With a skills base that has been called upon on many occasions to work with mainstream media; including the BBC, and many educational production companies. Plus regular invitations to undertake talks and demonstrations at leading establishments throughout the UK, including The Royal Geographical Society, Universities, the Eden Project and the National Forest, plus invites for main stage presentations at The Bushcraft Show and The Great Outdoors Show, you can be assured that with Jason and his team you are in the best hands.

Jason draws upon over 20 years of professional experience operating both in the UK and from remote locations across the globe, learning and teaching Wilderness Bushcraft Skills. With a particular interest in both modern and ancient fire lighting techniques, including the impact that the control and production of fire had on the development of the human species, aswell as appalling campfire jokes, you will find his enthusiasm for his subject infectious!

His expedition medic qualification, expedition planning skills, and practical application of the skills of bushcraft will inspire you to take on the challenge of understanding wilderness living skills. Perfectly at home when the thermometer reaches +40 or -30 you are with someone possessing an incredibly experienced skill set.

Jason has gained the Professional Tracker in South Africa under the Cyber Tracker scheme, and is currently studying in the UK to achieve the same after achieving his level 3 in 2020. He also holds DSC 1, (certificate comprising assessments on Deer Biology and Ecology, the law relating to deer, stalking techniques, deer identification, safety and shooting as well as trained hunter, enabling Jason to assess Deer Carcass for human consumption). DSC 2, and the BDS Deer Management Qualification.

In 2020 Jason begun studying at Masters Level Outdoor Experiential Learning (Bushcraft), the first qualification at this level to study the history and principles of Bushcraft in the world.

He is also Landrover trained in 4x4 off road driving.

Due to his extensive outdoor knowledge and practical applied experience in a number of wilderness environments in 2016 Jason was appointed a Brand Ambassador for Keela International.

In 2015 Jason was honoured to have been nominated and awarded as a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society for his work on the African continent supporting Tribal communities.

Jason is also contracted to write for the Bushcraft & Survival Skills Magazine, and has been invited to comment on issues in Scouting Magazine and numerous other publications. Jason has also appeared in many mainstream red tops and broad sheets including The Times, The Daily Star, The Mail and more.

Looking back over Jasons career you will see in December 2011 out of 63 of his peers Jason was voted as the UK's Best Bushcraft Instructor by readers of Bushcraft & Survival Skills Magazine in the Best in Bushcraft Awards. He was very proud to be presented with his award in June 2012 by his life long inspiration and the author of the best selling book the SAS Survival Handbook, the survival legend that is Lofty Wiseman.

Jason's interest in Survival was sparked as a child when he went on his first survival course, rushing straight out afterwards to buy Lofty Wiseman's SAS survival guide and all the kit he could purchase! However as he developed an understanding of what nature could provide he soon understood that it was the knowledge he held in his head and not the gear in his pack that was all the essential kit he needed.

As a teenager growing up deep in the heart of the Lincolnshire Fens, Jason spent every minute of his spare time on the banks of the River Well and and in the estuaries of the Wash, building shelters, learning the art of fire lighting and tracking the vast wildlife of the Marshes, and he has been learning ever since.

Over the years Jason developed a passion for the British Countryside, and so formalised his bushcraft skills by undertaking other courses and ultimatly passing his Survival Instructors training course and began teaching with other Bushcraft Schools.

From here Jason decided to set up Woodland Ways & Desert Ways to showcase the huge bredth and depth of skills that come under the term of "Bushcraft". A highly respected Instructor within the top tier of the Bushcraft Industry Jason was instrumental along with his other leading peers in setting up the Institute for Outdoor Learnings Foundational Bushcraft Competency Award, and sat on the Executive Committee for 3 years before standing down in 2011. He was re-elected back on to the board in 2019 to assist in the development of new safety standards. He stills provides help and support to assist steering safety and quality standards within the industry and holds the award himself.

Jason also leads our Instructors Apprenticeship scheme, setting the highest possible standards of skills and safety to all our instructors to ensure that you have the most knowledgeable experience when you join us. Each member of the team goes through a minimum 2.5 year training programme, from the UK to overseas environments, before being awarded the Woodland Ways Instructors Shirt and running courses. From this point they are then continually assessed by Jason and his senior team.

