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Brilliant! Exceeded all my expectations. If you’d like to sleep in a hammock in the wilds of beautiful Sweden, canoe from camp to camp in stunning surroundings, cut a tree down with an axe, make your own knife, cook for a group of 10 on a camp fire and learn a multitude of canoeing and bushcraft skills from expert guides, this is the course for you!I attended to September 2024 10 day Sweden expedition under the friendly leadership of Patrick and Ian. There were 7 other clients, all like minded people who quickly bonded into a cohesive team whose company hugely enhanced my experience. The weather was kind to us with clear, sunny days and calm moonlit nights although we did get some rain on the penultimate day. The water temperature was not as cold as I anticipated and warm enough for swimming and bathing. Breakfast and evening meals were supplied by Woodland Ways and did not disappoint in quality or quantity. We ate well, taking turns to cook set meals with the capacity for slight adaptations for dietary requirements and preferences. One of our team was vegan and there was no problem catering for him eating with us. There were daily tasks that needed to be done. The fire, fire wood and water filtration were on going tasks that we all attended to. There were activities and learning sessions arranged by Patrick and Ian but there was flexibility in the delivery and if someone just wanted some down time, to go for a walk, or just to lie in their hammock enjoying the ambiance, that was fine too. That said I would strongly recommend taking every opportunity to learn and try every skill you can. It’s fair to say that the knife making activity captivated all of us. Patrick made a forge and took us through the process of annealing metal so that we could work it into a blade before tempering in, sharpening it and making a handle for it. My handle is made from a branch chewed down by beavers and glued together with boiled pine resin harvested by the team. How cool is that?!The highlight of the trip for me was a very early morning paddle out in silence to spot wildlife and watch the sun come up. Four of us did this with Patrick leading us. We got up at 4am in the dark, used red light only to see our way to the canoes which were prepared the evening before. We paddled out in silence onto dead calm waters under a full moon and millions of stars in a clear sky. There was mist rising from the water into the cold crisp air. The wildlife wasn’t as cooperative as it could have been but we did see a beaver and the lack of wildlife didn’t diminish this remarkable and memorable experience and we have plenty of spectacular photos. We returned after sunrise to a breakfast of bacon and mushroom sandwiches and fresh coffee prepared by Ian and the team members who opted for a lie in. When we arrived back at the lodge (run by Michael and his family who supply the canoes) it became clear how mentally refreshing the trip had been for me. Miles away from stress and life’s everyday problems had become normality over the past week or so and even after a relatively short time it felt strange to sit in a chair or use a regular toilet again. After a debrief, evening meal and a few beers it was an early night for an early morning flight home. But not before many of us had exchanged details with plans to meet up for future outdoor adventures. Thanks Ian and Patrick for your company, leadership and knowledge. It has left me with lifetime memories.

Have just returned from amazing 10 day trip to Sweden. Canoeing and camping in hammocks in the beautiful Kloten National Park.What an amazing experience. The course description and current photos do not really show how good this trip is.You get to paddle on beautiful Swedish lakes and sleep under the amazing night sky in forests of Birch, Pine and other beautiful trees. The floor is carpeted with amazing mosses and lychens. The flora and fauna all around you is really fantastic and when you sit and look around it's intense. You get opportunity to be in this amazing landscape and environment and to smell, to hear and to experience it is hard to describe. listening to the sound of "loons" at night from the solitude of a hammock whilst looking up through the most beautuful canopy of trees above you to the stars so bright is priceless.Being able to make a knife in the woods and being able to participate in the forging and tempering process was unbelievable. A 4am paddle by moonlight and seeing the sunrise from the canoe was awesome......There was also so much more.The instructors Patrick and Ian were excellent. Very passionate and full of knowledge and able to instruct and guide the group of very special people that took part in the trip. Both instructors were very different, but able to interact and teach and train in a way that encouraged the development of the group and enriched the trip. I would also say thank you to how diligent the instructors were and attentive to the people that took part on the trip. It was clear they wanted people to get the most out of the expedition but the safety and wellbeing of the individuals was always at the for front of their care and instruction. Thank you.The trip was amazing. However it was, hard at times as although a beautiful environment, it could be harsh and you are in a environment that needs respect. I was mentally and physically exhausted at times. This was not in a bad way, it was partly down to my fitness and your days being full with living in this environment. You get plenty of down time and able to enjoy and relax in Sweden but for me, I could have been bit fitter. That said the tiredness and what it took out of you was all part of the experience. The food was also excellent. Had some really good dinners and breakfasts. Including best eggs ever had! You go to supermarket before you start trip and get your supplies for the trip. Although I had no idea how much things cost or half of what the things were. That said got lots of delicious saucicon and breads. Highly reccomend the panchetta! (We sliced this thickly like belly pork and cooked it on fire!)A fantastic, highy rewarding and enriching experience. Would highly recommended trip and Woodland Ways.Thank you.

