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TUITION FOR BEGINNERS,
IMPROVERS, AND GROUP LEADERS

(Scroll down to find beginners' courses, advanced courses, mini-apprenticeships etc. Next beginners' course: 8 June) .

"Mini-Apprenticeship at Monkton Wyld"

We take on volunteers for haymaking season at Monkton Wyld dairy holding. There is a lot of scythe work and haymaking (in both fine and dicey weather), cow care, hand milking, cheese and butter making, pigs, horticulture, smallholding infrastructure etc. Positions are available from the end of May to the beginning of August. You will be fed and lodged and come away with a free scythe. We take on people for stretches of one to two weeks. You will need to be fit, enthusiastic, and have a basic knowledge of working with hand tools.

We are also looking for one person for the whole season, who will gain a good grounding in running a scythe-based dairy smallholding. You will also be part of the team preparing for the West Country Scythe Fair in early June. Some paid work will be available for the person taking this position.

For more information, contact Simon at chapter7@tlio.org.uk 01297 561359

Beginners'and Improvers' Course at the Scythe Fair

LANGPORT SOMERSET, SATURDAY 8 JUNE:

A course designed both for beginners and improvers, held on the day before the West Country Scythe Fair, at the same site at Muchelney, Langport, Somerset. Scythe use, sharpening and maintenance are covered in the morning; workshops on peening, wildflower meadows, haymaking, grassland management, cereal mowing, English scythes etc in the afternoon. The scythe fair attracts a star-studded line up of tutors and workshop leaders including Christiane Lechner from Austria, Steve Tomlin, Phil Batten, Richard Brown of Emorsgate seeds, and Simon Fairlie.

To book, contact Simon at chapter7@tlio.org.uk; 01297 561359.

Advanced Course at the West Country Scythe Fair 6-8 June

including teaching scythe use, and supervising teams of mowers

This three day course provides the most thorough and advanced tuition available in the UK today. The course is designed for people who want to to attain a high degree of proficiency, who want to teach other people or who supervise teams of volunteers.

The four tutors are:
Christiane Lechner who teaches scythe use and yoga in Austria
Phil Batten who teaches in Wales, the only person to score 10 out of 10 for quality in the West Country competition.
Steve Tomlin who teaches scythe use in Cumbria and runs the Cyberspace website http://scytherspace.wordpress.com/
and Simon Fairlie.

On 6 and 7 June we run you through all aspects of scythe use and maintenance in detail, with particular emphasis on how to identify faults and how to explain techniques to other people. We also cover matters such as health and safety, insurance, and organizing teams of mowers, scythe courses etc.

On 8 June in the morning you will be teaching beginners to mow, under the supervison of one of the tutors.
In the afternoon there are a number of workshops, including peening, grassland management, haymaking, mowing wheat and other grains, English scythes etc.

On 9 June is the Scythe Fair and competition, in which you should have a fair chance of reaching the finals.

People who come on this course are expected to have done a one-day beginner's course, or else have gained some previous experience in using a scythe.

The course runs from Thursday 6 to Saturday 8 June at the West Country Scythe Fair, near Langport Somerset,
Cost of course, including lunch and entry to the Scythe Fair on Sunday: individuals £165; organizations £195.

Contact Simon at chapter7@tlio.org.uk ; 01297 561359

 

Scythe Courses in Dorset 2013

I run scythe courses at Monkton Wyld Court, on the Dorset/Devon border, four miles from Axminster, half a mile from the A35. The dates currently arranged are:

Saturday 4 May 2013— one day course.
(FULLY BOOKED; my next course is on 8 June at the Scythe Fair, see above).

19-21 July — two day course

6-8 September — two day course

For more information about the content of the courses, scroll down
To book please go to http://www.monktonwyldcourt.co.uk/

On two day courses there is an option of attending on only Friday evening and Saturday if you are a beginner, and only on Sunday if you are an improver who has already done a beginner's course.

Scythe Course in Brighton August 2013

3 and 4 August beginners' two day scythe course with Simon Fairlie, Beth Tilston and Stefan Gehrels.
For more information go to http://www.brightonpermaculture.org.uk/courses-conferences-and-events/courses/scything.html

Here are more details about Simon's courses:

Two Day Course: Scything and Haymaking

Beginners often imagine that a two day course is a bit excessive, just to learn how to use a garden tool; and that is true if all you want to do is knock down weeds. But anyone who wants to mow grass on any scale will benefit from a two day course, and people who do the course come away saying "I don't know how you could cram all that into one day".

Two days gives you enough time to practice different peening methods; I also spend more time on grass management, and demonstrate how to make and stack a hay rack, which enables you to make hay even in changeable weather.

Friday Evening:
• brief history and sociology of the scythe
Saturday:
• selecting the right blade and snath for the job (or making best use of what you've got):
• setting up a scythe and snath;
• sharpening;
• basic mowing technique;
• how to avoid damaging the blade, and how to repair chips and cracks;
• basic peening demonstration.
Sunday
• early morning mowing
• managing grass with scything in mind;
• smallscale haymaking techniques
• peening practice with jig and bar peen anvil

Beginners may opt to come only on Friday evening and Saturday. Improvers who have done a beginner's course with me or someone else can opt to come only on the Sunday.

Ring 01297 561359 or e-mail chapter7@tlio.org.uk for more details; or see Monkton Wyld's site http://www.monktonwyldcourt.co.uk/

Beginners' One Day Courses
Next course 4 May

To book please go to http://www.monktonwyldcourt.co.uk/
The cost is £50, including lunch.
To book a place, please e-mail chapter7@tlio.org.uk or phone 01297 561359.

These are day-long training courses for beginners.

The courses cover:
• brief history and sociology of the scythe
• selecting the right blade and snath for the job (or making best use of what you've got):
• setting up a scythe and snath;
• peening with a jig, and introduction to freehand peening with hammer and anvil;
• sharpening;
• mowing technique;
• how to avoid damaging the blade, and how to repair chips and cracks;

I take 8 people on each course which take place from 10.00 till 6.00, or later if anybody wants. Lunch and snacks are provided. You do not need to bring your own scythe, but if you have one, please do bring it if it is not too inconvenient. For information about B and B or camp sites, please get in touch.

If you live some way away, there are other teachers around the country; see http://scytheassociation.org/courses/

Ring 01297 561359 or e-mail chapter7@tlio.org.uk for more details.

 

Other Courses

There are several other scythe teachers based all around the country. You can find out their details at http://scytheassociation.org/courses/

E-Mail List

I send out The Scythe Association's newsletter, The Windrow, which lists scything events, courses and developments in the UK. It comes out about three times per year, and there are now about ten people throughout the country offering scythe courses. To get on the list to receive an emailed pdf of The Windrow, please e-mail chapter7@tlio.org.uk, entitling your e-mail "Scythe Mailing List".

 

Below are photos of some of my courses. In the first one you can see Andy Coleman (in red pullover), now a faster scythesman than I, learning to peen

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