Primitive Pottery

This course is run over two days, and the focus is on learning the ancient art of pottery without the expensive use of a kiln. The course ends with a group firing and you'll be taking away your personal and unique drinking vessel.

We go through changing the 'muck' we gather into working clay, adding and experimenting with different tempers, with everyone getting a turn to try each stage. In outline, these are:

• Introductions and course outline.
• Identifying areas to gather materials and reading the landscape.
• Processing clay - wet and dry processes. Making paddles and making a fire to process quartz temper, and processing other tempers. Why we use temper, from water containers to cooking pots.
• Starting to make pinch pots and talking about other designs i.e. round bottoms. Making larger coil pots; demonstration of moulding.
• Scraping and burnishing around fire.
• Starting a pottery fire and gathering wood; axe safety and splitting wood.
• Drying and slowly warming pots; working on more designs while initial pots fire.

This course is run by Adam Hendley, our resident Bushcrafter, whose kind, calm approach to teaching puts everyone at ease and assures a good time is had by all. Guy Mallinson assists.

Tools are also supplied for your use during the course within this price.

The days run from 9.00 (tea and coffee) for a 9.30 start and finish at approximately 5.00pm. As well as stopping for lunch, we break for tea, coffee, biscuits and cake during the morning and afternoon. We promise not to work you too hard! It's a really good, simultaneously relaxing and productive time.

We aim to down tools at approximately 5.00 p.m. on both days. If you are arranging to be collected then any time after 5.15 is good. However, at the end of day two we like to sit down for a glass of something ... so rather than miss out, it's best to plan for 5.30 onwards on the second day. Of course, whoever is collecting you is welcome to come down to the woods, any time after 5.00.

Full directions are supplied on booking.