A half-day workshop at Hay Castle. Learn a traditional skill by having a go at using a draw knife and a shave horse to create traditional sheep hurdles.

This workshop is for people who are interested in sustainable woodland management and would like to know how to make useful products from coppiced and other woodland material. Riven ash gate hurdles were traditionally used for folding sheep and pigs, in 1730 Viscount “turnip” Townshend devised the Norfolk four course rotation (barley, turnips, clover and wheat) a system that allowed farmers to feed their stock through the winter, also improving the health of their stock and increasing the fertility and condition of their land.

Learn several skills such as using a shave horse, billhook and draw knife to de-bark, riven and cleave timber and will construct the gates from prepared timber. This taster workshop is a great follow-up to the introduction to coppicing courses from January and February.

What will I do and learn?

• An introduction ash timber products
• Discover the billhook, an essential tool of a coppice craftsperson
  
• Learn how to sharpen your green wood working tools
  
• Use the draw knife and shaving horse
  
• Learn to cleave the wood into beautiful and sturdy product
  
• Assemble a riven ash gate hurdle and finish

Who will I learn from?

Jed Needs

Jed is a tutor on our Coppicing and Greenwood Trades NVQ. He is also chair of the Talgarth Community Woodland Group and a director of The Green Valleys CIC.

Key Information

Date - Saturday 1st July 2023 

Times: We will be holding one morning session and one afternoon session. 

Morning: 10am - 12.30pm, or Afternoon: 1pm - 3.30pm 

You should book a ticket for the time you would like to attend. 

Location: Hay Castle, on the lawn. If you are arriving by car, please park in the main Hay-on-Wye carpark and walk to the castle.

What you need: Wear suitable, weather-dependent clothing including gloves and boots Bring a water bottle and a packed lunch for a picnic, or buy on-site at the Hay Castle Café.

Minimum age - 8 years. This course can be adapted by our tutor for children aged 8+ but parental supervision and control is paramount. All children under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult.

How much does it cost?

We would like our short courses to be as accessible as possible cost-wise, whilst ensuring we are still able to cover material and teaching costs. We, therefore, ask you to pay what you can towards this event based on our tiered system. For each session, we have 5 spaces. We have tickets available at £15 (reduced rate), £30 (actual cost), and £45 (pay it forward).

Consider contributing more on the scale if you:

• have the ability to comfortably meet all of your basic needs
• have investments, retirement accounts, or inherited money
• travel recreationally
• own the home you live in
• have a relatively high degree of earning power due to level of education (or gender and racial privilege, class background, etc.)

Consider contributing less on the scale if you:

• have difficulty covering basic expenses
• are supporting children or have other dependents
• are an elder with limited financial support
• have unstable housing and/or limited access to reliable transportation

If you select an amount at the higher end of the scale, you will make possible future offerings and support our volunteers who are generously contributing time. Thank you!

We have one fully-funded spot on this course available to a successful bursary applicant. If you are unable to pay for the course and would like to be considered for a free place, then please complete this form. You will be contacted by a member of our team 2-4 weeks prior to the course starting.

Tickets are non-refundable. Depending on the uptake of the course we hold the right to cancel it, in which case you will be refunded.

Please note that spaces on this course are limited. We operate on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Accessibility

This course is rated as 2 (some access) on our scale of accessibility. Read more about our accessibility policy below:

As we are gradually developing our campus, we are making the learning spaces, courses and events more accessible. Depending on the topic of the course, some of them will involve spending time outside, often on uneven ground, or accessing footpaths in mountains and woodlands. As a consequence, these courses require participants to have a certain degree of fitness and stamina to be able to engage fully. We do aim to encourage as many people as possible to be able to participate so if in doubt then please contact us.

We use a 3-scale grading system to indicate the accessibility of a course. Read more about our accessibility policy here.

Please see our booking terms & conditions upon checkout for more information.

We will follow the most recent COVID measures and protocols in order to keep everyone safe and healthy for the duration of the course.