I went on Woodland Ways fundamentals 1 day course in Oxfordshire and had a fun and memorable day. They are professional and have a great set up so that you get to experience and learn a lot in one day. Everyone was knowledgeable and friendly and as a lover of the outdoors and regular camper, I still learned a lot of great tips. I would definitely recommend.

Jay - thank you so much for sharing your knowledge in such an engaging and considered way. Lauma and I really enjoyed the course and your company. It was a perfect day that's inspired us to get the tents out more. Professional and accomodating experience tailored to us. Cheers.

Not everyday you can say you ate dandelions, dock leaves, jaggy nettles and sticky willow (willies) for lunch. Excellent day foraging with Woodland Ways. Would totally recommend these guys. The instructors Dav and Andy are bursting with knowledge and fascinating to listen to. If you are looking to get out your comfort zone and try something different then start here. 🌳 🌺 🪵

Superbly organised course run by passionate and expert instructors. It's crammed but not rushed - they keep you very busy, covering everything from shelter building to foraging, game preparation to water purification. (And fire making, obviously.) You can tell you're only scratching the surface of what these guys can teach you, but they give you more than enough knowledge to start introducing bushcraft elements into your hiking / camping, or to hone your existing skills. Food was plentiful and delicious. Above all, the enthusiasm of the instructors was infectious - they seemed really happy that people wanted to learn from them. Strong recommend.

Family bushcraft overnight stay (Derby, Bakewell). Had an amazing time at woodlandways with my x2 kids building a shelter to sleep in overnight, wild food prep, wood carving, fire lighting, animal tracking and more and more. Ian and Patrick were amazing instructors giving advice and help for both days and always able to give interesting and detailed answers to any questions me or the kids asked. Great mix of fun and learning, this is from someone’s who has never slept in the woods and can’t explain how much we all enjoyed it. Amazing!

What an amazing weekend, totally enjoyed everything I experienced. (Friday) The small trek to the camp area, processing dinner, and collecting firewood started the weekend off, this was all in the dark too which made it even better!(Saturday) Waking the next morning and actually seeing the surroundings was great. A full day of learning, shelter building and topped off with learning to make fire (literally a "man made fire" moment for me).(Sunday) After a night in my own built shelter, fueled up for another morning of learning, with a small trek back out the camp area back to civilisation.The instructors were amazing (Jay & Michaela), sharing knowledge and amazing cooking.A must do experience.All is left to say is thank you!

In September 2023 I have attended Wild food cooking weekend course in Oxfordshire. Our instructors Nicola and Barry were very friendly and extremely knowledgeable. Nothing was too much trouble for them. The weekend run smoothly due to their enthusiasm and hard work. Meeting everyone within the group for the first time, we all got one really well, helped each other, shared personal stories, laughed a lot and ate a lot. The food was delicious. The forest chosen for this occasion is in beautiful location and sunny warm weather was on our side. Everyone seemed to genuinely enjoying themselves and everyone was praising every single meal we were lucky to taste. All weekend experience was done up to very high standard. Previously, I also attended Foraging day course and Bushcraft day course. I highly recommend Woodland Ways courses to anyone.

Just compleated the Northern forest year course and can honestly say, it was one of the best things I have done. They level of knowledge and instruction given by Davie and Andy was first class. Each of the modules brought something new and interesting for me to learn. I would thoroughly recommend them and their company to anyone how will listen (to me talk about it for hours)

Just spent an absolutely fantastic few days in Scotland for a bushcraft weekend - cannot recommend enough! The friendly, patient, and obviously highly skilled and knowledgable instructor team taught us a whole range of invaluable skills, from foraging to animal prep, to shelter building, friction fire and water purification, and more! Amazing to be able to sleep in a shelter you’ve built. Also met some fabulous people along the way 😊 Highly recommend to anyone interested in starting to learn bushcraft, or even just those wanting to learn more about the UK woodland and what it can offerExcited to return as soon as possible - thank you!

