Description
This workshop has been made possible with fundng from Woodland Trust Scotland – Croft Woodlands Project
Come and learn the art of hedgelaying! This tradtional method of hedge management is making a comeback recently as people understand the benefits of well managed hedges in our landscape.
About our croft woodland
Our croft is 8 acres and mostly covered in woodland at various different ages and species, with another 4 acres that we are beginning to manage for a neighbour. We have native woodland planted 30 years ago, shelter woodland of a similar age, newly planted coppice, fruit, basketry willow, and various other experiments.
Some of the rows of trees planted for shelter are now getting quite tall and becoming “gappy” at the base, so we’re starting to lay these as hedges to manage light levels, create dense habitat for wildlfe, and in some places we’ll be using them as a barrier to livestock too.
Who’s it for
The workshop is open to anyone with an interest in this traditional technique. We’ll be using sharp handtools and working on sloping ground on the croft so a reasonable level of fitness is needed and the workshop isn’t suitable for kids under 16. The day will be hands on and fairly physical but you don’t have to take part in the physical parts if you don’t wish to. If the weather is poor then we’ll still crack on, but there will always be the opportunity to pop back down to the house to warm up and have a brew if you need to.
What we’ll cover
We’ll be outside all day (except lunch) and you’ll be hands on working with handtools to prepare materials and lay the hedge. We’ll cover the basics and history of hedgelaying, regional styles and variations, preparing stakes and binders and then we’ll crack on with laying the hedge, using traditional techniques and handtools. We have about 50m to lay, but we’ll see how far we get!
Cancellations
Please email us as soon as possible if you don’t think you will be able to make it to the workshop. We will give a full refund if over a week before the event. If it’s less than a week away we will only refund the cost if we are able to fill your slot. Refunds exclude a 5% card processing fee.
