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We help people learn to read the natural world. Through wildlife tracking, ethnobotany, natural history and bushcraft skills, we develop the knowledge, awareness and practical competence needed to understand animals, plants and landscapes as interconnected parts of a living ecosystem. Inspired by the close relationship that people have traditionally maintained with the natural world, our courses encourage students to see beyond individual species and begin understanding the landscape as a connected, living community. The result is not simply greater knowledge, but the confidence to feel genuinely at home in nature.
Founded by John Rhyder, Woodcraft School has been delivering professional training since 2000. John has been teaching since 1994 and is a professional wildlife tracker, naturalist and woodsman, specialising in wildlife tracking and ecological field skills. He is a senior evaluator for both Track & Sign and Trailing, representing the internationally recognised CyberTracker standard across Europe. Over the past three decades he has taught hundreds of students, including outdoor professionals, instructors and guides, many of whom return year after year to continue developing their skills.
Woodcraft School brings together field courses, books, digital learning, expeditions, professional training and consultancy to make decades of practical experience accessible to anyone wishing to deepen their understanding of the living landscape. Whether you are taking your first steps into natural history or refining advanced tracking skills, our goal is the same: to help you observe more carefully, think more ecologically and develop the ability to read the natural world with confidence.
Skills rooted in the past, shaping how we read the land today: ecological fluency through tracking, ethnobotany, and woodcraft.
COURSES
Our woodland camp is set in 250 acres of ancient woodland on a private estate in the South Downs National Park, providing an ideal location for wildlife tracking, bushcraft, and ethnobotany courses. With a three-acre lake, streams, and meadows, students gain hands-on experience in natural history, plant identification, and traditional outdoor skills. Beyond the South Downs, we run tracking programmes and Cybertracker evaluations and wildlife tracking tours across the UK, Ireland and Europe, bringing participants closer to nature in inspiring landscapes.
Wildlife and Tracking
Understanding our animal world using track and sign identification and following the animals using trailing techniques
Ethnobotany
Identification of plants, trees and fungi with a deep exploration into wild foods, medicines and bushcraft uses.
Bushcraft
Covering the traditional outdoor living skills and crafts that are wedded to our region. essential skills for any naturalist