Woodland day with charcoal-making
Learn how to make charcoal and practice woodland skills in our beautiful Loder Valley.
This full-day workshop in the heart of our woodland will provide you with the skills to understand timber selection and fire lighting, and all the knowledge you need to run your own kiln.
Your day will be led by experienced Loder Valley Ranger, Steven Robinson, who has 25 years of knowledge of crafting charcoal.
The day’s activities will be based around a 6ft ring kiln along with smaller oil drum kilns, where you'll get to see the whole process in action.
Included in your day
Activities:
- timber selection
- site location
- loading and firing the kiln
- shutting the kiln down
- preparing artist charcoal and placing in the kiln
- unloading, grading and bagging charcoal
- looking at our woodland archaeology, discovering old saw pits and charcoal-burning sites
Fire-lighting techniques:
- flint and steel
- feather sticks
- ferro road and striker
- sundance solar fire starter
We will also look at tinder material, fire preparation and charcloth making.
Know somebody who would love this workshop?
Gift them a place by making a booking and then emailing wakehurst@kew.org with your reference number to receive a gift certificate.
- Bring food to cook on the fire or barbeque.
- Dress for the weather as you will be outside all day – long sleeves, trousers and fully enclosed shoes.
- The day will be spent in the woods, based around a campfire for heating and cooking.
- Please note there are no toilet facilities in the woods.
Please note, the terrain you will encounter in this workshop is undulating and steep in places. It is not suitable for wheelchairs.
Please contact us directly if you may have difficulty with accessibility.