Category Archives: scythe festivals & events

Koseni 2011 Czech Republic – pictures

The pictures from this years mowing fortnight in the Czech Republic are now online here. Great memories for me of the week that Christiane and I spent there, mowing and making hay with the other volunteers in a special conservation … Continue reading

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Transylvania Mowing Competition 2011

While the rest of the sports media was focussed on the World Athletics Championships in Daegu, South Korea I was making my own debut representing my country on the international sports stage. This was the first Scythe Mowing Competition in … Continue reading

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Romanian front page news

Christiane and I are just back from a wonderful week at the Transylvania Haymaking Festival.  As well as meeting and working with a great bunch of people from around Europe, we took part in a mowing competition. Christiane and her … Continue reading

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Haymaking festival excitement

I’ve just received the programme for a Haymaking Festival that Christiane and I are travelling to in the Transylvania region of Romania. A couple of friends have been to the country before and say it is a truly special place, … Continue reading

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Snath Making for Anna Karenina

The first days of filming for the mowing in Anna Karenina took place this week. Thirty mowers and haymakers from around the country were brought together with their scythes to create the scenes where Levin joins a large team of … Continue reading

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31st Kosení in Czech Republic

The environmental charity Kosenka, based in Valašské Klobouky, has been working to preserve the forests and meadows of the White Carpathian mountain region since 1981. Headed by the charasmatic Mirek Janik, their work includes running educational programmes, an ecological advisory service … Continue reading

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"Thus it was when Grandfather harvested"

Before Steve returns with news of adventures in the Czech Republic, here’s some from Denmark. Knowing our interest in scything, our hosts in northern Denmark pointed out an old photograph (below) in the local paper promoting a haymaking day using old methods, tools and machinery. Undeterred … Continue reading

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Dawn mowing at Brantwood

Sally Beamish, Estate Manager at Brantwood, the former home of John Ruskin and perhaps the most idyllic house in the Lake District,  invited the north-west scything group to a dawn mow of a lakeside haymeadow which is at present cut … Continue reading

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Sharpometer

One of the keys to efficient, easy mowing is a sharp blade acheived through peening and sharpening with whetstones. But how sharp is sharp? This year for the Somerset Scythe Festival there was talk of having a peening competition which, … Continue reading

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Mowing in the Czech Republic

I’m heading off this week on holiday – to go mowing! Christiane and I are driving to Valašské Klobouky in South Moravia, close to the Slovakian border to take part in a volunteer project run by Kosenka, mowing and making … Continue reading

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