John Rhyder and Woodcraft School offer expert, hands-on training in wildlife tracking, ethnobotany, and bushcraft, helping students build practical skills and a lasting connection with nature. A lifelong naturalist and experienced educator, John has been teaching since 1994 and has delivered respected courses through Woodcraft School since 2000.
Students learn to read wildlife signs, identify tracks and behaviours, and develop keen observation skills. Through ethnobotany, you explore plants, trees, wild food, and medicinal herbs, discovering their uses in food, medicine, and craft. Bushcraft teaches essential outdoor skills—from shelter and fire-making to traditional crafts, wilderness living skills—building confidence and self-reliance in the wild.
With John Rhyder’s expertise, every course combines practical experience with a genuine passion for the natural world.
These are skills that turn curiosity into understanding, and presence in nature into quiet expertise.
Ancient Sentinels
This article was originally published in The Bushcraft & Survival Skills Magazine as 'Ancient Sentinels'. ...... I have always been drawn to trees, fascinated I suppose by their aura of permanence. Many species if allowed can live to a very great age, theoretically trees can carry on living...
CyberTracker the system
This article was originally published in The Bushcraft & Survival Skills Magazine in September 2019 as 'CyberTracker'. ....... The ‘Tracker’, it’s an evocative word conjuring a kaleidoscope of images of frontier life, indigenous tribes and man hunters. Stick the word Cyber in front of it however and the imagery becomes...
