Scott Cairns

Wow, what a course. Phil is an excellent and very knowable teacher. And to say he is passionate about the subject would be an understatement. This course really pushed me to my limits. To say I was out of my depth would be putting it mildly. But with Phils patient guidance I managed to go from ruining all the bows I started to being confident enough to produce a number of different bow designs successfully. I would definitely recommend this course to someone interested in archery, military history or just outdoor skills in general.

Nick Chapman

he traditional bow making Level 4 course is amazing. I have learnt so much this year on my bow making journey trying to soak up as much information as possible from Phil’s vast knowledge. As a group we have made some awesome bows during the course, we may have made some mistakes too but these were all chances to learn extra skills while following Phil’s expert tuition to fix or mend our bows. If you have an interest in bow making and want to learn lots of new skills then I definitely recommend this course. Thank you Phil.

Joe Garnett

The Level 4 Traditional bow making course is a fantastic insight into the world of the bowyer. Phil is excellent at passing on his depth and breadth of knowledge to help you produce a range of bows, to a quality you never thought you could. The hands on nature along with the emphasis on self experimentation gives you the confidence to practice what’s been taught in-between sessions. In short, this course gives you all the opportunity you need to be able to produce bows that can be enjoyed for many years to come. Thank you Phil!

Stuart Barret

Having made a longbow on the Bushcraft Leadership course a few years ago I thought I would be well prepared for the Traditional Bow Making Level 4. However, be under no illusion this course was time consuming and hard work. At times I was frustrated, but the adage of ‘remove wood where the bow isn’t bending and leave it where it is’ eventually makes sense. Ultimately, the satisfaction of independently making bows from start to finish, bending to full compass is extremely gratifying.

I can’t imagine any other provider doing a better job than Phil Brooke. His knowledge, craftsmanship and personal interest in the subject is exceptional, this said, he won’t be making the bows for you! Please don’t start this as a certificated course if you don’t think you’ll have enough time to work on it independently at home.

Warren Frost

This is a fantastic course for anyone who wants to delve deeper into bow making than just the experience of making a single bow. From felling your own timber and splitting out multiple staves across several species, you’ll learn how to craft both functioning and beautiful bows. You will get a deeper understanding of the properties of wood and experiment (sometimes to the point of failure) how efficient a bow can be. Mastering not only the carpentry but also the skill of tillering along with fit and finish, by the end of the course you will have the skillsets to carry on making bows with a much deeper understanding of how to make them shoot well and last. This was a challenging course, which a level 4 should be, but very rewarding. Covering multiple styles of bow construction across varied woods I feel that I’ve not only got a new skill but am better connected to my ancestors and can appreciate just how knowledgeable and skilled they were.