We did the bushcraft weekend up in Scotland recently and it was amazing! The guys are really knowledgeable and friendly. The food was beautiful, especially the rabbit stew! It was really difficult to leave on the Sunday afternoon, but it will not be the last time we do a course with these guys, couldn’t have asked for a better time, 5 stars doesn’t seem like enough really.

Joined the team for the bushcraft weekend this weekend gone. What an experience. Ian and his team (Andy and Patrick) were great instructors, full of knowledge and advice. The location is fantastic, a beautiful forest surrounds the camp making the whole experience feel more remote. There was a good group of people on the course everyone participated and contributed there experiences and thoughts. I’ve left the weekend having learnt an incredible amount and new found respect of the world we have. I’m already hoping to booking with the team again. Hopefully in Sweden 🇸🇪 next time.

Had a fantastic day out on the water with the instructors who were all very knowledgeable and approachable; able to answer any question put to them in simple terms without using jargon or overcomplicating things. Always made us feel at ease on the water, taught us to read the water and identify safe and dangerous areas – our confidence increased from start to finish. When my friend felt unwell the team were on hand to help in a friendly way and offer their assistance.I’d say that no one should get on the water without first going on this course!Cannot recommend highly enough for anyone who wants to give it a go :)

Been on two courses with Woodland Ways in Derbyshire: Bushcraft Weekend summer 2021 and Edge Tools and Spoon Carving day course Spring 2022. Both times I learned a huge amount from their friendly, knowledgeable and professional staff. The site itself is lovely: it's private managed woodland; little streams; plenty of wildlife (if you're quiet and still). The food (provided for the weekend course) was excellent in quality and quantity, and there's always hot water for a brew. Very safety conscious (good news if you're using axes and knives!). For anyone interested in bushcraft, or in simply getting outdoors and doing something different, I would heartily recommend Woodland Ways courses. I will be coming back later this year for another weekend and I'm looking forward to it!

Better than a thousand days of diligent study is one day with a great teacher. — Japanese proverbI don't usually write reviews, but this time I feel compelled. I had the privilege of spending 5 days with one of the best teachers I've ever met. I believe the company has many other instructors with similar qualities, but I was fortunate enough to spend the 5 days Busch-craft course in Oxfordshire under Ian Nairn's supervision and I am extremely grateful for that opportunity. It is difficult to write down everything I've learnt or how much I enjoyed myself...If any of my course mates reads this thank you too, you are all amazing people and I'm so very happy we happened to be in those Woods together. :)I can confidently recommend Woodland Ways and I'll definitely be going back for more.

Had a fantastic weekend, even with some adverse weather in the Derbyshire Woodland on the Woodland Ways Bushcraft Weekend. Learned a lot of helpful knowledge to apply to life and bushcraft from the knowledgeable instructors and apprentices, who were all approachable and friendly (with a good amount of humour as was needed in the weather we had). Prepared game for the first time and ate some delicious meals - Wood Pigeon stir fry being my personal highlight. Lots of useful facts about laws applying to all areas of bushcraft to prevent getting into any bother. Getting to sleep in my shelter in the rain and not get wet felt like an achievement along with making friction fire for the first time. If you're on the fence about attending this course and love the outdoors, you won't regret a weekend spent here.

This is a great place to shop both in store and online. Excellent service and advice. I went to get a decent knife for use around my allotment and the staff were very helpful and gave great advice on selecting strong well priced (cheap sounds tacky) knife. I will be back as they have amazing products for the outdoorsy person. I am also tempted to try some bonding with my son at one of there courses later in the year.

22nd April 2023. I went to a foraging day at the Haddon Hall estate. What a super day out. Beautiful surroundings. Top class bushcraft instructors. So much was learnt in a single day. Already looking to book my third adventure with Woodland Ways.

I love Woodland Ways, I'm starting to lose track of how many courses I have been on. The staff are all friendly, very knowledgable and passionate about what they teach. The locations and facilities used are well thought out. I can't wait to book another course.