New Blog November 2023 I have been asked time and again why I don’t have a blog. Plus what is the meaning of the Forestknights tagline, Wilderness Wildlife and Warrior Arts? So bear with me whilst I attempt to find my feet with this initial post. I thought a quick biography might put the tagline into context. Wayne Jones is a passionate and experienced outdoorsman who has dedicated his life to learning and teaching various skills related to bushcraft, wildlife, and nature. He is the founder and CEO of Forestknights, a company that offers courses and workshops on topics such as bow making, trac ..read more

Here we interview lead instructor and Forest Knights founder Wayne Jones about the three-day longbow making course provided by Forest Knights in Sussex, UK. We ask about the course participants, what it’s like on the bow making course, where the course takes place, whether you can get there easily from London, and why exactly it takes three full days to make a longbow! By Richard Bradford So, what kind of people do bow making courses? Everybody really. Anyone that’s interested in outdoor crafts and in trying something different. We have archers who come along, equally people who are interested ..read more

Shrink pots are another item I have been making. These pots have been made with silver birch, felled about November. But I understand you can use most green woods, but you do need to think about how and what they are going to be used for. Traditionally they were used to store dry goods possibly even flour, you could even seal the base with some bees wax and use them as a cup. After letting them dry out you can then make a lid. Most of mine have gone into school to be use The Process and tips. The Base I would start with the base, find a dry flat piece of wood large enough for the base of your ..read more

What can we do at home? Well, today with two university boys doing their best at home, we ran out of bread. So, having seen all the comments on the Muurrikka pan and as the phrase goes in ‘Heartbreak Ridge’ ‘Improvise, adapt and overcome’(name the actor). Some bread was needed!!!!!! Ha ha. Ok most will know who it is? Simple flat bread (Bannock) Recipe: 2 cups of flour we tend to use wholemeal. 1 cup of water Put flour into the bowl, make a well in the centre for water. Different types of flour require different amounts of water! So, after mixing decide if your mix is too wet or dry and simply ..read more

Teaching Spoon and bowl carving courses I am always looking for quality carving tools. I prefer to support small businesses and craftsmen keeping traditional skills alive. If we do not support artisan crafts people then we cannot complain when their skills are but a memory. That said a tool must perform the task it was designed for efficiently. If the tool is elegant as well then you know you have a keeper. Belzeboo Ctrafts is owned by Miguel Laranjeira. A fellow Greenwood tool maker and Bladesmith based in Portugal. I have been watching his progress via social media for some time and have lik ..read more

David Sinfield May 2020 History. The Holmegaard bow is a prehistoric bow found in the peat bogs Holmegaard in the east of Denmark. It has been dated to 7000BCE and there is some dispute as to whether it is the oldest artefact identified as a bow but it is certainly the oldest complete bow, although it is in 4 pieces. Holmegaard Bow It was discovered in 1944 when due to a shortage of coal peat was being cut. It’s one of 5 bows found around this time. They were preserved by the waterlogged peat which is acid and inhibits bacterial and fungal decay.  In my opinion the bow could have been com ..read more

John Mathieson is one of the members of the Sussex Bushcraft Club and one of the Forest Knights guest instructors. He has many years experience in the outdoors as a accomplished canoe coach and Duke of Edinburgh Award leader and assessor. John has been on several forestknights Bushcraft Canoe Expeditions to Finland. John will be regularly updating this page with simple projects that you can enjoy with minimal tools in your own gardens whilst maintaining social distancing. Crafting a simple coffee peg. hand carved peg I have used hazel rod about 1” (25mm)for the ones In. The picture, but you ca ..read more

David Sinfield April 2020 Disclaimers This document does not constitute legal advice. We are not lawyers. It is purely a description of the law as it is at the time of writing. While we will try to update it with changes in the law we do not guarantee that it is current. Forest Knights accept no responsibility or accept liability for any outcomes from using this document. If in doubt consult an archery society, lawyer or the police. The information in this document covers only the law in England and Wales. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own statute books. If you are not shooting in E ..read more

A Magical World for Bushcraft Experiences The first time I sat alone in a glade in our woodland in West Sussex, it was so still and peaceful I heard the eerie sound of a single leaf fall. I was quite alone and it frightened me at the time. I thought someone was creeping up on me. We are all in awe of the grandness of the natural world and a little afraid of our vulnerability to the elemental grand forces of nature. We may have left our stories of Red Riding Hood behind with our childhood, but we still feel when we enter a woodland or forest that we are stepping out of the familiar ..read more

Introduction: The wilderness is a wonderful place to retreat for quiet reflection and healing.  It is not always a benign location for young or old.  The environment has many risks and its important that we have an understanding of the risks and how to mitigate them.  As always prevention is much better than cure. Drowning is a leading cause of accidental death and injury in children aged between 1 – 7 years old.   Young males have a greater risk of drowning than their companions.  This is often due to greater risk taking and the misuse of drugs and alcohol. Drowning injures often ..read more