Activities
Each day multiple craft spaces will be held by craftspeople around the central fire, where materials and tools will be on hand and guidance available
Wool felters: Jenny Muirhead & Zuleika Connolly Jones
Hide tanners & leatherworkers: Peter Ananin & Hamish Findlay Lamley
Weavers: Aoife Ní HEochaidh & Jeanette Gray
Bronze sword smith: Neil Burridge
Activities that might take place are coracles, a bronze sword casting ceremony, rawhide lanterns, salmon skin tanning, rush woven objects, sewing, butter making, cheese making, felted shoes, bags or blankets..
Daily Program
Each morning we will circle around the fire and announce what activities will take place that day. This is where you sign up to a craft area or offer an activity you would like to share with others. Enabling everyone to have an experience in each space.
Daily activities may be an individual project like felting a bag or a group project such as making a community coracle…or bring your half finished projects to complete…
At the end of each day we will come together around the fire to share the lessons, stories, songs and adventures of the day.
On our final day we will be hosting a closing and giveaway ceremony, if you wish to bring anything you wish to let go of or to share with others
Focus
The main focus of the gathering is to come together as a land based crafting community, to connect with the land and others around us through working with our hands, as communities used to do.
During this time of year many communities would be gathering in the hills around shielings to milk their animals, making cheeses, telling stories as well as crafting with wool, hide and other natural materials.
We aim to revive some of this culture through gathering on the land.
During your time on the land you might make something you take away personally, make with others or give away to another but the key is collaboration and coming together as a community on the land.
Who is it for
Our gathering is aimed at bringing together practicing crafts people, previous students and those just stepping into craft. In order to exchange ideas, techniques and to collaborate together as a community.
Families and children are also welcome as we feel it’s important to enable inclusivity for craftspeople with children and to embrace the joy that comes with sharing the world of nature based crafts with our families.
Ethos
Our gathering is set up around the ethos that working with our hands, being out in nature and working together as a community is good for our health and wellbeing. As a community coming together we ask that people show kindness, patience and respect to each other and the landscape.
In line with the ethos of our gathering, we try to encourage low impact living and creating a nice atmosphere.
We also encourage zero waste, avoiding plastics and we encourage natural mute colours/natural fibres where possible.
This gives us all a chance to detox from plastic and avoid contaminating the land.
If you require advice on zero waste equipment, packaging etc, please get in touch.
Health
During the gathering we will primarily be based in our primitive camp but during our time we will be walking across the land, so a general level of fitness is recommended. We can cater for different levels of fitness and health but please let us know beforehand if you have any specific medical conditions.
Food
Please bring your own breakfasts, lunches and something to contribute to shared dinners such as vegetables, meat or wild foraged edibles. We can set up a group discussion prior to the gathering, if you wish, to organise group meals together.
We aim to encourage a zero alcohol and drugs policy at the gathering to encourage a healthy community space.
Food can be sourced from a local farm at Tombreck and from Aberfeldy.
Please let us know of any dietary or allergy restrictions.
www.tombreck.co.ukAccommodation
During your stay you will be camping in our primitive camp, with camp fires and other basic land facilities.
Please bring along a tent, tarp or shelter to sleep in, ideally something that blends into the environment, any questions feel free to get in touch.
What to bring
Clothing
Warm clothing such as woollen jumpers, walking boots and waterproof clothing, work clothes, gloves and an apron. Ideally natural mute colours/natural fibres where possible.
Sleeping gear
Head torch, sleeping mat, sleeping bag/blankets and shelter/tent, ideally natural mute colours/natural fibres where possible.
Tools and cutlery
A good work knife, folding saw, cutlery, bowl, plate, cooking pot, cup and water container.
Additional
If you have a musical instrument such as a fiddle, guitar or drum then bring that along for evenings around the fire
Bring your own tools along e.g. spinning wheel or hand carders
Bring your previously made leathers, willow or carded wool to make into something or keep going with half finished projects
Get in touch if you wish to bring your own milking goats or sheep to the gathering
Arrival and departure:
We welcome arrivals after 2pm on the 19th of August and we will be finishing at 3pm on 25th of August.
Location:
The gathering's location is situated in a beautiful woodland on the banks of Loch Tay near Aberfeldy in the Highlands of Perth and Kinross, surrounded by scenic mountains and nature.
Transport
The Woodland is within 2 hours of Glasgow, Inverness and Edinburgh by car. The nearest train station is at Pitlochry or Dunkeld just off the A9.
If you let us know how you are traveling we can try to organise car shares and pick ups.
Gathering Costs & Registration
We aim to keep gathering costs affordable enabling everyone to join, please pick what you can afford to enable the gathering to take place.
If you are in an abundant financial position and feel called to support the gathering, any additional donations or contributions would be much appreciated. This will help us to run these gatherings in the future and support members of our community who require additional support to attend.
Whole gathering tickets
£250 low band (low income)
£330 medium band (just covers costs)
£350-500 for high band (helps our the gatherings to continue and enabling us to provide additional support)
Weekend tickets 19th, 20th and 21st
£130 low band (low income)
£150 medium band (just covers costs)
£250 for high band (helps our the gatherings to continue and enabling us to provide additional support)
For children’s tickets or if you wish to join for just a few days get in touch via email to:
woodlandtannery@gmail.comWe hope in the future to offer an elders discount too..
Contact
Do not hesitate to contact us with any of your questions, thoughts or ideas!
