“Environmental awareness & eco living courses for adults.”

New Permaculture Course

More about permaculture and the course here

Bushcraft Weekends

Our Bushcraft course is a two-day and one night course based at Rippledown House in Ringwould, East Kent. Rippledown is a converted Victorian rectory and set in three acres of landscaped grounds providing comfortable group accommodation. The course will include camp fire management, wood carving and shelter building, to name a few of the many exciting activities.

Arrive Saturday morning for registration, tea, coffee and homemade biscuits. Then meet your Bushcraft experts who will look after you for the weekend. Before lunch you will learn all there is to know about camp fire management including various methods of fire-lighting and sourcing natural materials with which to start your camp fire.

Following a hearty homemade lunch the focus is on woodland hand tool safety and wood carving. All of the tools used will be provided. Your evening dinner will be homemade and will be followed by a campfire in the grounds of Rippledown.

On Sunday morning a home cooked breakfast will kick start the day before some shelter building and learning many new great knots.

Following lunch we head out to the grounds again for game preparation, camp fire cooking and wild food foraging.

The dates we are running the courses are
Saturday 15th & Sunday 16th May, 10.00am Sat to 5.00pm Sun
Saturday 30th & Sunday 31st October. 10.00am Sat to 5.00pm Sun

The cost is only £150.00 per person and includes all meals, activities and overnight accommodation
To book please contact the Rippledown Team on 01304 364854

Skills Training

We currently offer a range of courses on environmental and green skills. Taught by our own staff and by experts in the field. If something you are interested in is not listed, give us a call we are bound to know someone who can help!!

• Straw Bale Building Construction (basic and advanced)These practical one day training courses covers low impact foundations, ladder beams, baling, hazel reinforcement and window openings during the construction of a demonstration wall. Options for rendering will be covered.
• Lime rendering. This course is a one day hands on event to learn how to finish buildings in a low carbon/carbon neutral manner.It involves the application of traditional techniques in a modern way.
• Hedge planting and laying: learn about preparing, planting and maintaining a good native hedge.
• Woodland Gardening: new non-invasive techniques for growing fruit, veg and herbs
• Grow your own: fruit and vegetables gardening for beginners
• Composting for beginners: (half day) explore different ways to make good compost to give your garden that extra edge.
• Rammed earth building. This course teaches you how to build a wall using nothing more than the natural earth under your feet.
• Gardening for wildlife: Learn how to build your garden to create and optimise habitats for our native wildlife
• Rubbish gardening! Using recycled materials, learn to create borders, paths and garden structures.

Cost: Adult courses range from £60 – £150/day (discounts available for block bookings and for students, over 60’s and unwaged.)