Bushcraft Woodland Workshops in Surrey

Women by a woodland shelter enjoying therapeutic outdoor activities during a bushcraft workshop

Like the sound of forest school for grown-ups?

Need some balm for your over-connected soul, away from screens & home demands?

Want to live more seasonally, tune into wild plants & native trees & rekindle your relationship with nature?

"I felt like myself for a few hours instead of being in mum or work mode..."

In these workshops, you'll enjoy revitalising time in the woods, feel connection and camaraderie around the campfire, learn practical bushcraft and outdoors skills, and give your thinking brain a break!

Sunday Soul Sessions - seasonal outdoor workshops

Women enjoying a woodland bushcraft adventure in Surrey with Joyful Outdoors, learning new skills

Spring: Sun 16 March (14.15 - 17.15) or Sun 13 April (10.00 - 13.00)

Summer: Sun 3 Aug (10.00 - 13.00)

Autumn: 2025 date tbc

Winter: 2025 date tbc

All Sunday Soul Sessions include elements of exploring the woods, food, fire, foraging for wild edible plants and/or crafting with natural materials, depending on the changing seasons. As well as foraged snacks & tea!

Many people join these on their own, or bring a friend along, everyone is welcome.

£45 per person

Small group size - max 8, min 4

Adults 18+

Perfect for beginners to bushcraft, no experience necessary.

Spring

Forage in the woods to make delicious wild greens pesto and tea with the plants that we find, and enjoy with bread around the campfire.

Summer

Harvest seasonal seeds & natural materials from the wild plants in the woods. Make seed cakes to enjoy together around the fire & learn one of the key skills used by our hunter-gatherer ancestors; making string /rope out of plant material.

Autumn

Get ready for winter by learning the art of fire-making. You'll learn about natural & man-made tinder, how to harvest kindling from the woods, ways of building the fire, how to get it started & how to keep it going!

Winter

Roast chestnuts over the fire, enjoy tea & biscuits made from foraged ingredients & whittle your winter blues away. Don't worry if you're a beginner, you'll learn how to safely use a bushcraft knife, different knife grips and cuts and create a simple project to take home.

There is shelter if it rains, and a toilet within walking distance from camp.

Wild in the Woods - full day private bushcraft workshop

Women learning whittling techniques in a bushcraft workshop in Surrey.

Gather some friends and arrange a date for this private full-day bushcraft workshop.

£475 for up to 5 (ie £95 per person), small group size to allow for personal attention.

18+

You'll learn wild plant identification, foraging as you go to brew up wild tea; learn to recognize native trees & understand their traditional uses; wander the woodland collecting tinder and kindling, hone your firelighting skills, get hands-on with a bushcraft knife and enjoy the therapeutic practice of whittling.

Learn new skills, feel connection and camaraderie around the campfire & connect with nature - there'll be plenty of time for chats, relaxing amongst the trees and just enjoying the woods with a cup of foraged tea in your hands.

No previous experience is required. This course is ideal for beginners to bushcraft or those wanting to refresh and practice their woodland skills.

Email Elspeth to arrange a date for Wild in the Woods

Happy Joyful Outdoors clients say...

Tailored experiences through Joyful Outdoors workshops.

"A fantastic, peaceful, nourishing morning spent in the woods with Elspeth and a group of lovely ladies. We foraged and made nettle, ground ivy and pine tea, learnt how to light fires in the wild, ate delicious cake and just made time to be with nature.

Elspeth is extremely knowledgable and passionate about the outdoors and is an expert guide - highly recommend!"

Kate B - Oct 2024

Group of women enjoying nature-based wellness, connecting around a campfire.

"Elspeth hosted some amazing workshops for the Bee Sober members this weekend at Bee Wild South 2024.

We absolutely loved every minute. Elspeth made it easy to help us all to let go of our inhibitions and joyfully embrace the activities including foraging, laughter yoga and campfire singing.

We can honestly recommend Joyful Outdoors to everyone, don’t be scared to give things a go, she has a beautiful way of making it amazing! Thank you Elspeth xx"

Lisa Elsworth - BeeSober May 2024

Sign at Birtley House, Bramley, directing people into the woods

"When you get a chance to go on a Sunday Soul Session led by the fabulous Elspeth, for heavens sake say YES!

