Sallerton Wood reviews

17 May 24'

Nigel reviewed: Chair making course at Sallerton Wood

"Great course. Andy was brilliant both as a tutor and host. I learnt loads of new skills. Andy made sure I made a chair that I can feel really proud of. I would thoroughly recommend the chair making course to anyone who has a bit of patience and wants to make a family heirloom. Looking forward to returning for the next project "

Sallerton Wood responded:

"Thank you very much indeed, Nigel, for posting your positive review. It's good to hear that you enjoyed the course, and thanks for your kind words about the tuition and hosting. We look forward to welcoming you back to Sallerton Wood for your next project. In the meantime, enjoy using the lovely chair that you made. "

14 May 24'

Ian Barker reviewed: Make a shave horse at Sallerton Wood

"The course location and facilities are excellent. Andy is a great teacher and his quiet proficiency enabled us all to produce a good standard of work at our first attempt. The course length enables you to master new skills without undue pressure and ask questions on all aspects of green woodworking. The catering was excellent and enjoyed by us all. Altogether a very enjoyable experience and delighted with my shavehorse and new found skills!"

Sallerton Wood responded:

"We are very pleased that you enjoyed the course, Ian, and many thanks for your positive review. We're glad to hear that you also enjoyed the location of the course, and the catering too. We hope that you have a lot of enjoyment from using your newly-made Shave Horse, and we hope to meet you again sometime in the future at Sallerton Wood."

10 May 24'

Maya reviewed: Introduction to green woodwork course at Sallerton Wood

"This was a fantastic day immersed in beautiful woodland surroundings and being taught great woodworking skills. Learnt a lot and got to try a good range of tools and techniques. Andy is a great teacher. I highly recommend this course."

Sallerton Wood responded:

"Thanks very much indeed, Maya, for your positive review. We are very pleased that you enjoyed the course, and are grateful for your recommendation. It would be good to see you again if you'd like to join us at Sallerton Wood for another course sometime in the future."

7 May 24'

Dan Rees reviewed: Make a shave horse at Sallerton Wood

"I had the privilege of attending the shave horse making course at the beginning of May and I had an amazing time. The course was well paced over two days, allowing us to have plenty of time to learn and practise new skills. I was not much of a woodworker to begin with, but feel much more confident in the skills and with the tools needed. Andy was such a great teacher (I had already done the introduction to green woodworking course previously) and the setting is magnificent. Don't worry about bringing a lunch either, Andy fed us well on both days!"

Sallerton Wood responded:

"Thanks, Dan, for taking the time and trouble to post your positive review. It's great that you enjoyed the course, and the woodland setting in which it took place. We hope that you get a lot of enjoyment from using the shave horse that you made, and we look forward to meeting you again if you decide to return to Sallerton Wood sometime in the future. Many thanks for your support."

5 May 24'

Patrick reviewed: Make a shave horse at Sallerton Wood

"Our little band of very keen Green Woodworkers arrived to a woodland paradise in the Devon countryside, Sallerton Wood. With a mixed background of skill levels, but all with high levels of enthusiasm. Inspired by Andy, our tutor, and Green Woodworking Guru, and after a welcoming cup of tea/coffee in the excellent covered field kitchen and dining area, we set off to select our components for our Shave Horse, and begin our 2 day course. The days flew by, as our work progressed, and thanks to Andy’s tuition and guidance, we soon mastered the necessary skills to complete our projects. Bow sawing as a pair, draw knife, shave horse, rounding plane, side axe, pole lathe and froe. He also managed to conjure up our very tasty and nutritious lunches, even finding time to produce dough from scratch, for Calzone, in his own hand built Wood Fired Cooking Range, based on the Rocket Stove principle. It was amazing! Local cheese and foraged wild garlic, served up with salads. As an award winning chef, I was very impressed! I thoroughly enjoyed the course, and cannot wait to start coppicing green wood from our own Little Wood in Lincolnshire, and utilising my own shave horse to produce my first project. Thank you Andy and his team 🙏🏾"

Sallerton Wood responded:

"Thank you very much indeed, Patrick, for your very comprehensive and enthusiastic review. We are delighted that you enjoyed and appreciated the course and its woodland setting. Thanks also for your very kind words about Andy's tuition and indeed his cooking skills! We look forward to hearing about how you get on with using your shave horse with greenwood from your own woodland in Lincolnshire. Do stay in touch and we look forward to meeting you again sometime in the future."

