Here is Martin on his first day of scything, easily cutting a terrific swath through the meadow. My teaching methods can help you learn to scythe easily and efficiently even if you are a complete beginner, visit my Learn to Scythe page for more details of courses
I’m loving how many projects in Manchester are getting interested in using scythes to manage their land. I was invited this week by Friends of Highfield Country Park to lead a couple of evening demonstrations and have-a-go sessions for local people in Levenshulme.
The community have been working recently on clearing brambles and planting to create a bee sanctuary and now are looking at managing some other areas to create wildflower meadows.
It was fantastic to see lots of people turning up to learn about scything, managment techniques for wildflower meadows and to have a go themselves. I’ve developed some special techniques where I can mow with someone so they get a feel of the movement and then gradually let go so they’re mowing on their own. It’s no substitute for a proper lesson but gets people excited and interested in the project.
Congratultions to Peter Backwell and Sarah Robinson, champions of this year’s Northern Scythe Festival mowing competition. The event took place in the beautiful meadows of Bell Sykes farm which Peter farms and is the donor meadow for many other meadows under a Forest of Bowland AONB project managed by Sarah so they are worthy champions on many levels.
Like many of the competitors, Peter and Sarah spent the morning peening their scythe blades ready for racing. Sarah is well used to working with the peening jig and I was happy to give her some help and instruction on freehand peening the edge of the blade to get an extra level of sharpness. I am teaching a peening workshop at Bell Sykes on 10th Oct 2021 if you’d like to come and learn these skills yourself – email me for details.
Racing really isn’t my thing as I always get too nervous so I was pretty disappointed by my own efforts but it’s always exciting to watch and I managed to redeem myself a little by being part of the winning group in the team competition.
Mainly though, it was a chance to meet up with friends and enjoy being out in the beautiful meadow, working together and talking about our passion for scythes and meadows.
I spent National Meadow Day 2021 in south Cumbria teaching a group some peening and scything improvers skills during a course organised by Arnside & Silverdale AONB and Plantlife. Several of the group had previously attended my Learn to Scythe course so it was great to see them again and know that they’re still enjoying working with the scythe.
We focussed the morning of peening the scythe blade to refine the edge for optimum sharpness. Recently I’ve been showing my students how, rather than a simple maintenance operation, peening is used to improve the cutting of their scythe for even easier cutting.
If you’d like to learn to peen your scythe for super sharpness, I am leading a peening workshop at Slaidburn in Lancashire on 8th Oct 2021 – please email me for details.
After lots of hammering and sharpening of the edge, we went out into the meadow and cut a huge amount of grass. Cumbria Wildlife Trust and Lesley, the meadow owner, are hoping to form a scything group to assist each other with work in the future – if you’re interested, you can contact Helen Rawlinson
What could be nicer than spending a day in the woods, making something and chatting with lovely people in between breaks for coffee and homemade food? My most recent spoon carving workshop was hosted by Kith Homestead, just outside Harrogate who have a beautiful setting and are wizards with a dutch oven!
We started the day with a fresh silver birch log and, using axes and knives the group turned it into a fabulous set of cooking spoons while learning the safe and effective skills to carve and create.
A wonderful setting with wonderful conversation, people and spoons. If you’d like to join me and learn to carve your own unique wooden spoon, visit my courses page or sign up to my newsletter for future dates.
Martin contacted me wanting to learn to scythe at his site in Cumbria where he has started to grow wildflower meadow plants in a nursery at his home. Meaburn Wildflowers is based up in Dufton where Martin has a beautiful nursery setup along with several acres of meadow in the family.
We spent a brilliant day together while Martin learned to mow, honing and peening the scythe blade for super sharpness and easy cutting. This will allow him to not only manage his own meadows but also advise his wild flower customers about the benefits and use of the scythe for managing meadows.
I’ve been in Leeds teaching the team of gardeners at York Gate Garden how to scythe in their wildflower meadow.
I’d never heard of the garden but it’s a beautiful, hidden gem in the north of Leeds and absolutely immaculate which is testiment to the passion and expertise of the gardeners and volunteers. Like the formal garden, the wildflower meadow was looking fantastic with a healthy crop of yellow rattle well-established and the first orchids showing their heads.
I was there for two full days of training meaning we had plenty of time to look at sharpening and mowing as well as for the team to peen their own blades which they were keen to do once I’d demonstrated how much better they would cut afterwards.
Brilliant days working with terrific guys who really worked hard and developed their skills so they were all mowing and peening well. I look forward to seeing how the meadow develops under their care, it’s sure to be stunning in the future.
Due to demand, I have added an additional Learn to Scythe course date for 12th August 2021. Based at Broadrake bunkhouse in the Yorkshire Dales with views of Ingleborough and the Ribblehead Viaduct, come and learn to use a scythe for managing your wildflower meadow or orchard as well as many other circumstances.
To book your place, please email stevetomlin8@gmail.com
A fantastic afternoon yesterday in Wensleydale, Yorkshire teaching some spoon carving skills to a lovely group of people. The event was organised by Emma’s Dale who wanted just a short course for a group to follow a morning of mindfulness. So I axed out a set of cooking spoon blanks and we spent a few hours together looking at different techniques using the Mora carving and hook knife to finish them off. A beautiful location, great carving, delicious cake and lots of laughter – a perfect way to spend time together.
Here’s a fantastic short film about the Belbroughton scythe works which made scythes for the Nash company. I visited the village in 2012 and sadly there is little left of the works but lots of evidence of its importance in the form of street names, the local pub and decorative ironwork around the village.
https://player.bfi.org.uk/free/film/watch-belbroughton-forge-1965-online