Jason's knowledge of bushcraft skills is immense, and has been gleaned through extensive personal applied experience, practicing and developing these skills for real, in real circumstances. He is also a very very experienced expedition leader, have led groups regularly Canoeing in Sweden, Navigating the Yukon River, Tracking in South Africa, and working with the Maasai in Kenya, plus many many more countries beside. These extensive overseas experiences all feed back into the skills that are taught in the UK.

Jason still teaches on many of the Woodland Ways bushcraft courses and here it is about you, and not him. It is not unknown for Jason to spend hours upon hours of extended 121 tuition with someone if they have the desire to learn, because he has a passion for passing on these skills. Everyone here at Woodland Ways wishes to show that learning the skills of our ancestors can not only be a wonderful and enlightening experience for the individual, but it can also be beneficial to the environment.

Further background skills are provided by being an experienced hill walker and a qualified Walking Group Leader, recognised through the British Mountaineering Council and Mountain Leader Training UK.

He has spent a lot of time wild camping in the Scottish Highlands, the ranges of Snowdonia, the Black Mountains, and walking in the Peak District, although his favoured environment is our good old British Woodland. He has trekked widely throughout Europe learning from different cultures on the way, and also developed his desert survival skills in the Sahara and the deserts of the Middle East. Jason also considers himself to be most fortunate as having trekked in the very remote jungles of Borneo, aswell as climbing the three highest peaks on the island in just 9 days! Jason can also draw on his experience of being invited to live within a Massai Village Community, where upon on his visit in 2012 he was presented by the elders of the village with a very powerful symbol of leadership, and then repeated visits through the years to 2015 has led to him leading the charitable side of our work through the Woodland Ways Bushcraft Foundation.

Jason has now taught many hundreds of people from all walks of life the different skills it takes to survive in the wild and invites you to come and join us for an amazing adventure.

Barry grew up in a seaside town in Essex but always knew that the woods were his true home, taking every opportunity to explore inland whenever it presented itself. The reality of adult life and responsibilities meant the dream of working outdoors had to be put on a backburner swapping it instead for a life behind a desk working in marketing and raising his family.

Now the family have all grown and flown the nest he decided to pick up the passion for an outdoors life and first explored woodland management by spending time with renowned woodsman and timber frame house builder Ben Law to qualify in sustainable woodland management. Next up was a return to fitness after years of sedentary work and the challenge of completing the London Marathon in 2010 but something didn't feel right so he researched a different approach and took up barefoot running to connect fully with nature and appreciate the way our ancestors would have moved. This sparked a whole new outlook on life for Barry and a search for a simpler approach to everything in his life but a framework was required to do it sensibly. Permaculture was the answer - in its simplest form it is a design tool with its roots in food production but ultimately can be applied to anything in life. The new life design led him to achieving the Superhome energy efficiency status for his house and a change to working in the charitable sector where he drew on his marketing background to raise money through trust applications for a regional autism charity before switching roles to work directly with children affected by autism.

During this time Barry was approached by a small charity that uses Bushcraft as a means of engaging with adults with mental health issues and main stream schools to help individuals boost their self-esteem, well-being and confidence. The proposal was for him to use his educational experience to help deliver structured sessions to over 2,000 clients in a 6 month period. With challenge accepted he proceeded to boost his knowledge of the natural world and explore new skills. It was via this search that Barry came to courses and qualifications in Forest School teaching; Adult Education Sector teaching; flint knapping and bronze casting (with Will Lord); knife making (with Dave Budd); and ultimately to Woodland Ways via a fantastic trip to the Sahara Desert in 2014.

