Wild Meadow

Holiday cottage and Shepherd's hut in the Welsh Borders

Shepherd's Hut and Cottage, self catering accommodation in the Welsh Boarders, Mid Wales

 

 

Scything Courses 2024

Learn to Scythe for Beginners - £70

  • Sunday 12th of May 10am-3pm - full

  • Saturday 1st June 10am-3pm - full

  • Saturday 17th August 10am-3pm - 2 places have just become available

  • Sunday 15th September 10am-3pm - still places

    another September course may be released soon


    (please contact if you would prefer a one to one session)

    “The Wild Meadow scything course was excellent. I would thoroughly recommend it to a beginner. A good combination of teaching, practice and conversation. Andrea is a lovely, knowledgeable tutor and Wild Meadow provides all kinds of terrain and vegetation types to try your skills on.
    Glad I made the trip and I’ll probably return for the improvers course“
    Freddie August 2022


The beginners course covers:

  • How to set up the scythe for your body dimensions

  • Selecting the right blade for the job

  • Altering the angle of the blade

  • How to peen (cold forge) the blade

  • How to sharpen, care for and repair the blade

  • and of course - learning an efficient and comfortable mowing technique!

Austrian scythes will be supplied for you to use on the day. If you would prefer to use your own do bring it along. We also sell Austrian scythes and scythe equipment.

The scythe training will take place here at Wild Meadow where we have a variety of vegetation and conditions to practice on - from fine flat flowery meadow areas, to rough grass and bracken on a 45 degree slope!
We will practice scything around trees and in small areas such as the kitchen garden.

The day will also cover how to restore/establish and manage a wildflower meadow at lunchtime for those interested.
If you have a group that wants to scythe we can also travel to you.

Scythe Tuition for Improvers
We now offer this on a one to one or one to two basis. During the improvers scythe sessions we revisit the scything essentials and then fine tune your individual technique to make sure your mowing is effective and comfortable. We will also have a go at freehand peening.

four people walking with scythes

At the moment there is a scything revival in Britain. This wonderful tool is a great replacement for the mower or strimmer. 

It produces no noise, vibration or fumes & is a joy to use.  Scythes can cut tough plants such as brambles, bracken, nettles & saplings, through to fine grasses, lawns & wild meadows.

Andrea has been training people in the use of the scythe for over 16 years and is a teaching member of the Scything Association of Britain & Ireland.

"Fantastic day. I came able to hack and now I can elegantly mow"

“Best one day course I have been on - I learned so much and it was so enjoyable too”

"Andrea is a great tutor - experienced, knowledgeable and patient. Her attention to detail meant that everyone went home feeling confident to start scything. The experience her and Jonathan have on meadow restoration and managing land in general was a great addition to the day. No question was ever too much! Thank you for an enjoyable and worthwhile course”