Craufurdland Estate Traditional Skills

In the Spring of 2010, East Ayrshire Woodlands and Craufurdland Estate, near Fenwick, agreed on a project to
promote traditional skills within the estate woodlands.

The first part of the project was to create an interpretation trail in a public area, as an educational resource,
to demonstrate, in the form of 3d installations, traditional woodland crafts.

A seperate clearing area was to be created, where local groups could visit to take part in bushcraft and other craft
as part of a woodland school programme, hopefully developing into a forest school site.

The second part of the project was to create a charcoal burning site in a private area of the estate, close to the castle
itself.

In May 2010, a 6 week pilot project began with a group from Kilmarnock Academy, to work on the development of
the learning trail.

The stunning new hardwood bench is the centerpiece in the clearing and work will now continue on completing the
interpretation trail, with the other installations, craft panels and poetry signage all due to go in over the next couple of weeks.

The initial weeks were spent creating the path network and the central clearing, followed by definition of the clearing site with
ash pole fencing. Good progress was then made on bird boxes, the site shelter and green wood woodland 'throne'. The last week put aside
for informal activities of a barbecue, woodland games, firelighting and a tidy up. We have since completed a rustic entrance to
the clearing.

Work will now continue on the traditional skills installations, installing the rest of the bird / bat boxes and
completing the last section of the circular path and the main entrance.

Forest School with Fenwick Primary

In early 2012, Forest School leaders Mark Davies and Alison Calcott ran a 6 week forest school with a class from Fenwick
Primary at Craufurdland, with many new skills learnt from safe, respectful fire lighting to outdoor cooking, shelter building and tool use.

For more information Ayrshire Forest Schools, click here

Forest School clearing launch - Storytelling with Fenwick Primary

We launched the improved clearing area with storytelling and outdoor cooking sessions with Fenwick Primary

Yipworld Survivor 2012

The 2012 survivor project relocated to Craufurdland................

For more images click here

New signage and interpretation

We have installed some carved signs within the wood and at the entrance and hope to get working on the traditional skills installations
during August, as we have some interpretation panels for the trail, set into nice hardwood surrounds.

The adjacent area of old willow will have selected coppicing, with materials used to create new cleft fencing around the clearing.

Pics to follow..............