It was an invigorating, enlightening and wet experience but I learned so much. A whole new way of thinking about and looking at the countryside has just been opened up to me. Both Rob and Wayne were so clear with their instruction and impressively knowledgeable - about so much. I thought the balance between teaching us, and leaving us to try things on our own was particularly well-handled. I would like to say a special thank you to Wayne for the clothes peg I watched him whittle out of a willow strip. He made it look such a simple and fast thing to do; a wonderful memento from an unforgettable few days.

Wow what a fantastic experience. I couldn�t praise the Woodlore team enough, they were incredible. Always on hand to support us, their knowledge and teaching methods were second to none and made for a thoroughly enjoyable and valuable life experience. I truly hope to be back soon for the next stage of my learning. Many would benefit from this course, even if they�re not familiar with bushcraft previously!

We had an amazing time on the Intro to Bushcraft course with Woodlore. All of the instructors are incredibly knowledgeable and friendly. The skills we learned are invaluable, and the instructors made it easy to internalize the information. The location was also beautiful. We had an amazing time on this course and we can''t wait to do the week-long course with Woodlore next summer. Highly recommend!

The Introduction to Bushcraft course really gave me a great base to build upon in a wide variety of skills. Ranging from how to organise camp for sleeping, eating, fire, shower, toilet and washing to bush cooking demos, navigation, safety, how to set up a tarp, knots, various methods for making fire, how to make a leaf litter shelter, uses of various trees and plants.....and I''m sure I''ve forgotten many other things! It was very well organised and each instructor - Wayne, Steve, James & Callum - took it in turns to present each subject very clearly and with a wealth of knowledge.
It was good value for money, enjoyable and nice to know I''ve learnt the basics from a team that really knows their stuff! (Just have to revise and remember it now!) Thank you!

A thoroughly rewarding experience. This was a 40th birthday gift for me and a very good one. The first thing to note is the positive atmosphere created by the team running the course (Dave, Wayne, Callum & James on my course). There really are no silly questions and they were all really patient and genuinely enthused by the outside world and bushcraft. Ray also made a surprise appearance on the last day which was a real bonus, as was the lift back to the station to catch our train in a hurry! I would definitely recommend this course and hope to be back for a longer course myself to build on what I learnt. Customer service has also been extremely good, with a lost jumper finding its way back to me in the post at no cost. Keep up the good work!

Excellent Course. Staff were friendly and knowledgeable. Sarah was outstanding, happy to spend extra time demonstrating and explaining. She is a great asset to the company. Callum, Brian were great, explanations clear and well delivered, not rushed.
Only disappointment was the food.
Suggest staff have name tags.
Many Thanks. Hope to return again.
Paul.

Fantastic course. If you have ever thought of doing one of these courses stop thinking about it and go and do it, you will not regret it. When you get your first tinder bursting in to flames you will not stop smiling and with the exceptional instructors you will. The instructors are exceptional, every question answered with knowledge and experience and in a friendly way not like when you were at school. I cannot recommended these courses enough, go on try one and if you like it half as much as I did you won''t want to leave the camp.

I had the best time on this course. As someone who hasn�t even camped much, I wasn�t sure what to expect but it was a great weekend and introduction to bushcraft. The team are wonderful. They were all deeply knowledgeable and excellent teachers able to share that knowledge. They were also incredibly patient and encouraging when not every skill came easily. The course itself is brilliantly structured and a huge range of skills in packed into such a short space of time. It�s ignited a new passion and I can�t wait to get out there and put the skills in to practice.

Fantastic weekend, kind instructors with encyclopedic levels of knowledge of bushcraft. Would highly recommend it for anyone, especially beginners.

The Introduction to Bushcraft course was given to me by my children as a Christmas present and now well retired and not of a younger disposition any more I was slightly worried that I might not be able to cope. However I enjoyed the experience which brought back memories of my youth as a scout and on Outward Bound trips. The group of 14 came from a wide variety of backgrounds and ages but everyone mucked in together. I think that the highlight for most of us was when we could make a fire without a match or a lighter. Good fun. I have some birch bark and will show my grown up kids how it''s done. We were all pleasantly surprised that Ray Mears himself took time out to give us 2-3 hours of his time even having recently returned from Australia. It was much appreciated. All the staff were very knowledgeable and I would recommend to anyone with a spark of adventure to have a go.

