Boys in the wood...









This Saturday, we spent the morning at the Cinema for Charlie's birthday party, and by the time we emerged the best of the weekend's weather had past.  We were in desperate need of fresh air and to work off all the pick & mix consumed. So we gathered up waterproofs, gloves and knives for an afternoon in the woods.

Our new favourite spot is the woods to the side of National Trust Tyntesfield estate. If you are in the carpark, looking down into the valley.  The house is to the left and the woods is to the right.

The weather was wild.  Squally. Strong gusts of wind made walking down the bridal path difficult.  Followed by lashing rain, driving hard into our faces.  We made camp on the edge of the woods, overlooking the field of brassicas.  We could see the weather front moving across the hills on the other side of the valley.  Here, sheltered by the woods we let the boys loose with their whittling knives.

Charlie has just been given by his Grandparents 'The Stick Book', perfect for all kids who love to have a stick in one hand whilst out in the wilds.  He was also given a pen knife from his school friend.  Quite sharp and pointy, but he managed well with some initial safety guidance.

Rufus used the Opinel knife.  The perfect whittling and outdoors tool.  Good for cutting and stripping bark, and buttering your bread too.  The rounded head meant Ru wasn't going to stab himself, but the blade was sharp enough to make whittling a breeze for him.

And there we sat, in the many showers and sunshine that followed.  The boys whittling sticks to a point, discarding and starting again.  Next time, I must remember to take my thermos! (school girl error!).

If you'd like to get your child into whittling there are some great places to buy their first knife:

Fforest General Stores
Hatchet + Bear

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