Rural Skills demonstrations

We have a brilliant array of craftspeople who will be demonstrating their skills in strawcraft, willow working, tanning, stick and crook making, apple pressing, bread making and more.

The Bumbling Basketeer

I am The Bumbling Basketeer but also go by the name of Simon. I make oak and hazel baskets in my workshop in rural Perthshire. I started my craft journey only a few years ago wanting to learn how to make oak swill baskets, also known as ‘tattie’ baskets here in Scotland.

After a year of learning I am now harvesting and processing oak and hazel in Scotland to produce my baskets. The first time swills have been made in Scotland for over a 100 years.

The endangered oak swill is on the red list of endangered crafts published by heritage craft.

I will be demonstrating how to make these wonderful baskets. I will have come with a bool already steamed and bent to shape. I will bring along my shave horse and will dress the oak to make the taws (ribs) and spelks (weavers) ready to use. I will then start to weave the basket. Starting with the lapping Spelk and knot taw. Let’s see how far I can get! Come along if you want to know more.

Deeside Willow

Deeside Willow are a growing family business working out of their smallholding on the edge of the Cairngorm National Park. They fell in love with growing willow over a decade ago after experimenting with a small number of varieties and quickly discovering the amazing versatility of willow, and the positive effects it’s cultivation and use can have on both people and planet.

Growing over 60 varieties of willow, Deeside Willow’s purpose is to support others to be ‘growers’ and ‘makers’ through offerings of living willow, craft willow, willow foliage and catkins for floristry. When not busy in the willow patch, they can be found teaching at community events or in their workshop making crafts for commissions or upcoming local producers’ markets.

Dry Stone Walling Association

South East Scotland Branch of the Dry Stone Walling Association will be in attendance, with information about this traditional skill.

The aim of the branch is to promote a greater understanding and knowledge of the traditional craft of dry stone dyking, thus keeping alive a skill which is useful, environmentally friendly and aesthetically pleasing, helping to protect and enhance the area in which we live and work. Membership is open to people of all ages and abilities with an interest in dry stone walling, from hobbyists to professional dykers.

Edinburgh and Midlothian Beekeepers

We are a not for profit organisation. We have a society apiary managed by volunteers. During the winter months we have regular meetings which aim to educate and provide a great opportunity to socialise. During spring summer and autumn, volunteers at the apiary manage the bees and stay on top of the variety of tasks required at different stages of the season, including harvesting the honey.

We are always on the lookout for matching people with land willing to allow bee hives to be located there and have a web page to facilitate this.

Scottish Handcraft Circle

The Scottish Handcraft Circle is a group of amateur crafting ladies who, through their activities, aim to encourage their membership to create useful and beautiful articles of good design and high standard.

Membership is open to all interested in craftsmanship at whatever capability. Presently groups are meeting in Glasgow, St Andrews, East Lothian and Kinross. Each group organises its own programme of classes, outings, day workshops, and courses, but it is the tradition that members be willing to pass on their knowledge and skills to others.

There is a biennial exhibition of all work of Circle and also this year we are exhibiting at the Scottish Smallholder Festival, where members are delighted to explain and demonstrate any technique requested.

The circle was started in 1945 and in 1950 at the first conference and exhibition of old and new work was held in Edinburgh where all present were invitied to join. The membership fee was 1/- (one shilling for those who recollect old money) per year. It is a little more now but still a very reasonable investment.

Each year there is a residential weekend, and presently the Police College Tulliallan by Kincardine on Forth is the preferred location. Great fun, camaraderie and learning new skills together.

Just ask any of the ladies on the stand for contact details of your nearest group, and we shall be delighted to welcome you.

Something Corny

This year I am celebrating 40 years of straw working. I am from Inverurie in the heart of Aberdeenshire and have always been a country quine! As well as 40 years of plaiting straw, selling my work, demonstrating and giving talks I have had great pleasure in teaching others this traditional craft.

Over the years I have had some great commissions from fashion houses as well as television, theatre and film work. I have written two straw working books and am working on more. I have had the privilege to travel through my work and have taught in Europe and the US as well as all over UK.

Walker & Wade Hedge Laying Specialists

Walker & Wade are a long-established professional partnership with decades of experience in professional hedge laying and coppicing. We provide services across Scotland and Northumberland for large country estates, farms, small-holdings, householders, community groups, schools and charities.

We provide consultancy advice, surveys, and contract field-work to a broad range of clients, and also run a programme of tuition courses during the hedge-laying season (September to March inclusive).

If you wish to encourage wildlife habitat, optimal ecological diversity, prime hedge health, hedge longevity, and improve ecosystem services by managing your hedges properly, then we can assist you in your goals. In addition to these ecological benefits, a well-laid and maintained hedge can function in it’s traditional role as a stockproof ‘living fence – allowing a long-term cost saving for the landowner by dispensing with the need for repeated replacement of costly post and wire fences.

If you are interested in preserving Britain’s single largest nature habitat – our hedgerows – and encouraging their best management for future benefits then come and talk to us on our stand where we will have plenty of information and advice for you.

Woodland Tannery

The Woodland Tannery is a small, family run Traditional Tannery. One of Scotland’s last Tanneries to produce traditional rawhide and oak bark tanned sheepskins. The processes that we use are based on Scotland’s rich history of leather tanning and forestry.

Our highly sustainable enterprise relies on the use of natural materials such as oak and willow bark sourced locally from rural Estates. Our Tannery, unlike many others uses only natural materials and traditional methods.

Our leather is produced from hides and skins, utilising fish skins from Scotland’s finest smoke salmon suppliers, sheepskins from small crofts and deer hides from Estates, Farms and Scotland’s wild landscape.

We produce bespoke orders for leatherworkers, crafters, shooting Estates, distilleries, museums, drum makers and small holders.

We will be demonstrating a few methods of how to tan skins in the traditional manner as well as being on hand to answer any tanning related questions such as correct salting methods and how small holders can send their animal skins to be tanned.

On our stall we will be displaying the type of sheepskins and leathers we can produce for small holders and farmers.

West Clock Sticks and Art

We will be promoting and demonstrating the craft of stickdressing and its history using a variety of equipment and hands on display items.

We will be demonstrating all manners of the craft from the process of making a horn shepherds crook to the straightening of the shank (stick part).