Wool Week

A 7-Day Ancestral Wool Working Course

LOCATION

Call of the Wild

Near Aberfeldy

PLACES

12 Total

2025 DATES

November

2nd - 9th

PRICE

£895 inc. camping

Fully Catered

BOOK

HERE

“All in life hangs by a thread.

A thread, my dear, which you alone can spin and weave into the fabric of your life.”

Welcome to Wool Week. Discover and experience an indulgent, bespoke series of traditional workshops which have, at their core, the skills of working with wool.

Wool tells a long and old story, it has made an unbroken and quiet journey through the light and dark ages of time. A journey wherein knowledge of how to work wool has been passed on from generation to generation.

Each day, over the course of this unique 7-day course, you will be immersed in a range of skills which can be accomplished with wool. Every workshop will bring with it new learning and challenges as we unravel the depth and breadth of wool-craft.

We'll predominantly use Scottish wool and fleece from rare breed sheep, with its wonderful variety of shades & texture, curls & crimps. You will learn how to prepare raw wool and process it into multiple crafting possibilities.

Your hands and minds will be kept busy as you weave, twist, twine, dye, colour, felt, stitch, wash and comb.

What Makes This Wool-Craft
Course Special?

During the week, you will of course make beautiful things to take home, however these workshops are not just about the beautiful things you will craft, or the unfolding talents of your hands. We will follow wool in its yarn, in language and story, in layers of insight and connection. Wool will offer its wisdom as we discover the magic of lichen and plant colour, and blend our time by the fire working wool with foraging the woods for dye plants and other natural materials. The practical teachings are blended with lore and legend as we explore The Old Ways.

You will receive your own Scottish or rare breed ‘raw’ fleece to work with. In addition, there will be plenty of dyed, prepared wool available to be creative with so that you can experiment with as many varieties of wool and techniques as possible.

Who Is This Wool Course For?

This course is for anyone who wishes to learn traditional and ancestral skills, but also venture deeper into the tales, stories, legends and wisdom of working with wool. It aims to bring you closer to what it might have been like to live at a time where deep connection to the natural world was essential to life.

Expect your course-mates to be from a wide range of backgrounds and outdoor experience, who, under the expert guidance Willow Lohr with support from Wilderness Folk School, will ensure this is an informative, thought-provoking and fun course!

The Course is suitable for beginners as well as experienced woolworkers. Beginners will be gently encouraged, whilst experienced participants are enthusiastically pushed to further their skills.

What You Will Learn On This Course:

The different kinds of wool from Scottish rare breed sheep
How to prepare, clean, wash and dry your fleece
Carding, combing and preparing wool fibres
Making your own lichen fermentation dye pot
Dying wool with fermented lichens
Dying wool with wild plants
The difference between ‘wet’ and ‘dry’ felting.
Making a ‘Dream Bundle’.
Making yarn using a primitive drop spindle
Twisting and plying yarn
Felting a natural Viking cape.
Felting a hat or pair of boots with seams or sewing
Needle-felt your own forest animal sculpture
Miniature weaving in a shell or branch
Weaving a rug or sit mat on a Peg Loom.

Wool-Craft Course Details

LOCATION

Call of the Wild

Near Aberfeldy

PLACES

12 Total

2025 DATES

November

2nd - 9th

PRICE

£895 inc. camping Fully Catered

BOOK

HERE

The Call of the Wild is a little slice of wilderness carved into the Highland Perthshire Hills, where you stand amongst ancient giants, hear tranquility, and breathe in a land lost in time. The ancient granny pines and junipers that blanket the landscape are part of an estate that is actively encouraging nature recovery.

The Call of the wild estate is a dream of a wilder future, one that’s hand in hand with nature, living as sustainably and as self-sufficiently as possible, creating areas for growing chemical-free food and flowers, whilst working with the land to enhance biodiversity and protect and regenerate the incredible SSSI woodland.