Barry was so impressed with the desert survival experience, the ethos and professionalism of Woodland Ways that he signed up to the 2 year Woodland Wayer course on his return. This journey gave him a firm foundation of knowledge which also enabled him to gain his IOL Bushcraft Competency qualification and ultimately led to the hard-earned Instructors shirt. Since then he has seen the beauty of Sweden from a canoe, lived with the Maasai in Kenya, witnessed the wildlife and mountains of Croatia and seen the impact our modernlives have on the wildlife of South Africa and gained his CyberTracker Level 2 qualification. He continues to look for more adventures and skills to add to his repertoire so that he can inspire others. To read more about Barry's journey to a simple life read his blog post which gives an insight into what was involved - https://www.woodland-ways.co.uk/blog/inspiration/oh-for-a-simple-life/

Davie heads up our Team in Scotland as well as finding the time to be an assistant district commissioner in the scout movement in charge of adventure and activities Before joining Woodland Ways Davie was operating his own Bushcraft company, but signed up to the Woodland Ways courses for his ongoing CPD (Continual Professional Development). Working his way through a number of our courses, including the Primitive Skills Year and our Swedish Canoeing Expedition, Davie could see the value of being part ofa larger dedicated team of full time instructors that is Woodland Ways. A big decision to take, but Davie didn't hesitate when we approached him to consider merging into the Woodland Ways Team.

Davie closed his existing business and threw himself into the Woodland Ways Apprenticeship to train up further in order to run courses for us on a unique site in Scotland, supported by our team. Our Apprenticeship scheme is the hardest scheme to get through in the UK, most do not make it - Davie's skill set and communication skills in delivering high quality Bushcraft instruction meant that he had no problem in gaining that instructors shirt. Davie joined us for well over 2 years and in 2017 was assessed to become a full Instructor Shirt owner as well as returning to Sweden as an instructor he has developed and leads the Northern Forest Year course.

Davie has a passion for all things bushcraft however particularly the boreal forest - it's trees, fauna, indigenous skills etc, as well as in depth knowledge of indigenous craft work, and hide working.

His level of skill and style of delivery you are getting an instructor who really walks the walk; for him Bushcraft is a way of life, one that he wants to share with as wide an audience as possible.

Born in Derbyshire, Patrick has always had a fascination with the outdoors. Like most of our team, he spent part of his childhood in the local woodlands building dens and getting muddy. Family camping trips and walks were another common theme.

Having had a variety of different occupations, Patrick was one of thousands who were made redundant as a result of the COVID pandemic. It was during that time that he learned of Woodland Ways when he came across the advert for the job he now has. He bought with him 5 years of full time professional knife making experience, which he has kept on pursuing in his spare time.

Among his interests also lies hiking in scenic areas of the UK, photography and watersports. Thanks to the CPD commitment made by Woodland Ways to it's staff, Patrick is working towards various Canoeing qualifications, and has been on our Yukon, Sweden, River Tay and River Spey expeditions, as well as our Introduction to moving water courses.

Feeling a special connection to fire lighting, carving and other camp craft skills, Patrick was invited onto the apprenticeship from his shop based role. He now works part time in the shop and devotes the rest of his time to learning and instructing the skills we teach on our courses.

Jay first came to Woodland Ways as a customer on one of our Woodland Ways Bushcraft Weekends and has never looked back. His enthusiasm is endless and he throws himself into everything with boundless energy. He has a real talent for carving and can see things in a lump of wood which are invisible to anyone else.

He joined us as an apprentice instructor, developing his bushcraft skills and honing his delivery of instruction with lots of dirt time. It wasn't long before he joined the team as a permanent staff member, instructing on courses and working in the World of Bushcraft.

He expanded his desert training, firstly in Kenya embarking on his own personally moving journey with the Maasai. He continued by joining us on the Desert Survival Course in the Sahara where his team navigation skills shone through. Captivated by Africa he soon embarked on our Bushveld Game Ranger Experience in South Africa, Patrolling with a rhino anti-poaching program.

He will take you on a journey as he teaches the skills he has learnt over the years. Always enquiring and always trying new things his enthusiasm is contagious, he acknowledges that he is a student of the subject and will be for the rest of his life... and that makes him an excellent instructor. He has a very calm, collective way about him and will inspire you to achieve.

Ian has had a love of the woods since his early childhood. Spending many summers in the Lake District or Scotland, camping with his parents, Ian's love of the outdoors sprouted and grew continuously. His father bought him his first knife at the age of 5 and taught him the importance of this vital tool. Ian was fortunate to have an upbringing that allowed him to follow this passion and he spent many hours lost in woodlands, building shelters, watching birds and animals. Camping trips with his father became more basic with a back to nature, foraging and fishing for food theme; Ian was "doing" bushcraft before it was called bushcraft.

