During this 4 day tanning course, you will learn one of the main traditional ways of hide tanning practiced in Scotland to create beautiful traditional leather while taking time to craft, be in nature and become part of a community of craftspeople. At the end of this course, you will have practiced one of the main traditional types of leather making using natural materials and low-tech tools and techniques. During this course we will give an overview of the other tanning methods practised in Scotland by our ancestors.
This course can also be booked back to back with our 3 day Traditional bark tanning course (16th-18th) for a full week long immersed traditional skills experience in the Highlands from the 12th-18th of August 2024 for a discounted price.
The goal of this course is to learn traditional tanning methods, come together as a primitive skills community, take home your own beautifully finished hides and gain the skills and confidence to continue with hide tanning projects in the future.
This course is hosted by Peter Ananin and Bethan Bray from The Woodland Tannery. The talented leatherworker Hamish Findlay Lamley will be joining us for the second part of the Tanning Course.
Do you want to read and see more about your facilitators? Check the following links:
- Originating among many Indigenous nations including Scotland & America, the process of making buckskin is a true metamorphosis of both hide and tanner. Buckskin is believed to be one of the earliest known leathers to our ancestors and was an important material in the production of items including clothing as well as traditional pouches known as sporrans. This traditional material was often made within traditional black houses and crofts where the basic materials for production were widely available using natural oils and fats.
During the course you will take a deer skin through several stages much like our ancestors would have. From cleaning and scraping, softening with brains, oils or eggs, and finally smoking to make it weather resistant - you will learn how to create a material that can last for a lifetime and beyond. The finished product is excellent to use as clothing due to its softness and flexibility.
Other methods we will touch on are Peat bog tanning, heather tanning and tanning with Tormentil which were three very important ways of tanning hides in the Highlands of Scotland.
Course Summary
-group gathering at the start of each day to explain what the day will look like
-Crafting primitive tools from stone and other natural materials
-learning the process of cleaning and scraping hides
-discuss the many uses of the natural materials: to produce leather, medicine and as a way of preserving foods
-traditional Scottish oil tanning methods
-making your own beautiful tanned hides which can be used to make clothing, bags, pouches or other leather items
-an overview of sewing methods
-natural antibacterial remedies
-If the hides allow us we can take time to walk around the woodland, loch, in the mountains and to some of the ancient sites in the local area
-If necessary we will work on the hides during the evenings, otherwise you are free for personal wanders, coming together for stories, music and social time around the campfire.
Health
During the course 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.
Needs/Intention
To make this course personally fit your needs, we would like to have contact through Skype, phone or email prior to your arrival. We would like to hear what you would like to get out of the course so we can try to meet your needs as best as we possibly can. This process can be just as transformative for the tanner as for the hide.
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 course, if you wish, to organise group meals together.
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, traditional canvas structures 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 for working with the hides. Ideally natural mute colours/natural fibres if and where possible.
Sleeping gear
Headlamp, sleeping mat, sleeping bag/blankets and shelter/tent, ideally natural mute colours/natural fibres if and where possible.
Tools and cutlery
A good work knife for the tanning part of the course, folding saw, cutlery, bowl, plate, cooking pot, cup and water container.
Additional
If you have a musical instrument such as a guitar or drum then bring that along for evenings around the fire
Ethos
Our courses are 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 course, we try to encourage low impact living and creating a nice atmosphere.
We try to encourage zero waste, avoiding single use plastics and encourage natural mute colours/natural fibres where possible.
Giving us all a chance to detox from plastic although we realise we live in a modern world, where jackets and wellies can be helpful.
Location
This years course 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.
Arrival
4pm on the 11th of August 2024
Departure
4pm on the 15th of August 2023
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 travelling we can try to organise car shares and pick ups.
Tuition & Registration
£400 for 4 days, with a £50 deposit to be paid with the reservation. This includes the camp site, the course, tanning tools and course materials. You can contact us for low income options.
If you wish to join us for both the 4 day buckskin tanning course (£400) and the 3 day bark tanning course (£300) we are offering a discount of £100 for the combined ticket for £600.
Contact
Do not hesitate to contact us with any of your questions, thoughts or ideas!
Peter Ananin
woodlandtannery@gmail.com 