Our ancient woodland site is secluded and has great camping spots - a place to immerse yourself in nature. The wood is full of wildlife and we are truly privileged to be able to run our courses from this special place.

Full joining instructions and arrival details will be sent out at the time of booking.

All camping and catering is included in the course fee, but camping is not always for everyone. At Call of the Wild, there are two shepherd's huts available for rent (each sleeps 4 - a fixed double with an additional fold out double) and space for 2 camper vans. We have been offered the shepherd's huts at a discounted rate and can be booked directly with Call of the Wild. Full details can be found here. Camper vans can also be booked directly with Call of the Wild at an additional cost of £25 per night. With either of these options we will still fully cater for you in camp.

This site is close to Aberfeldy, right off the A9, and so is very accessible. We offer a complimentary train pick up service from Birnam rail station for up to 4 clients per course on a first come-first serve basis. There is ample private parking on site for those travelling by car.

Please contact us if you are unsure about any of the items on the kit list

CLOTHING

Underwear/socks for the duration of the course
2/3 pairs of trousers - ideally robust yet quick drying.
2/3 base layers - t shirts or merino wool
Mid- range layer - light fleece or wool shirt
Warm layer - larger fleece/wool jumper
Waterproof and windproof jacket
Waterproof trousers
Warm hat and gloves
Scarf for colder months
1 pair sturdy waterproof boots
1 pair of camp shoes - old trainers are ideal.

OPTIONAL

Binoculars
camera
Books
Knife - no cutting tools are necessary as we will provide all tools

EQUIPMENT

Small day sack (35 litres or so)
Larger rucksack for all gear
Dry bags for waterproofing clothes for day walks
Tent or Tarp and Hammock
Sleeping pad/mat
Sleeping bag, 3 season or two lighter bags
Headtorch and spare batteries
Wash kit, towel and pond swimming kit (optional!)
Personal medication and small first aid kit
Sun block
Insect repellant - we like Smidge, it works well on our midges
Midge headnet (only in case of infrequent bad evenings) - best are also made by 'Smidge'.
Bowl, plate, mug, knife fork, spoon.
Water bottle
Notebook and pencil
10m of paracord

WOOL WEEK ADDITIONAL ESSENTIALS

Two old towels
A pair of scissors
Apron
Bucket
Clothes pegs
Glass dye pot

Travel and arrival - Detailed joining instructions will be sent out to you well in advance of the course commencing. This will include where to meet, parking arrangements and options for public transport. If coming by train, Dunkeld (Birnam) is the closest stations and we can offer a complimentary pick up/drop off service for up to 4 clients per course on a first come first serve basis. Please inform us on your booking form whether you require a pick up service. ** PLEASE DON'T book public transport or accommodation until 8 weeks before the course start date as this is when we will confirm that the course will go ahead and that we have enough participants (usually minimum of 6)**.
Accommodation - This course includes an on-site camping option. You will need to provide your own tent/tarp and hammock or other. We may be able to loan you a tent if you are stuck. Camping is wild but there plenty of excellent flat sites. All other facilities are provided including large group areas, a kitchen and a composting toilet.
- Camping is not always for everyone and at Call of the Wild, there are two shepherd's huts available for rent (each sleeps 4 - a fixed double with an additional fold out double) and space for 2 camper vans. We have been offered the shepherd's huts at a discounted rate and can be booked directly with Call of the Wild. Full details can be found here. Camper vans can also be booked directly with Call of the Wild at an additional cost of £25 per night. With either of these options we will still fully cater for you in camp.