Through school and college where evenings and weekends would be spent camping out or on trips with pals up in the Lakeland fells and forests. New books became his guide such as the SAS survival handbook and Raymond (as he was known then) Mears Outdoor Survival Handbook were always close to hand.

Ian attended survival courses and bushcraft skill courses with companies throughout the UK and has been a writer and contributor for Bushcraft & Survival Skills magazine since issue 5 - he is now the longest standing writer for the magazine, currently with his Bushcraft on a Budget articles. It was whilst working at an outdoor show for Bushcraft & Survival Skills Magazine Ian was introduced to Jason Ingamells. Ian saw in Jason a depth of knowledge and skill he wanted to attain. Jason saw the passion Ian had for the subject and his desire to learn, a bond was formed that later enabled Ian to join the Woodland Ways team. Ian joined on the apprentice scheme and learned from the team and worked alongside the people he had come to admire so much.

Sacrificing time off work and holidays to attend as many courses as possible Ian began to learn many of the skills that had eluded him in his previous trials. Absorbing the information being taught and getting hands on dirt time made a massive improvement to Ian's skill set. Not only learning in UK woodlands, but traveling on the Sahara desert expedition broadened Ian's skills and knowledge. Whilst in the Sahara Ian achieved a goal of fire using a hand drill made with local resources under the excellent tuition of Adam Logan. Since this time he has also travelled several times to the stunning wilderness of Sweden on our canoe expedition as both a customer and an instructor. Also to Croatia's Rjisnak Forest with the team, tracking European Brown Bear and Wolf. Ian also assisted on our Mojave Road expedition traveling in the deserts of California & Nevada following the Mojave Road Trail. Not only has Ian enjoyed desert travel, he also has been on winter trips to Sweden, snow shoeing over the frozen lakes and landscape pulling all the equipment needed on homemade sleds, wearing mainly homemade clothing and equipment. In 2019 Ian fulfilled a lifetime ambition when he was able to travel to Canada and be a support medic on our Yukon River expedition, canoeing 484 miles on the mighty Yukon River from Whitehorse to Dawson City.

Ian was awarded his Woodland Ways Instructors shirt in 2015, following over 3 years of formal training meaning that as well as continuing on his own learning journey he passes on his highly regarded skills to our clients.

Ian has a high level of first aid training, being initially First aid at work trained for many years, then progressing on to a REC 2 (Remote Emergency Care) qualification and then attending Glenmore Lodge to attain the WMT (Wilderness Medical Training) Far From Help and Advanced Medicine course. Enabling him to be a support medic on some of the above mentioned expeditions.

Ian still understands the need for continuous training and personal development and as such he has used his holidays and time in between work to undertake more training and instruction from some of the industry's leading figures, not just here in the UK but abroad too. Including a stay at the home of Cody Lundin of Aboriginal Living Skills in Arizona USA. He has completed the IOL Bushcraft Competency Certificate. He also undertook a personal mission to dispel some of the myths around friction fire lighting and through study, learning and hours of practice has regularly managed to get embers with many combinations that are said "not" to work, be it hand or bow drill, Ian will usually be able to get an ember. His passion for friction fire has allowed him to succeed with many techniques including bow drill, hand drill, fire plough, fire saw, strap drill, pump drill and more.

Among Ian's passions are wood carving and he is able to produce some beautiful items including a hand carved canoe paddle that is on display at The Eden project. He is a very hands on person and will turn his hand to many craft based items be these from wood, bark, natural cordage, leather or buckskin. He is quite a tailor too, making many of his own items of clothing and footwear which he is proud to say are used to their full potential in some harsh environments including the cold of -23C in Sweden where these items kept him warm and dry.

Ian's passion and enthusiasm for all things bushcraft and wilderness travel are even stronger now than they have ever been and he loves to pass on that passion and knowledge.

Mark qualified as an instructor for Woodland Ways in 2019 after a two year apprenticeship. He was inspired after spending four seasons living, learning and experiencing insights into primitive lifestyles during our Bushcraft Year course. Feeling bereft after the course ended, he signed on to the 2 year Woodland Wayer to stay in the woods and keep living in the primitive shelter he called home.

Mark has been on a number of expeditions including to the Sahara, Sweden, Kenya and South Africa and is always looking to do more.

