has shaped our forests for generations. Led by experienced instructors, you’ll get hands-on with traditional hand tools, learning how to selectively cut and manage trees to enhance woodland habitats and provide valuable woodland products. Whether you’re a novice or have some experience, this workshop is tailored to all skill levels.
Before the winter chill settles in, gather around our roaring campfire for a culinary experience like no other. Enjoy the soul-warming aroma of freshly cooked Welsh Lamb Cawl, served piping hot. Accompanied by good-strong cheese and freshly-baked bread, this hearty meal will be a true winter warmer for your senses. Vegan option is available on request. This is good winter fuel for woodsy-people.
- Get to grips with hand tools; axe, billhook and saw
- Learn traditional coppicing techniques
- Get ideas for craft projects using coppiced wood
- Understand the benefits of managing woodland sustainably
- Discover how to use brash to improve woodlands for wildlife
- Be inspired by campfire cooking techniques
- Tuck into Welsh lamb cawl served with fresh bread & cheese (vegan option available)
- Learn how to make bean poles and pea sticks from hazel
- Make your own artists charcoal from willow to take home
- Discover the history of coppicing
Whether you’re coming solo or with friends, Coppice & Cawl guarantees a day of warmth, camaraderie, and newfound skills.
Who This Course Aimed At
- Newcomers to traditional woodland skills
- Owners of small woodlands or smallholdings
- Wildlife enthusiasts who want to better understand how habitats are managed
- Students of countryside management
- Anyone who dreams of owning their own woods someday
Your Tutor: James Kendall
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.
Skills you will learn
Over the course of the day you will learn a range of skills, including…
What is Coppicing?
The future of woodlands relies on effective management, just as a garden needs constant maintenance and care to thrive. Trees must be thinned to grow well and invasive species like bramble have to be managed so that they don’t dominate other plants.
So what is coppicing? Well it’s is an ancient form of woodland management, that involves repetitive felling of the same stump, near to ground level, and allowing the shoots to regrow from that main stump. Coppicing creates a variety of micro-habitats within a woodland which become homes for specialised wildlife such as dormice (above) and butterflies.
Coppicing also produces loads of useful timber products that are still used today. Woodlands that have a reason to be managed, perhaps for timber, firewood, access or green woodworking, are more likely to receive care and attention long into their future, and indeed those woodlands that we have today have survived precisely because they have had an economic value to the local community, “the wood that pays is the wood that stays.”
Book now
This course is aimed at adults aged 18 or over. We can accept students as young as 16 years, but they must be accompanied by an adult.This course costs £45 per person. You can read our Event Terms & Conditions here.