Hi All at Woodlore,

I have just returned last night from your Introduction to bushcraft course in East Sussex 9th -11th June 2017.

I wanted to take a few moments to extend a huge thank you.
I am known by my friends and colleagues as someone who has high standards and am annoyingly picky, if I say so myself, about the quality, context and aptitude generally in products and services. It is rare these days to find such level of quality, knowledge, experience and dedicated care that exemplifies this. Woodlore both as a company and through the experience with each individual representing Woodlore has not just met those but far exceeded them.

The admin organisation prior to the event was as good as the fabulous efficient layout and running of both camp and content of the course. This is my first experience of Bushcraft and Its my intention for this to be the beginning of a long and pleasurable journey into a new direction in life for me. So I spent a long time analysing and assessing which company would provide the best results for me. I choose Ray Mears not because of any past known name, because really I didn''t know about him prior to this new path for me. Instead my choice was based on content, overall organisation and subtleties I picked up about care and commitment to being part of a bigger picture than just selling courses.

Individually each team member should be appalled for a brilliant job.
David the quarter master led a brilliantly run camp and team. He has such a wonderful demeanour, quietly observing and mildly guiding with a lovely warm sense of humour. He was so good assisting those who needed his help, and approached them in such a way so they gain the knowledge and stay safe, yet enabled rather than told. I truly felt I could ''grow'' with his assistance as opposed to be hampered or restricted - really such an amazing skill and one I personally really appreciated.

Tom has the most amazing knowledge of Trees, plants and his delivery and style of teaching and explaining is so enthralling to listen, I really could listen to it all day.

Nick and Kevin have such a deep care for sharing their knowledge and skill it comes through every time they spoke to the group and I felt their real desire for us learn.
Both were so organise and efficient, with such a clear delivery and a methodical approach to everything.

Above all the whole team were simply great guys and seemed to be genuinely wanting us all to have the best experience possible - and for me they definitely achieved that.

I don''t take for granted how much effort goes into the set-up of such a comfortable and well thought through camp. As well as knowing how much time, effort, experience and genuine care has to go into making any course run so smoothly it''s as if no effort is being extended at all - that is pure professionalism at its best.

I have no doubt I will be spending time with Woodlore again soon.

A great introduction to the world of bushcraft. The weekend focuses on building basic shelters, making and controlling fire and the philosophy of leaving no trace. Life is spent in the open and under tarps and we were blessed with glorious sunshine which undoubtedly made our life easier. It would have been useful to know beforehand that alcohol is banned as I could have saved on weight. Some were caught out by not realising that you need to bring all you own eating and drinking utensils so making this clearer in the joining instructions would avoid embarrassment. My biggest thrill was being able to start a fire without matches, a primeval experience. Recommended especially if you get good weather.

I don''t do normally leave reviews, I just don''t get the time, but when something arrives on my plate as good as this, you just have to spread the word. I signed up to the Introduction to Bushcraft course to buddy up a good friend who had been gifted a place (like several others that weekend) and I initially considered the £300 price tag was quite a chunk for two days, however, having now been on the course, I consider it worth every penny. Yes, we were aided by fine weather (sunny days and crisp frosty nights), but I have little doubt that the instructors would have insured that we could deal with anything the elements could throw at us. The course was indeed just an introduction, but a very wide range of skills were covered and everything was explained fully. I''ve always felt that when teaching it is vital to explain why, rather than just being dogmatic. The instructors achieved this with every single step!

The skills I learned will stay with me for life and I can''t wait to get out and practice them again (and again and again!). I also look forward to persuading my buddy Dave to sign up for the Fundamental Bushcraft course, having now had our appetites whetted by this taster weekend!

I also wanted to take this opportunity to say a big thank you to all the team who ran the weekend (Steve, Kev, Nick and Keith) for their fantastic teaching skills, humour, patience and overall support when they took the most random motley crew of people and melded them into a co-operative and mutually supportive team in just TWO DAYS.

Incidentally, Dave and I managed to keep it under wraps that we were both Scout Leaders each with 30+ leadership experience. I say this simply from the point of view that although we are outdoor/back to basics/bushcraft orientated and we knew a fair bit about bushcraft already, the course was an invaluable refresher and consolidator of old knowledge, with a fair sprinkling of new stuff too.