He also enjoys travelling and has visited many parts of the world looking for adventure. Including life changing experiences travelling solo in the Ladakh and staying with the semi nomadic Ladakhi people; staying with the Karen and Akha in northern Thailand; floating down the Mekong on the Laotian side and bumbling around West Africa. There are many other places he has visited ... and even more on his hit list!

When not out in the woods Mark enjoys running, martial arts and carving spoons.

Richard has always felt at home outside, as a child he was the little boy who lived at the end of the lane and loved playing in the ditches, climbing trees and wild camping with his brother and mates. The Bush Tucker Man Les Hiddins TV show and Lofty Wiseman's SAS survival handbook inspired many adventures that often involved abseiling out of the biggest tree in the wood and cooking food on open fires. It was no surprise that he decided to make his career working in Horticulture so he could be outside.

Having spent over 20 years being outside through the seasons with his horticulture and often saying to friends and family that he would like to develop his outdoor skills further he took the plunge In 2013 as a customer on the Woodland Ways Bushcraft and Survival Weekend and has been hooked ever since. Adam Logan was a great inspiration on that first course and helped him to realise how he could develop his outdoor skills.

Richard went on to join the 2 year Woodland Wayer and became an apprentice instructor. This was a big commitment for him as it meant many weekends away from his growing family, but the draw of the woods was too strong to resist. The obsession with learning was well and truly underway. The depth of knowledge on the Wayer has stood him in good stead for his onward development.

In the autumn 2019 he realised his goal of becoming a Woodland Ways Instructor.

Richard is fascinated with the natural world and passionate about sharing its many secrets with others. A passion for plants has always been in his heart and he loves sharing this with customers. Among his other passions Richard enjoys hide work, tracking, bird watching, spoon carving, foraging and learning primitive skills by researching hunter gatherer practices. He is currently interested in the way in which the brain processes information in nature leading to fast intuitive thinking versus slower thinking and how this can be developed to become a better outdoors man.

He shares his life with his wife and four boys in south Cambridgeshire where, in his spare time, he can be found in the woodlands of the local area passing on his love of nature to his children.

As a child, Nicola spent every hour possible up trees and crawling through hedges, and this hasn't particularly changed! She has spent years learning tree and plant lore, for foraging, medicine and in use as crafting materials for everyday life.

Having completed a Masters in woodland and experimental archaeology at Exeter University, she is particularly interested in human uses of woodlands, from the Mesolithic to the present day. These aspects of her research are influenced by and in turn impact upon her bushcraft.

Dan always had an affinity with the outdoors and so the second school was over he left for a career in the British Army. During his service he experienced a variery of countries, cultures and climates from crazy hot to crazy cold and mostly wet as you would expect.

As his affinity with the outdoors, travel and adventure grew he left the Army and embarked on a career as a bodyguard and a remote area medic all throughout the continent of South America. 9 years later it was time to come home to the UK amd the biggest challenge of all so far, where to fit into life at home.

Dan became an instructor of a few different things and while he loved teaching he wanted to teach something he was truly passionate about, enter bushcraft. Dan became a customer of Woodland Ways and had the bug, going from course to course and in expeditions until he finally joined the 2 year Woodland Wayer course and then became an apprentice.

After a nearly 4 year process of studying and learning with Woodland Ways on top of the years of previous study and interest he was finally awarded his Instructor shirt in August 2023. The learning doesnt stop there and Dan is already seeking out further study in Ethnobotany, getting out on expeditions into new environements and pursuing his personal interest in crafing with any natural materials, bone, horn, antler etc.

Dan has a true passion for teaching and bushcraft as we keep these historical crafts and knowledge alive. He knows only too well what it is like to walk into a woodland for the first time only seeing green stuff and over time with study start to see what is truly there for us. Come and join him and other team members to start or continue your bushcraft journey.

Andy has had a strong interest in bushcraft and a love for the outdoors since childhood where he spent a lot of time wild camping around Scotland.

This ongoing interest led him to the Scottish bushcraft group on Facebook where he met Woodland Ways Instructor David Mccrae and shortly after enrolled in the Northern Forest Year course. Upon completion he was offered a place on the apprenticeship programme and has taken a strong interest in tanning, foraging and indigenous crafting technique during his journey to becoming an Instructor.

