"Good for the mind & soul..."
"Inspiring, empowering, relaxing, healing, calming, joyful.... "
"Deeply enriching, and fun!"
"I like who I am in the forest..."
"The foraged food was amazing..."
"Loved being in the woods away from everyday responsibilities..."
"It's amazing how restorative it is to be in the woods..."
If you like the sound of forest school for grown-ups, this day is for you. Join me for a one-day introduction to foraging & woodland skills.
Step away from the noise of daily life and spend a day immersed in nature, learning, relaxing, and reconnecting with the world around you.
Your day begins in the woods with a warming cup of foraged tea around the campfire as you settle into the rhythm of the forest.
Over the course of the day, we'll forage & delve into the abundance of wild edible plants and learn to identify native trees & understand their traditional uses; we'll wander the woods, collecting tinder and kindling, hone your firelighting skills, get hands-on with a bushcraft knife and enjoy the therapeutic practice of whittling. There'll be plenty of time for chats, relaxing amongst the trees and just enjoying the woods.
Foraged food is part of the experience, and you'll enjoy drinks, cakes & a light lunch made lovingly with local, seasonal foraged ingredients, including perhaps wild garlic scones, spring greens soup, nettle cordial or sweet woodruff cake, depending on the season.
What's included:
🌿 Full day guided workshop (09.30–17.30)
🌿 Introduction to practical woodland skills inc foraging, tree ID, firelighting, using a bushcraft knife to whittle wood and nature connection
🌿 All materials and equipment
🌿 Foraged teas, cakes & light vegetarian lunch
🌿 Small group experience (max 10)
🌿 A relaxed, welcoming atmosphere
No previous experience is needed just curiosity and a willingness to get stuck in. You’ll leave feeling grounded, relaxed, and a little more confident in your outdoor skills.
It's an ideal woodland skills introduction for those women wanting to join the Rewilding Weekend on Dartmoor in June (click here for more info on that).
A Joyful Outdoors day isn’t just a workshop, it’s a complete experience: part learning, part pause, part reminder of how good it feels to be outdoors.
Early bird ticket £105 per person / £115 full price
Max group size 10 - min 6
18+
See below for available dates
Private sessions for small groups available on request.
Some dates are women only - please check that when booking.
Where the event date is marked as for 'Love Her Wild', a proportion of total ticket sales will go to Love Her Wild (LHW) CIC. LHW is a UK-based nonprofit inclusive women's adventure community providing opportunities, support and funding to women to make the outdoors more accessible.
Location - The Woods (Bramley, near Guildford, Surrey).
Exact location provided in the week before the date.
Click here for FAQs.
Please take a few minutes to read our Important Info which you can find here.
This workshop is a women only event.
This workshop is a mixed event, and is open to all, so why not bring your partner, friends, work colleagues...anyone who needs some restorative time in the woods!
"What a wonderful, revitalising day!
Elspeth led a relaxed, informative day of sheer joy, she's bursting with knowledge on plants....as well as the ecosystem and woods.
The teaching area basecamp was welcoming with plenty of seating and shelter. We learned woodcraft, which was surprisingly meditative & soothing, fire skills and had a blissful forest bathe!
The home cooked scones, crackers, soup and teas from foraged ingredients were delicious. We were very much encouraged to step back and allow nature in. I left delighted and energised."
Nilmini Francis
"I didn't think about work once... I was so absorbed that it felt like I'd had a holiday!"
Miles Hawkins
"A fabulous opportunity to forage, get back to nature and connect with other like-minded women.
Elspeth creates a lovely joyful vibe with plenty of opportunity to take part in activities, or to be more quietly engaged, and is knowledgeable and fun in her manner."
Kirsty Kelley
"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 Barker
Get your dose of nature-based wellness with an evening of food and song around the campfire.
Singing in this setting is not about ability, it’s about connection and the feeling of well-being created by many voices raised together, so please don’t worry if you’re not a regular singer.
Email me to express interest in this, I'm gathering a list of interested folk. Date to be arranged.
07780 608016
Joyful Outdoors is based in Godalming, Surrey.
Outdoor workshops, nature activities & laughter yoga in Surrey, West Sussex, Hampshire and London.