4 May 24'

MARÍA reviewed: Greenwood carving at Sallerton Wood

"It has been one of the most beautiful experiences of my life. Sleeping in the forest, enjoying the silence and waking up to the birds singing is totally refreshing. The environment is magical, the food excellent, Andy's friendly treatment is unforgettable. I loved the course, I learned a lot and met lovely people. Without a doubt, I recommend it to everyone."

Sallerton Wood responded:

"Thank you very much indeed, Maria, for that really inspiring review. We are delighted that you enjoyed the courses, and the woodland environment in which they took place. Thanks also for your kind words about the food, course tuition, and the people you met on the courses. We are glad that you liked sleeping in the woodland cabin too. It is wonderful that you travelled all the way from Spain to attend two of our courses at Sallerton Wood, and we hope that we can meet you again one day sometime in the future. In the meantime, enjoy the greenwood products that you made."

1 May 24'

Richard reviewed: Greenwood carving at Sallerton Wood

"The course was excellent, the location was idyllic, more than enough food and drink (loved the home-made chutney), even the weather was good. I really didn't want to leave. Andy was the perfect host and tutor. Knowledgeable, patient and encouraging, we all ended up leaving with something resembling what we set out to carve. More importantly was the desire to do it again. I think everyone on the course was inspired and thought this was the start of something rather than the end. Wish I'd done it sooner. Wish I lived there!"

Sallerton Wood responded:

"Many thanks, Richard, for your enthusiastic comments about your recent Greenwood Carving course at Sallerton Wood. We're very pleased that you enjoyed the course, and found the location idyllic. Glad to hear that you enjoyed the chutney too! We'd love to welcome you back to Sallerton Wood for another course, if you'd like to join us again sometime."

1 May 24'

Linda reviewed: Introduction to green woodwork course at Sallerton Wood

"I did the Introduction to Green Woodworking course and would highly recommend it to anyone interested in working with green wood, or if you just love wood like I do! I was gifted it and I am so glad 😊. Andy was the tutor and he is lovely, so patient and so interesting to listen to. And he provided a very nice lunch!! It was a fantastic day learning how to use all the different tools and then producing something pretty decent! And all this in beautiful surroundings. I'm now looking at doing another course there. Thank you Andy! "

Sallerton Wood responded:

"Thank you very much indeed, Linda, for that really positive review. We're delighted that you enjoyed the course, and are looking at joining us for another course. We look forward to welcoming you back to Sallerton Wood."

30 Apr 24'

Clara reviewed: Greenwood carving at Sallerton Wood

"I loved everything about this course! It is in the most beautiful setting; step out of the car into a meditation soundtrack of happy birds and babbling water; Andy was amazing; the food was lovely and hot drinks from the wood fired clay oven were perfect. I wish I had camped so I could’ve spent longer in the woods. I am so pleased to have done the course, don’t think twice if you’re uncertain. Only negative was getting stuck on the drive up to the car park, my little Polo didn’t have enough clearance so don’t arrive in a sports car!"

Sallerton Wood responded:

"Thanks very much indeed, Clara, for that thoughtfully-written and enthusiastic review. We're so pleased that you enjoyed the course, and your love of the environment at Sallerton Wood is clear! We do hope that you can join us there again sometime in the future, and, as you say, you must camp next time! Well done, and thanks for supporting us. We'll do a bit of work on the entrance track before you come again!"