Growing up on a farm gave Bill a love of the countryside, and with a small wooded area adjoining the land, many an hour was passed building dens and tree houses.

Five years in the cadets added some basic skills in outdoor survival, camping, climbing and caving which culminated in being accepted on a British Schools Exploring Society expedition to Alaska for 6 weeks.

Before studying for a degree in Geography, Bill took a gap year to travel around the world. The wanderlust was never far from the surface and the opportunity to study martial arts in North America and Japan was too good to be true.

Finally at the ripe old age of 27, meeting the future wife meant getting a real job, which in turn lead to running a marketing company with said wife for nearly 20 years and, becoming a business coach along the way. Nothing lasts forever, some health issues caused the demise of the business and the marriage. Bill found himself without a job, and homeless, so bought a canal boat, and so started a return to a simpler life in nature.

At that time a friend introduced Bill to a Woodland Ways course and the feeling of coming home was complete. After just that one course, Bill signed up for the 2 year Woodland Wayer 2018 intake and was accepted on to the Apprenticeship towards the end of 2019. The best laid plan for 2020 of some 20+ weekends in the woods to cement and further the knowledge gained on the Wayer was curtailed by the Covid pandemic. The year wasn't wasted, typing up and researching to expand notes taken on the Wayer, and making a start on reading and understanding the requirements of the Apprenticeship.

Emmy grew up in Macclesfield, Cheshire and like many, she felt a strong affiliation for the outdoors from a young age, having been fortunate to grow up with a garden that backed onto ancient woodland. From her earliest days she can remember feeling simultaneously both excited and calm amongst the trees and has always been fascinated with biodiversity and nature and our place in the world. However, she didn't really know where to take this and for many years was led to believe that a career in the outdoors was not a viable option.

After years living in the city studying International Politics and then Fine Art before working as a tattooist and funeral arranger she felt completely spiritually broken and with no idea where she was headed got on a ferry to France and cycle toured with a tipi, wild camping, volunteering at various projects and working in vineyards.

After attending a Rainbow Gathering in the Alps she ended up living off grid in a yurt in the forest in Provence, which opened her eyes to a completely different way of living. Guided by the knowledge of those around her, for two years she lived almost completely without money, getting water from springs and foraging, growing, volunteering for a seed activist organisation and skip diving for all her food and resources.

After a further few years living in off grid in communities in Spain and then tattooing her way around South East Asia, she returned to the UK just before the Covid lockdown which halted her onward travel plans.

She then settled in Derbyshire and struggling to adapt back to a 'conventional' life felt like she had a lightbulb moment from the first time that encountered Woodland Ways. After attending several courses, she realised that she had found something very special and the community and purpose that she had been looking for in the UK. She was subsequently very happy and humbled to be accepted onto the apprenticeship in 2023.

She continues to work in the funeral sector and as a 'machine free' tattooist alongside her apprenticeship with Woodland Ways and believes that there is a continuous thread through all these disciplines, which all explore connection to source. Her area of particular interest within bushcraft is in hide and bonework.

She is passionate about empowering people to think independently, to see the wonder of their own existence, the beauty to be found in the world around and to value everything for its own sake, which she believes helps them to live a more fulfilled life and the world a better and kinder place for all its inhabitants.

Back in the olden days, Lal's dad went on a team building weekend and came back with a compass and a copy of Lofty Wiseman's classic 'SAS Survival Handbook' which he gave to his six year old daughter. Reading that opened Lal's eyes to the idea that people could live as part of the world around them in an integrated way, rather than nature being something that was 'out there'. This idea took root in her mind and, many years after first leafing through her first bushcraft book, she signed up for her first hands on course and hasn't looked back! When the opportunity to work with Woodland Ways arose, Lal was thrilled to be offered the chance to become an apprentice instructor. She'll see you in the woods!

Rob started his bushcraft journey at a very early age in the late 70's. In those days the term 'Bushcraft' didn't exist, it was simply called 'Living off the Land' and was just something passed on through the generations. How to light a fire, use an axe/knife and tickle a trout were just a few examples passed on to him by his parents and grandparents. He also became fascinated with a TV show aimed at children which was hosted by survival expert Eddie Macgee. It didn't matter that he watched it on a black and white portable TV it was the content that mattered. This was the spark that lit the tinder bundle of what was to become a lifelong interest.