I spent a fun and peaceful morning in the beautiful woods in Bramley."

Jen T - Oct 23

Unique and engaging activities with Joyful Outdoors.

"Elspeth had so many interesting tips & materials to help our fire starting. It was such a relaxing morning away from everyday life.

I loved wandering through the woodland to find wood, collecting edible plants for our cup of tea and having a tasty lemon and dandelion cake in front of the fire."

Sharon C - Oct 23

Workshop attendees proudly showing off the butter knives they've carved with new bushcraft skills.

"Thank you so much for an amazing day! I really enjoyed the workshop and it was so lovely to meet you. You're doing such great work to encourage bushcraft and generally getting people outside in nature.

I will definitely be booking a place on your next workshop - I'm very much looking forward to it!"

Eve C - Nov 23

Frequently Asked Questions

Please email elspeth@joyfuloutdoors.co.uk if you can't find the answer to your question.

What should I wear?

Please ensure that all members of your group come suitably dressed for the weather and consider the following:

wear outdoor clothing that you don’t mind getting dirty and smoky, ideally wool as that is most safe around the fire, long sleeves and long trousers. Beware of plastic-type clothing around the fire as it can melt!
sturdy closed shoes/boots that you are comfortable walking in, preferably waterproof. There's a stream and a couple of old ponds on site so it’s generally pretty wet and muddy, and the path is uneven in places. There are ducks and geese in a lake on the grounds, so the route into the woods is spattered with guano.
consider bringing waterproofs even if the forecast is dry, you can leave them in camp but it's better to have and not need them than the other way round.

What should I bring?

A small rucksack for your personal possessions and a water bottle.
Your own drinking water & bottle.
Any personal medication, antihistamines, epipen etc.
Loo roll or tissues and dog poo /compost bags to put it in.

I will bring mats for everyone to sit on and small mugs for wild tea tasting.

Are there toilet facilities?

There is a toilet in the site car park, and that is a 5 minute walk from camp. Wild weeing in the woods is great, but please take any paper away with you rather than burying as it doesn’t decompose sufficiently. For anything other than wee, please use the car park toilet.

There will be a hand washing station provided at camp, and hand sanitiser.

What happens if it rains?

We will go ahead! We have a gorgous woodland site as our base for the day which will provide adequate shelter from rain. Please make sure you bring appropriate clothing for the weather conditions.

What happens if the weather is really bad?

In event of extreme weather conditions ie dangerously strong winds over 30mph, constant torrential rain, thunder/lightening, snow, I will review and provide as much notice as possible in the days leading up to the event. The decision by Joyful Outdoors to cancel an event for safety reasons is final and under these circumstances,m Joyful Outdoors is not liable for any travel, accommodation or other costs you might incur if an event has to be cancelled.

What is your refund policy?

Please see the full cancellation and refund conditions here. Essentially, no refunds are given with 14 days or less notice from the date of the event.

Any advice on ticks?

As the climate is getting warmer, ticks are becoming more prevalent in the UK. They hang out on the end of fern branches, waiting to jump onto unsuspecting people as they brush past. For prevention, wear long sleeves & long trousers tucked into your socks, and paler colours so that you can see the ticks on your clothing & can brush them off.

Always check yourself for ticks, and carry a tick remover in your personal first aid kit. Don't worry, we'll remind you to do this and will have tick removers with us, I have extracted many in my time!

There's really useful advice here and here from NHS on when to be concerned if you've been bitten by a tick.

Bushcraft Woodland Workshops in Surrey

Sunday Soul Sessions - seasonal outdoor workshops

Get your tickets for Sunday Soul Sessions

Wild Women in the Woods

Wild in the Woods - full day private bushcraft workshop

Sing & Supper

Happy Joyful Outdoors clients say...

Frequently Asked Questions

Sign up for my Joyful Outdoors newsletter

Bushcraft Woodland Workshops in Surrey

Sunday Soul Sessions - seasonal outdoor workshops

Get your tickets for Sunday Soul Sessions

Wild Women in the Woods

Wild in the Woods - full day private bushcraft workshop

Sing & Supper

Happy Joyful Outdoors clients say...

Frequently Asked Questions

Sign up for my Joyful Outdoors newsletter

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