I took a trip up to Penrith yesterday to teach a scything beginner course for Cumbria Wildlife Trust. The group are managing a new site in the area and wanting to Scythe to manage their meadows and orchard. They picked up the skills really quickly and mowed some terrific swathes through thick grass.
I can travel to deliver a scything workshop for your group on your own site. Visit my Learn to Scythe page for details.
A wooden hay rake is a brilliant craft that incorporates a lot of skills and techniques in a deceptively simple product.
First we start by cleaving an ash log and shaving the heads on the shavehorse getting them as straight as possible.
Next we make the teeth, first splitting a log into billets then driving them through the time cutter. It’s trickier than it looks!
Then lots of drilling, 12 holes all straight and true. It’s great exercise in teamwork and very satisfying when they all finish up aligned.
The handle is shaved, sawn down so it can spread and be jointed into the head for the finished hay rake.
Thanks to The Land Trust for organising and facilitating the workshop and all the participants who were a pleasure to work with.
A meadow is home to all kinds of life and during the summer I see lots of voles, lizards, mice, toads and frogs. Scything is a much more wildlife friendly management tool. The lack of distraction from machinery noise and the gentle focus that scything brings means you’re more likely to spot creatures as you work and can move them or simply work around them.
Today I’ve been in Cheshire, scything a garden meadow for a client. The site is being managed as a wildflower meadow so I cut and remove the grass to reduce the fertility.
I’ve cut this area a few times now so I have a good idea of which direction the wind tends to blow the grass. My windows show the pattern.
Some of the plants, including mallow knapweed are still flowering so I mow around those.
I used a 65cm long ‘ditch’ blade, the same as I sell in my Complete beginners scythe kit. It’s the perfect choice for heavier grasses and uneven ground and makes quick work of the job.
Places on my Learn to Scythe course are still available, book now and start learning how to Scythe your own meadow.
Learning how to peen a scythe can feel like a daunting task. Reshaping the edge of the blade by hammering it into shape with a peening jig can feel very technical and difficult and there’s often a fear of damaging the blade.
I will be leading a Scythe Peening workshop on 19th Oct 2025 in Lancashire. During the day you’ll learn how to peen an Austrian scythe to improve how it’s effectiveness and efficiency. This workshop is for peening only, there’ll be an opportunity to scythe and get some feedback on your mowing technique but this isn’t a Learn to Scythe course. For more details please email stevetomlin8[at]gmail.com
Visit my Learn to Scythe page or sign up to my newsletter for updates on future events.
I’m often asked this question as the British summer doesn’t always guarantee long sunny days. The short answer is yes, the scythe has no problem with the rain and you can even work with it underwater if managing a pond or river. These students on my Learn to Scythe course in Lancashire did a fantastic job and were so engrossed in scything they forgot about the weather!
The weather may knock your grass over which will make mowing more tricky but otherwise rain is no reason not to scythe your wildflower meadow.
Visit my Learn to Scythe page for beginners scything workshops across the North of England.
I’m just back home after two days teaching a group how to scythe at Hebden Bridge for the High Hirst meadow project. During the workshop we looked at setting up the Austrian scythes, honing, peening and mowing technique for cutting the meadow on a slope.
This is my fourth year teaching scything courses here and it’s great to see the group growing. I deliver scythe workshops for volunteer groups across the UK so get on touch if it’s something that would work for your group. Email stevetomlin8[at]gmail.com
‘Hay Time at High Hirst’
Sunday 20th – Sunday 27th July 2025
Experienced and/or enthusiastic scythers are keenly invited to help a small, dedicated team of volunteers mow their c.2 acre meadow near Hebden Bridge this summer.
You are very welcome to join them for a day or more on the edge of the delightful West Yorkshire town of Hebden Bridge, and assist them in their efforts to restore this ancient hay meadow. They’ll be mowing and haymaking from 9am into the evening each day, weather permitting*, over the week.
If anyone is able to join them for more than one day, the ‘Friends of High Hirst Woodmeadow’ can offer help with overnight accommodation, possibly even in a local home – advance notice would be very much appreciated!
For further details, please contact SABI member Neil Diment, High Hirst Woodmeadow Project, e: neil@ndiment.co.uk or m: 07821 620680.
*N.B. If the weather forecast is poor, it would be advisable to call Neil – or check out the Hay Time post on the ‘High Hirst Woodmeadow Project’ Facebook page – before setting out for the day. We will post there if plans change due to the weather, and we decide NOT to go ahead for that day
The Austrian scythe is a perfect tool for working in urban areas and I’m very proud of how many projects in Manchester are now working this way. At the weekend I taught a Learn to Scythe workshop for some beginners in south Manchester. We were managing a rare wet meadow with some challenging, long grasses with is ideal for cutting with a scythe.
Please visit my Learn to Scythe page for details about my scything courses or contact me for information about training for your volunteer group stevetomlin8@gmail.com
It’s always a treat to be back at Silverdale Country Park training volunteers how to use an Austrian scythe. This year the weather was hot, hot, hot but the group did a fantastic job and I’m looking forward to working more with them during the coming months.
Visit my Learn to Scythe page for details of my courses.