After going to University and establishing himself in the world of engineering Rob returned to his childhood passion and as an adult started to attend various bushcraft courses. Whilst on one of these courses he had the opportunity to paddle a cedar strip canoe which kick started another passion that complimented the bushcraft - open canoe tripping. Open canoeing allowed Rob to undertake trips that he would have never imagined. He undertakes at least one week long unsupported Scottish canoeing trip every year and since 2014 has included his family in those adventures. Their first family trip was the Loch Shiel Circuit which culminates in a paddle around Scotland's west coast. At that time his boys were toddlers but that just provided additional challenges.

Rob currently holds several British Canoeing star awards, he has white water and open water safety and rescue training and is currently one of a handful of people in the UK who hold the title 'American and Canadian Style Paddling Assistant Instructor'.

Open canoeing is a big thing for Rob but he has never lost the passion for Bushcraft. In 2008 this stepped up another gear after being fortunate to attend a course with the legendary Mors Kochanski. This really was the trigger for Rob that cemented in his mind where he wanted to go in the years to follow. It took more than a decade however before an opportunity arose with Woodland Ways allowing an avenue onto the Apprentice programme. Rob grabbed that opportunity and is happily pursuing that apprenticeship role whilst juggling a full time job, family life and Group Scout Leader role in his Oxfordshire village.

Raised mostly on the east coast of Yorkshire, Craig spent most of his earlier childhood running wild which continued after a move to north Yorkshire at the age of 10. During this time a love of exploring his surroundings and being outside in nature was born. This was put aside for exams, education, working and family for a good period of time until booking as a customer on a Woodland Ways Weekend in 2020, followed by a five day immersion in 2021.

In 2022 he was invited on an apprentice selection weekend followed by a trip down the Yukon on the Woodland Ways Yukon Expedition.

Since then he has been balancing the apprenticeship with work as a fire door fitter. In his spare time he volunteers at a local woodland CIC which specialises in councelling and mental health.

Kya has been camping and exploring nature from when she was a tot. As a child she became particularly interested in natural history and observing animals. From a young age she went on day hikes and foraging trips. From the age of seven she became a keen sailor and competed in dinghy racing. Later this expanded to include windsurfing, canoeing, mountain bike trailing, climbing and hiking, trying many other things along the way. In her late teens she spent three months living off the land and sleeping in a handcrafted shelter. In her early 20's became an assistant leader for Duke of Edinburgh silver and gold expedition training.

During this time she had started training in martial arts and qigong. Soon her journey took her to China for a number of years where she continued studying these and Chinese massage. She went on hiking expeditions with others and alone in remote areas when she had holiday time away from her teaching job. Her teaching ultimately lead to working with the Panda Research Centre and Chengdu Zoo to support Chinese University Students in educating the general public to protect endangered animals and their habitats as well as leading groups of students on hiking trips and camping expeditions to teach camping without a trace and designing and running team building and leadership courses.

After returning to the UK Kya undertook a 4 year BSc in Acupuncture at the International College of Oriental Medicine and has been in practice since 2008.

Much of Kya's leisure time is spent doing dirt time and during eight years in Scotland Kya became passionate about tracking and trailing and this is something that she is passionate about developing. Kya has always enjoyed crafts of many kinds and has had a particularly keen interest in Leatherwork for over a decade. In the last few years she has also become very interested in blacksmithing and has a strong interest in primitive skills.

After Covid prevented her from working she wanted to expand her working options and decided to look into teaching bushcraft, as being in nature has always brought a sense of well being. Kya loves seeing transformation in others, whether that is in the clinic room with health or in nature learning skills to become comfortable and proficient at bushcraft skills.

Although a new apprentice at Woodland ways, Robert has forged a multifaceted journey through life, guided by his passion for the outdoors and the art of survival. Although his roots trace back to the culinary world as a seasoned chef, his heart now beats to the rhythm of the wilderness.

Having once honed his culinary skills in the bustling kitchens of fine dining establishments, his life took an unexpected turn when he found solace in the serene realms of nature. This transition led him to embark on a new adventure as an apprentice bushcraft instructor.

