Original Outdoors - A Life More Wild

Original Outdoors - A Life More Wild We provide outdoor and wilderness skills training and professional outdoor coaching across the U.K.

ORIGINAL OUTDOORS is an established North Wales company, providing outdoor adventure training courses and activities for both novice and experienced clients. We use enthusiastic and professional outdoor instructors to provide you with an enjoyable and memorable learning experience. We offer a wide range of activities and course, many of which can be adapted to provide a bespoke event for you, your

friends or your company. It doesn't matter if you are a seasoned hillwalker or you are just taking your first steps into the outdoors, we are sure that we have a course or trip for you.

When we clear fallen trees from footpaths and tracks we leave some of the larger sections by the side of the track for l...
05/03/2024

When we clear fallen trees from footpaths and tracks we leave some of the larger sections by the side of the track for later extraction. We quickly learned not to leave shorter, firewood-sized sections near publicly accessible areas - they had a habit of growing legs and ending up in the logstacks of locals.

These sections will then get picked up later in the year - either to be cut down into firewood, split into sections for green woodworking or even used for temporary structures and fencing.

This particular woodland is riddled with , and while we can see some signs of natural resistance it is likely that we will be removing trees from the public areas for years to come.

How are you logstacks looking? Do you have a favourite wood for burning in the hearth or stove?

An afternoon of maintenance in one of the woodlands we manage. Clearing dangerous trees by footpaths and also clearing d...
17/01/2024

An afternoon of maintenance in one of the woodlands we manage. Clearing dangerous trees by footpaths and also clearing drainage gullies.

Land management might not sound like the sexiest of topics, but it is completely inseparable from the landscape of the British Isles. Farming and settlement, plus extraction of resources from the landscape over thousands and thousands of years have left their mark. If you want to understand these landscapes (and teach other people about them) then it's crucial that you have a practical understanding of the effects of that management.

Putting it bluntly - getting involved in some kind of land management will make you a better climber, MTBer, hiker, paddler, bushcrafter etc. There are opportunities out there, and it is sometimes easier than you think.

11/11/2023

Thoughts on Armistice Day from RP.

Tonight is a full moon and this particular full moon has a name - the Hunter's moon. It is the first full moon following...
28/10/2023

Tonight is a full moon and this particular full moon has a name - the Hunter's moon. It is the first full moon following the harvest moon (closest to the autumn equinox) and occurs in October/November every year. This moon appears larger and more orange than usual and is called a Hunter's moon as it signals a need to prepare for the cold winter ahead by going hunting, and filling up food stores.

Like pretty much all of the UK, we're currently experiencing some heavy, persistent rain as rolls through.Here in NE W...
20/10/2023

Like pretty much all of the UK, we're currently experiencing some heavy, persistent rain as rolls through.

Here in NE Wales we aren't being hit anywhere near as hard as our friends in Scotland - but we still need to be aware of local flooding risks and the rising river levels.

I tend to use the Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru / Natural Resources Wales flood warning, planning and river level pages, but if you are elsewhere you should look to your local authority or organisation that deals with managing flood risk, such as Environment Agency Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA)

It's important to not just be aware of what's happening around you, but also consider the onward effects from those events - will access to your side of the valley be severely restricted by those floods? Would damage to a bridge or road mean months of disrupted access? How prepared are you for extended periods without power, or other key services?
Awareness of previous events and the subsequent disruption will allow you to plan for next time.

https://naturalresources.wales/flooding/preparing-for-a-flood/
https://www.gov.uk/browse/environment-countryside/flooding-extreme-weather
https://www.sepa.org.uk/environment/water/flooding/

We spotted these golden waxcaps hidden in the long grass yesterday. It's amazing what you see when you start looking and...
20/10/2023

We spotted these golden waxcaps hidden in the long grass yesterday. It's amazing what you see when you start looking and tune in to notice the break in the usual pattern.

A shot from our last Foraging and Wild Foods course of 2023, with talking about Oxalis, oxalic acid and sorrel tart.We ...
15/10/2023

A shot from our last Foraging and Wild Foods course of 2023, with talking about Oxalis, oxalic acid and sorrel tart.

We run these courses from spring to autumn, and they remain one of our most popular public courses.

Although there are edible species still around in the woods, hedgerows and fields - we tend to finish our foraging course calendar in early October because the availability of species is less certain after that point.

We do however have a Mushroom ID course running in November

Berries are a big part of late summer foraging and Sloes are no exception, especially this year. Here in North Wales we ...
14/09/2023

Berries are a big part of late summer foraging and Sloes are no exception, especially this year. Here in North Wales we are starting the process of taking some of our local Sloes from bush to bottle ready for the winter ahead. If you are thinking of waiting for the first frost, you needn't, read our latest articles to find out more.

Link in bio

We are running a Fungi Identification Course at the end of November here in North Wales, not far from Ruthin. There are ...
04/09/2023

We are running a Fungi Identification Course at the end of November here in North Wales, not far from Ruthin.

There are around 15,000 species of fungi in the UK, so rather than simply showing you 20 which we may come across and talking just about them, we will be focusing on HOW to identify fungi.

We will take you for a wander in a forest and look closely at every fungi we come across. We'll analyse their features, learning the terminology and use guidebooks to key them out down to family, or even better...species level. The aim is to teach you the skills you need to do the same wherever you go (with a useful guidebook, of course). This course is ideal if you want to learn more about the colourful individuals you see whilst outdoors or would like to share some knowledge about fungi with other people.

To book your place visit our website - https://courses.originaloutdoors.co.uk/course/mushroom-identification-course/

As we leave May behind, we wanted to show a little appreciation for the humble Hawthorn. This year has produced a fantas...
01/06/2023

As we leave May behind, we wanted to show a little appreciation for the humble Hawthorn. This year has produced a fantastic display of hawthorn blossom across the UK. Lone trees and hedgerows alike have been bursting with more white flowers than usual, which could be an indication of a mast year to come for some of our native fruits. Here in North Wales we had a wetter spring than we have had for years, with a good balance of both rain and sun, encouraging some impressive growth in young trees and fantastic displays of leaves and flowers.

Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) in particular is the tree of May and shrouded in traditions and superstitions, it is the traditional source of garlands for May Queens, the ancestor of the maypole and also inspired the foliage which surrounds the face of green man carvings and pictures. Although it is now often referred to as 'scrub' and cursed by those whose clothes it snags, Hawthorn was once a highly revered tree and was celebrated in pre-christian ceremonies. The strong and slightly fishy scent of the flowers is caused by a chemical called triethylamine, which is present of both ends of the human life cycle, and has a part to play in this tree being linked to both life and death.

Hawthorn leaves, flowers and fruit are also edible and it's well worth seeking out the young leaves, flower buds and open blooms in order to dry and use as a herbal tea.

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Rhewl
LL151UL

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