29 Apr 24'

Andrew reviewed: Stool making course at Sallerton Wood

"This was my second course at Sallerton and Cathy's first. I completed a chair course a couple of years ago and have wanted to come back since then. This time I came with my partner for the 3-day stool making course. We both had a lovely time in the woods and are very pleased with the stools that we produced. For me it was an ideal opportunity to refresh my knowledge and for Cathy a wonderful introduction to green woodworking. Andy created a supportive atmosphere on the course and gently guided the two of us over the three days. The woods were beautiful with a variety of spring flowers including bluebells, wild garlic and marsh marigolds. The lunches were hearty and delicious."

Sallerton Wood responded:

"Thank you very much indeed, Andrew and Cathy, for your kind review of your recent Stool-making course. It’s great that you both enjoyed the course, and its woodland setting, and thanks for your kind words about the lunches too. Enjoy the lovely stools that you made, and we hope to see you back at Sallerton Wood again sometime in the future. We'd also like to thank you for the voluntary help that you gave us with woodland management work over the Easter period too - very much appreciated."

26 Apr 24'

Becky G reviewed: Introduction to green woodwork course at Sallerton Wood

"I was bought the intro to green wood working day as a gift, I would wholly recommend it to anyone looking for an alternative present for someone. It is a magical and relaxing setting, Andy is a patient teacher and I came away with a spatula I'm really proud of! I hope to be back for more soon. Thank you Andy for a fab day."

Sallerton Wood responded:

"Thank you very much indeed, Becky, for your kind review. We are really pleased that you enjoyed the course, and its relaxing woodland and streamside setting. We look forward to seeing you again sometime in the future if you return for another course."

13 Oct 23'

Jake Ross reviewed: Chair making course at Sallerton Wood

"I took the stool course with Andy Morton at Sallerton Wood a couple of years ago, and returned for chair making this autumn. The whole experience and result far exceeded my expectations - again! I found the basic skills I'd picked up last time stood me in good stead for the challenges of cleaving the ash, forming it with the draw-knife, and achieving a really comfortable, unique and functional finished item of furniture. It's difficult to express the satisfaction of working with the characteristics and flaws of each section to produce a working part. Andy gives you space to practice, learn and grow, but is always on hand to guide and resolve problems which crop up. I loved camping on site within the woods bedside the stream as much as the course itself. If you're looking for an active, creative, challenging break in a beautiful natural setting, look no further than Sallerton Wood."

Sallerton Wood responded:

"Thank you very much indeed, Jake, for that very positive review and recommendation. We're very pleased that you enjoyed the course so much, and the streamside camping too! It was great to see you back at Sallerton Wood for an additional course, and we'd be really pleased to see you again one day, for a new course, or just a visit. In the meantime, enjoy using your hand-crafted chair. "

5 Oct 23'

Steph reviewed: Introduction to green woodwork course at Sallerton Wood

"I have recently completed a day experience at Sallerton Wood with Andy. I had no experience at all. I had only ever sawn a piece of wood once and not in a straight line. It was a really good day. I found it relaxing and the teaching of the techniques was memorable. (I think I would know how to do it all again). I made a mallet, a spatula and tried my hand at wood turning (this I later made into candle sticks). It was a thoroughly enjoyable day. Even though it was raining we were all dry and we didn’t even notice the rain as we were so engrossed. Definitely recommend this to everyone. "

Sallerton Wood responded:

"Thank you very much indeed, Steph, for posting that very positive review. We're very pleased that you enjoyed the course, its tuition, and the pleasant conditions out of the elements in the workshop shelter. We look forward to seeing you again one day, if you return for a visit, or another course. In the meantime, enjoy using your mallet, spatula and candlesticks!"

