The Alternative Hen Weekend

I don't know about you but the idea of a drunken weekend, ‘L' plates and silly hats, is not my idea of fun, even in my 20's I used to try and avoid Hen weekends, so when it came time to organise my own, I very nearly didn't have one. Then an email came into my Inbox labelled ‘Hen Weekend Retreat'.

Thinking it would be a Spa weekend, I was surprised to see an email from Woodland Skills. Intrigued I gave Amanda a call as she explained that they had 5 yurts (posh tents) in their woodland in West Sussex and that Clive would be running a course on ‘Natures Larder Medicine Chest'.

Clive Cobie has spent the last ten years living and working in these woods. During this time he learnt about the history of the place and developed his knowledge of the flora, fauna, plant law and traditional crafts and skills.

Equilibrium in life

The woodland is owned by Pom Oliver, who spent 25 years working in the film industry. She wanted a change - to regain equilibrium in life. The opportunity arose in rather an unexpected way and she found herself a member of the first team of women to walk to both the South and North Poles.

 

Since then Shadow Woods has become a very important part of life and she now shares the woodland with anyone who wants to take time out in nature. Having persuaded my mum, sisters, mother-in-law and sister-in-law to be and best friend, we set off one Friday afternoon in search of Shadow Woods for this slightly unusual Hen Weekend.

Within minutes of arriving, I fell in love with the place, a wheel barrow was supplied to carry our belongings to the yurt, with instructions on the outdoor shower and compost toilets. The yurts came complete with beds, chairs and a wardrobe, although the kitchen left me smiling as I stood looking at the kitchen sink with the woodland as my backdrop.

We had taken our own provisions and set about opening the champagne, preparing our chicken kebabs in our outdoor kitchen and cooking them whilst sitting around our fire pit.

A Dawn Chorus

The first night I slept peacefully, awakened the next morning by the dawn chorus, reminding me that I had indeed spent the night in a woodland.

Our nature course was perfect, the sun was shining, which certainly helps when you are living outdoors.

As we walked through the woodland, we would stop every now and then to eat a flower, root or learn about the incredible larder we have growing on our doorstep. Lunch was provided by the team, a rabbit stew, caught by Clive the day before and cooked in an underground fire pit with our baked potatoes, nettle, dandelion and wild greens stirfry, carrot and burdock roots, followed by a blackberry and apple crumble with hawthorn berry sauce... I have to say this was one of the best and most memorable lunches I have ever enjoyed.. and the best part of the Hen weekend, it gave us time to enjoy each others company, gave us knowledge that we can enjoy for the rest of our lives and more than anything a memory that I will be proud to share in years to come.

Woodland Skills offer a number of weekend and day courses. It also offers a great alternative Stag Weekend, Woodland Survival Weekend, Fire by Friction, Living the Wild Intensive. www.woodlandskills.com

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Available in Devon
Charcoal burning, Rustic Furniture Making, Garden Sculpture
www.forestcrafts.co.uk

Woodland Ways Bushcraft & Survival
Courses run in Oxfordshire, Hertfordshire and Derbyshire
www.woodland-ways.co.uk