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS COURSE!

BRILLIANT. If you are having any doubts about booking on this course then don''t. It was brilliantly organised and run by cracking tutors. I can see why Ray has selected these guys to deliver his knowledge. Thanks Keith, Adrian and Callum. The days were sensibly paced with clear guidance on how to do things. Expect to help run the camp with keeping the fire alight and fetching water. I loved it and I''m saving up for the week long Fundamentals course now. Great course, great instructors, great company. Thank you to all at Woodlore.

I was on the Introduction to Bushcraft course a couple of weeks ago with my friend. I just wanted to say that we had an amazing time and learned heaps. I was a bit doubtful about how I would cope in the run up, but in the event you guys were so good at what you do, everything explained simply and sensibly, and showed such passion for the subject, whilst giving us just the right amount of encouragement, balanced with freedom to work things out for ourselves, that the whole experience was nigh on perfect. Now that I have a taste for the subject I won�t be able to help myself from being more observant and aware and making sure I give myself the time and opportunity to practice what you taught us and learn more.

I just wanted to say that the Introduction to Bushcraft course starting on the 24th July was absolutely great. It rained a lot but that really didn�t detract from it and in fact added to the sense of achievement. The instructors and their instructions were spot on, they shared in our achievements as they had gone through the same process and it was obvious that their knowledge went way beyond what was achievable to teach us in a short course.

I spent last weekend taking part in the Introduction to Bushcraft course. The course did exactly what it said on the tin, the instruction was very professional and set at just the right degree, not too detailed to lose people and not so slow that you lost interest. The information given was pitched perfectly to suit the needs of the group, combined with the somewhat damp conditions. Although I have a background in back packing and wild camping it has always been with the aid of a tent and stove, this weekend opened up a new world of opportunities and possibilities. I wish to pass on my thanks to Tom, Callum, David, and Kevin for making it such an enlightening and enjoyable time.

Very instructive and interesting. I learnt a lot and am looking forward to doing the Navigation course next year.
It would have been helpful to have more time being shown the knots that we used and one of the instructors was a little difficult to hear unless you were close by.
On the whole,very worthwhile and enjoyable.

Please pass on thanks to the team for the course over the weekend. My son and his friend really enjoyed the weekend and they have not stopped talking
about all that they have learned. They were really impressed and said some really good things about the people running the course

My son commented that everyone was really helpful and just made it really good.

My time with Woodlore was fantastic and I can''t wait to go on another course and learn more on this fascinating and broad subject!

Really enjoyed the weekend spent with knowledgeable instructors and beautiful natural surroundings. For a city boy, it was a brilliant introduction to camping, bushcraft and nature. Highly recommended experience! Already planning next course.

I found the course enjoyable and very informative. The instructors are friendly and helpfull at all times, with a clear way of teaching that would suit all ages and abilities.The woodland location was great providing many chances to observe wildlife and the natural resourses we use for bushcraft. I have learnt new skills and knowledge a good base to build on . I highly recommend the course.

What an excellent experience!
Keith, Callum, Ross and Dave were superb instructors, very patient and altered the pace dependant on how quickly we picked things up.
It was fantastic to spend the weekend with like minded people who without exception wanted to learn more about bushcraft.
I left the course full of confidence and enthusiasm for the outdoors and plan to sign up for the fundamental course as soon as possible.

Thank you so much to all the team, and fellow participants - a superb weekend, excellent instruction and support, leant loads and had lots of fun.

What a fantastic experience! The staff were friendly and hugely knowledgeable and passionate about Bushcraft. The course allowed me to put some of the theory I have read and learnt about into practice which is just what I was looking for. I would highly recommend this course to anyone trying to get closer to nature and learn some skills that are fast disappearing in the modern world.

I have just returned from the most amazing weekend on the Introduction to Bushcraft course in East Sussex. Inspired is too insignificant a word! I have learnt so many new skills and techniques and it has reawakened a passion for nature which has for too long, been repressed.

I cannot thank Keith, Dave, Callum and Ross (the course instructors) enough for their tuition and incredible warmth and for answering all of my questions with good grace and knowledge.

I''ll be booking onto the Fundamental course as soon as there is a free space.

See you all soon and thank you

Ann-Marie x