28 Sep 23'

Derek reviewed: Make a shave horse at Sallerton Wood

"I had a great time at Sallerton Wood 🪵🪓. The course was very informative and made you realise what craftsmen our ancestors were. Beautiful setting, simple but delicious lunch and you came away with not only a sense of achievement but a' Shave Horse' of your very own. Thanks Andy. 👍👏"

Sallerton Wood responded:

"Thanks, Derek, for your very positive review. We're very glad to hear that you had a great time at Sallerton Wood, and found the course to be useful and informative. Glad, too, that you enjoyed the setting and catering. We hope to see you back at Sallerton Wood one day, and in the meantime, enjoy working with your hand-crafted shave horse. "

28 Sep 23'

Craig Barnes reviewed: Greenwood carving at Sallerton Wood

"Sallerton Wood is a fantastic, tranquil location, full of babbling brooks. I had lots of fun cooking on the rocket stoves. The green woodworking course provided me with some really useful insights and contributed to my confidence as a new green woodworker. I found Andy's sharpening tips and tool buying advise to be especially useful. Thank you for a great stay and a great course."

Sallerton Wood responded:

"Thank you very much indeed, Craig, for your kind review. We're very pleased to hear that you enjoyed the course and picked up some useful new skills. We hope that these can be applied to new opportunities in the future. We're also glad that your enjoyed the working environment at Sallerton Wood, and also the wood-fired cooking facilities. "

22 Sep 23'

Phil Hubbard reviewed: Make a shave horse at Sallerton Wood

"I would highly recommend this course, Andy Morton the Instructor has a very calm and forgiving approach to the tuition, all tools and equipment at hand, no real need for any previous practical knowledge ( although as ever a little skill may help progress ), demonstrations are given and help is available if you get stuck at any point or if some of the tasks are a bit too physical depending on your own limitations, The idea is you complete the project almost entirely by yourself giving a huge sense of achievement and take home a Shave horse which is an essential piece of equipment to carry out further work. The surroundings are idyllic and the lunch time sandwich making ingredients provided by Jane are very tasty with lots of homemade elements. Be careful you may want a Pole Lathe next! "

Sallerton Wood responded:

"Thanks very much, Phil, for your generous words about the course and its Instructor, Andy. Thanks also for your kind words about the provided lunches, and the woodland and stream settings for the course. We're delighted that you enjoyed the course, and we look forward to seeing you again at Sallerton Wood any time that you choose to return. In the meantime, enjoy using your new hand-crafted shave horse. "

21 Sep 23'

Sarah Madisson reviewed: Introduction to green woodwork course at Sallerton Wood

"What a wonderful day working with greenwood for the first time in the beautiful Sallerton Woods. Andy is passionate about the craft and patient with us students. Can't wait to come back and learn some more. "

Sallerton Wood responded:

"Thanks very much for your kind review, Sarah, and we're glad that you enjoyed the course. It's good to see that you intend to return to learn more, and we look forward to welcoming you back to Sallerton Wood."

18 Sep 23'

Toby Weston reviewed: Pole Lathe Turning at Sallerton Wood

"Went on this course with no turning experience. Andy was great at explaining and demonstrating with all the tools. He is very knowledgable about all things carpentry and forest management, and entertained all my questions about timber framing too! Will be recommending these courses without a doubt."

Sallerton Wood responded:

"Thanks very much, Toby, for your positive review. We're delighted that you enjoyed the course, and indeed your interactions with Andy, the course tutor, on a range of wood-related topics. We hope to see you back at Sallerton Wood sometime in the future for another course. "

16 Sep 23'

Nick Reynolds reviewed: Pole Lathe Turning at Sallerton Wood

"The course was all I'd expected, and more. The large shelters, all built by Andy from locally harvested materials, gradually revealed themselves as I followed the signs through his idyllic wood to join him and the others for introductions with proper tea and coffee from his home made wood fired kitchen range. He then demonstrated and expertly guided us at a relaxed pace through each stage of the process from log to finished article including cleaving, preparing the billet using froe, axe & draw-knife and setting up and operating the pole lathe. The turning tools were introduced in turn as I mutilated a practice billet, with Andy on hand to explain why the inevitable mistakes occurred and how (in theory at least) to avoid repetition - practice makes perfect! I was then able to progress onto turning items for a shave horse, making fewer mistakes and learning how to achieve a consistent diameter. There was also an excellent session on the sharpening and care of tools, which I have already applied to improve the keenness of some of my chisels. I can't think of anything that would have made the course more informative or enjoyable and aim to go back."

