The first task is to build 3D models of the area
Walk Like a Shadow: A Day With Ray Mears, Ashdown Forest, East Sussex - 29th December 2005
Ray Mears - bushcraft expert and TV legend - runs several courses throughout the year, via his company Woodlore, which range from introductory walks through to complete two-week treks through the jungles of Belize. The trick is getting on one, as the demand is so great that eternal vigilance and luck is required when monitoring the e-mail list for a cancellation spot or a new course appearing. And so it was when an e-mail arrived for a day course entitled "A Christmas Walk in the Woods" in the inbox: about 60 seconds later a place was booked. The course itself is held in Ashdown Forest, and starts from the nearby scouts' centre at Broadstone Warren. 20 people arrive in the carpark for 9.45am, and shortly afterwards Ray himself arrives. The group then heads off to build 3D models of the local terrain out of heaps of leaves, learn about tracking, learn how to navigate by using trees, do a spot of archery under the tutelage of expert bowyer Chris Boyton and generally get a chance to listen to someone with a passionate and genuine affinity for the landscape and the rapidly-diminishing skills of native bushcraft. Ray Mears is as affable in real life as on telly, and tells some great stories in an engaging way whilst we hike around the woods of East Sussex - the day is thoroughly enjoyable and enlightening.
next album: New Year's Eve and Day, Thorndon and Thornham, Suffolk - 1st January 2006
previous album: Boxing Day Miscellany, Hordle and Barton-on-Sea, Hampshire - 26th December 2005
Ray Mears inspects our 'models'
The group hikes off into the forest
Ray Mears spots some grasses covered in Ergot
Ray finds something interesting in a tree
Chris Boyton introduces his bows
There's an introduction to archery
Ray Mears with a stick
The tracks of a fox are pointed out
Fox tracks
Ray explains the differences between deer droppings
Chats in the woods
Ray lights beech bark with a spark
Ray gets a fire going
We are encouraged to get in touch with trees
We get a lesson in fire lighting
The Woodlore team's fire is going
Nosher's group's firelighting efforts
Campfires in the woods
The low winter sun shines through the trees
Our camp looks almost neolithic
Our camp fire gets going as Annette inspects
Ray and his group's camp
Nosher's group clear away all traces of our camp fire
Ray warms his longbow up over embers
Some archery occurs
Ray and Chris do a bit of 'roving archery'
Chris Boyton lets an arrow off
Ray has to dig one of his arrows out of a tree
Ray uses a quick-fire bushman hunting technique
Nosher takes aim under the eye of Chris Boyton
An iron-ore-tinged red stream
The uses of sphagnum moss are explained
A huge beech tree, pollarded 600 years ago
Ray carves pawprint track in a piece of fungus
Back at the car park
Ray does book signing on his Land Rover
Ray signs an axe
More signatures
Members of the group have photos taken
A photo with Ray Mears
Hanging around the Land Rover
The group disbands
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The first task is to build 3D models of the area
The first task is to build 3D models of the area
Ray Mears inspects our 'models'
The group hikes off into the forest
Ray Mears spots some grasses covered in Ergot
Ray finds something interesting in a tree
Chris Boyton introduces his bows
There's an introduction to archery
Ray Mears with a stick
The tracks of a fox are pointed out
Fox tracks
Ray explains the differences between deer droppings
Chats in the woods
Ray lights beech bark with a spark
Ray gets a fire going
We are encouraged to get in touch with trees
We get a lesson in fire lighting
The Woodlore team's fire is going
Nosher's group's firelighting efforts
Campfires in the woods
The low winter sun shines through the trees
Our camp looks almost neolithic
Our camp fire gets going as Annette inspects
Ray and his group's camp
Nosher's group clear away all traces of our camp fire
Ray warms his longbow up over embers
Some archery occurs
Ray and Chris do a bit of 'roving archery'
Chris Boyton lets an arrow off
Ray has to dig one of his arrows out of a tree
Ray uses a quick-fire bushman hunting technique
Nosher takes aim under the eye of Chris Boyton
An iron-ore-tinged red stream
The uses of sphagnum moss are explained
A huge beech tree, pollarded 600 years ago
Ray carves pawprint track in a piece of fungus
Back at the car park
Ray does book signing on his Land Rover
Ray signs an axe
More signatures
Members of the group have photos taken
A photo with Ray Mears
Hanging around the Land Rover
The group disbands