While the aroma of freshly brewed coffee may still linger in his daily routine, as he now works for a coffee roaster, it is the scent of pine forests and the crackling of campfires that truly stir his spirit. His dedication to mastering bushcraft skills, a profound connection with the outdoors, and his culinary background combine to offer a unique perspective on bushcraft.

With each step deeper into the wilderness, his journey continues, and he eagerly shares his knowledge and experiences with those who seek to discover the art of bushcraft alongside him.

Paul rekindled a life-long love of the outdoors after moving to his current home in the beautiful Derwent Valley 16 years ago. Surrounded by woodland he is able to spend as much time as possible out of doors and many peaceful nights in his hammock.

In 2022 he made the life changing decision to undertake the Northern Forest Year Course and spent the following 12 months learning and growing. Building a shelter to sleep in for the duration and developing numerous skills. Paul is fortunate to share a close family connection with an internationally renowned blacksmith and through work in his forge has fostered a great love for smithing. Using these skills he made his first axe which he used throughout his year in Scotland.

Working closely with a local forest school he has been able to see firsthand the importance of an outdoor education. Watching his son grow and thrive through years in this environment and seeing him able, at 7, to light a fire in a snow storm using a ferro rod has helped to instil a love of teaching and of passing on knowledge. It is this joy at seeing people learn and take away tangible, usable skills that has led Paul to grasp eagerly the opportunity to be an apprentice for Woodland Ways.

Ben, has had a keen interest in the outdoors since an early age when he was in the cub scouts. This led him to pick a career as a Royal Marine Commando, which took him all over the world and experiencing different types of terrain from desert to jungle to artic.

Since leaving the military, his love of exploring wild places has seen Ben take time out to visit remote places and to learn and practice bushcraft skills in the Amazon jungle, Indonesia and snow shoeing in Canada. As well as completing the Cyber Tracking course in South Africa with Woodland Ways.

In his spare time Ben enjoys canoeing, hiking and climbing. Having a keen interest in Bushcraft Ben is always trying to learn new skills and will happily try to, and learn how to, make craft items from carving kuksa from wood to making pouches and shoes from leather or experimenting with friction fire methods.

As a scout leader Ben is keen to pass on his knowledge and experience and is looking forward to his journey as an apprentice with Woodland Ways and working towards his instructor shirt.

Being brought up in a council estate in Bedfordshire in the 80s, Andrew did not have much to do, he had to make up his own kind of fun. One of these was up in a little spinney just outside of the estate, where he used to make dens, fires and even a tree house once. But this is where he learnt camp craft skills (there was no such thing as Bushcraft in those days). A friend once lent him a copy of Lofty's SAS Survival Handbook but he spent more time learning to make traps and snares than actual Bushcraft skills. The first book that changed this was when he bought a book titled The Survival Handbook by Raymond Mears this changed his focus from military survival to indigenous skills.

When he left home at seventeen to go and live with his Uncle in Somerset he was introduced to beach fishing a hobby that he still likes to practice whenever he is camping near or on the coast. It was in Somerset where he managed to enroll at Cannington Agricultural College through the local Dole Office and studied Horticulture GNVQ level two then the following year he studied for a National Certificate in Countryside Skills. It was this course that he got the taste for Arboricultural. It was living in Somerset that he truly got to love the countryside and all its aspects.

In his early twenties, he moved to Herefordshire and has been there ever since and this is where his passion for Bushcraft and becoming an instructor really kicked off. As living in a small rural village with access to woodlands and rivers he could go out and practice everything that he read and watched. This is when he decided to go on an actual Bushcraft Weekend Course and start looking into how to become an apprentice. This is how he found Woodland Ways just up the road in Oxfordshire and ticked all the boxes that he and his military friend were looking for, as he did not want to do a Survival weekend.

From that weekend with Woodland Ways, Andrew went on to do the 2-year Woodland Wayer Course and then the 10-day Woodland Immersion Survival Course. He is now looking at attending the I.O.L Bushcraft Competency Course and an Expedition with Woodland Ways. He has attended a Track and Sign workshop weekend with John Rhyder Woodcraft School and intends to do more courses for his cyber-tracking certificates.