Sallerton Wood responded:

"Thank you very much indeed, Nick, for such a comprehensive review. It's clear that you really enjoyed the course, and took away a lot of useful skills with you. We're also very pleased that you appreciated the working environment at Sallerton Wood. We note that you aim to return for another visit to our woodland workshops, and we look forward to that. In the meantime, keep those tools sharp!"

15 Sep 23'

Graeme Gallimore reviewed: Greenwood carving at Sallerton Wood

"Great environment to spend a very enjoyable weekend of learning to do some green wood carving. Andy is a excellent tutor, and with his guidance I came away with a Koksa which I surprised myself I was capable of. Soooo peaceful and relaxing, good for the heart and soul."

Sallerton Wood responded:

"Thanks, Graeme, for that generous and positive review. Glad to hear that the peaceful woodland environment was good for your soul too! We look forward to seeing you again when you come back to Sallerton Wood for another course. "

15 Sep 23'

Ian reviewed: Greenwood carving at Sallerton Wood

"What a magical experience. Thank you Andy for an amazing couple of days in your beautiful and peaceful woodland. You have created a wonderful space to learn carving and making techniques with your expert and patient approach. And to come away with my kuksa is a bonus. I will be back. "

Sallerton Wood responded:

"Thanks very much for your kind review of the carving course, Ian. Glad to hear that you really appreciated the woodland environment too. Looking forward to seeing you again on a future course. "

14 Sep 23'

Dave Hargreaves reviewed: Pole Lathe Turning at Sallerton Wood

"Great location! And what a great course. The whole works from cutting a chunk off a still ivy clad log, cleaving it to avoid later gremlins, marking, shaving, to then getting it on a lathe, and under Andy's watchful eye, (and ear, he can hear the mistakes!) roughing out and learning how to turn it into something useful and pretty! The joy of wood. I never thought I'd be so absorbed for two days. We covered wood types, tool sharpening and maintenance, and had a fabulous lunch provided both days, and plenty of tea! Andy, you are a very good instructor. Thank you. I'm already working on the return visit. "

Sallerton Wood responded:

"Thanks very much, Dave, for submitting that enthusiastic and comprehensive review. We're delighted that you enjoyed the course, its location, and the lunches and tea. Your kind words about the tutoring are also appreciated. We look forward to seeing you again when you return for another course. "

14 Sep 23'

Rachel reviewed: Greenwood carving at Sallerton Wood

"Another fantastic weekend in the beautiful Sallerton woods under Andy’s patient, watchful eye. My husband and I can’t wait for the next one!"

Sallerton Wood responded:

"Thank you very much, Rachel, for your positive words. We were glad to see you return to Sallerton Wood to do another course, and glad that you and Richard enjoyed it. We look forward to seeing you both again in the future. "

20 Jul 23'

Isaac Day reviewed: Stool making course at Sallerton Wood

"Would recommend this course to anyone, Andy is extremely knowledgeable and a brilliant teacher. The lunches and coffee were amazing and I will 100% be returning in the future for another course."

Sallerton Wood responded:

"Thank you very much indeed, Isaac, for your kind review. We're really pleased that you enjoyed the course, and the lunches and coffee too! It's great that you will be joining us again for another course in the future, and we look forward to that."

18 Jul 23'

Bernard Olesqui reviewed: Stool making course at Sallerton Wood

"What a fantastic time I had doing the stool making course. Andy is so knowledgeable, patient and also an amazing cook, what great pizzas we had, again thank you for 3 great days and see you again. Bernard Olesqui"

Sallerton Wood responded:

"Thanks very much indeed for that good review, Bernard. We're delighted that you enjoyed the course so much, and the clay oven-baked pizzas too. We note that you intend to see us again, and we look forward to that. We have a chair-making courses coming up in September, with available places at present! In the meantime, enjoy using your hand-crafted stool."