Food and Drink - This course is fully catered from the arrival evening (light supper) until lunch the final day and we are experienced at providing excellent quality food to groups. We can cater for most common dietary requirements including vegetarians and pescatarians but we ask people with celiac disease or other dietary requirements to inform us upon booking so we can make sure that we can cater for you. We have an ample drinking water on site. Alcohol is prohibited on all courses except the cooking/food courses.
Weather/conditions. We feel very at home in the outdoors and we will set up a camp that will provide adequate food and shelter to keep you comfortable in all weather. We are in Scotland however and so weather can be changeable and unpredictable! Please make sure you bring suitable clothing as per the kit list and contact us if you are at all unsure about what to bring. Courses will not be cancelled due to bad weather.
Age requirements - 16 - 18 welcome if accompanied by an adult, otherwise 18+.
Fitness/ability - Our courses are not strenuous, but they all require a minimum level of fitness. Aside from some craft courses, most courses involve walks out from camp on woodland paths or over some uneven ground. As a guide, you should therefore be fit and able enough to cope with walks of up to about 3km over this terrain. There will be a short walk of around 500m from the parking site to base camp, we will however be able to drive your gear in for you so you don't have to carry it. Our courses are also hands-on experiences which are educational and we expect students to get involved and not view the course as a normal holiday or demonstration style event.
Payment - We take a deposit upon booking and the full balance is due 8 weeks before the course. If we cancel the course for any reason (unforeseen circumstances or not enough participants) then we will refund 100% back to you. See our full Terms and Conditions.
Insurance - We have comprehensive liability insurance and risk assessments, but we recommend that you have a basic level of insurance which covers yourself and your possessions for adventurous activity - no outdoor activity is free from all risk.
First Aid/Medical - Your course leader will be trained to First Response Emergency Care level 4 (Ambulance ECA) and will carry a comprehensive first aid kit with the group at all times. Please bring with you plenty of any required personal medication.
Toilets/showers - There is a composting toilet on site - its hygienic, pleasant, ecologically sensitive and private. There is also a shower room that we can use.

What happens if I'm late for a course? Please keep us informed on your journey if you are going to be late. We can drive out to meet you at the meeting point later in the evening and bring you into camp.

Where do I park and is it safe? We have a private parking site close to the base camp. Cars are safe and away from built up areas. Full joining instruction will be sent out well in advance of the course.

Do you allow dogs? I'm afraid not. In our experience dogs are very hard to manage around our kitchen and food so unfortunately we have a no dog policy.

Is there phone signal and charging available? Yes there is good signal. There will be an option to charge mobile devices every couple of days only.

Do most people come on their own? Yes they do, and enjoy the welcoming atmosphere and like-minded people. We also have many people that choose to come with a friend or family member who also wants to have an awesome time.

Do I need prior experience? Not at all. Some courses are aimed at a more advanced level but this is made clear in the course description. Most courses cater for all abilities including absolute beginners.

Are there any hazards or risks I should be aware of? There's no such thing as completely risk-free outdoor activities. Your course leader has 20 years of experience of bushcraft and running these types of courses so rest assured the risks have been carefully assessed and mitigated as best as is possible. You are in good hands and a full safety brief will be given for all activities. There are ticks present in the woods (like almost all UK woodlands which have a deer population) but you will receive a brief and the risks from Lyme disease are minimal.

Are there midges? Midges are present at our sites but the Aberfeldy area is blessed with a low midge population!! They can be a mild nuisance on still, muggy overcast days from mid-may to late august but are generally not bad and reserved for evenings and mornings.

Can you give advice on accommodation and the local area? Yes of course! We are fortunate to be based in Highland Perthshire, famed for its beauty, history and plethora of outdoor activities to enjoy. We are only happy to advice on other things to do while in the area.

What is your cancellation policy? Full terms and conditions are available here but basically;

You'll get a 100% refund if we cancel the course (almost never for weather, sometimes if there are not enough bookings but 8 weeks in advance of the course)
If you have to cancel then we will always try to refill the course place, and if we can we will refund you in full.
Full course fee is due 8 weeks before course
- If you cancel 4 - 8 weeks before the course you are liable for 50% of the course fee.
- If you cancel less than 4 weeks before the course then you are liable for 100% of the course fee
- This is due to the fact that courses involve a large amount of planning and expense in advance.
- Sometimes we can transfer you to another course if there is availability.