Wilderness Folk School Team
Our team is comprised of seasoned professionals who are industry leaders, hand-picked for their skills and experience
Steven Hanton
Founder & Chief Instructor
Steven developed a life long interest in the outdoors at just 15 when he took his first week long bushcraft course. This sparked a passion for wilderness skills which he pursued by combining self study and overseas trips. He blew his first student loan payment on an 8 week solo trip to the Alaskan wilderness when he was just 17.......oops!
After a brief season at Ray Mears' company 'Woodlore' in 2006, Steven began a formal apprenticeship at 'Woodsmoke' under the expert guidance of Ben McNutt and Lisa Fenton, proudly receiving his instructor's knife in 2008. He has been teaching bushcraft and wilderness skills ever since.
As a passionate educator, Steven completed a degree in Outdoor Education at Edinburgh University and stresses the importance not only of what you teach, but how you teach. His enthusiasm for the subject and his delivery make for informative yet fun and engaging programs.
Steven is an experienced expedition leader and has guided trips to some of the worlds most remote environments. Equally at home in the frozen subarctic, steamy jungle or sweltering desert, he has been fortunate to work with and learn from some of the world's last hunter gatherers for whom wilderness skills are still a way of life.
A lifelong obsession with animal tracking has made him a leader in this field, helping to bring the coveted Cybertracker Evaluation system to the UK and successfully being the first certified Track & Sign Specialist in Europe in 2012. Always eager to share his tracking knowledge and experience with others on Tracking Courses and our Namibian Expedition.
Since 2014 Steven has worked on many popular TV survival shows as a bushcraft consultant and safety advisor, keeping crews safe and informed in some of the most challenging environments on the planet; Panama, Brazil, China, Fiji, Kenya, Namibia, Taiwan and Myanmar to name a few. For this work he holds the NEEBOSH General Certificate in health and safety, is a WEMSI (Wilderness Emergency Medical Technician) & FREC 4 qualified medic with years of expedition medical support experience. He is also a qualified Mountain Leader.
Steven is never more at home, however, than when exploring the wilds of his native Scotland with his wife and two boys in his handmade wood and canvas canoes......(another hobby that got out of control!)
Hannah Knight
Founder & Instructor
Hannah's background in ecology, wildlife conservation and community engagement means she brings a wealth of experience to the Folk School.
With a degree in Environmental Conservation, she has worked in ecological surveying, managed nature reserves, worked for several Wildlife Trusts and set up and managed nature-based community engagement projects for charities such as the RSPB. Hannah believes passionately in the importance of helping children develop confidence in the outdoors which led her to complete her Forest School Leader training in 2013.
A summer as an apprentice at Woodsmoke in 2014 sparked the beginning of Hannah's journey into the study of bushcraft and wilderness skills. These experiences have helped facilitate expeditions to the subartic & desert on some epic self supported expeditions. Hannah is great with people and her kind and patient nature makes her a great teacher on courses involving craftwork, basketry and plantlore.
Her knowledge and understanding of the natural world, in particular plants, is is combined with her other great passion, art. Hannah is a sought after professional artist working with pen, pyrography and paint to create beautiful, bespoke pieces. She also creates meaningful and truly unique hand-poke tattoos, often inspired by nature, through her company Ink and Ember Tattoo
A mother of two, Hannah is passionate about exploring the natural world with her children in any way she can; canoeing, foraging, cooking over fires and making woodland art!
Willow Lohr
Course leader - Faith In Nature, Wool Week
Willow Lohr has spent most of her life living in the remoter parts of the Scottish Highlands - the rugged conditions and dramatic landscape is where she feels most at home. After completing her degree and MPhil in Philosophy, Willow has become one of the UK's most accomplished instructors and craftswoman in many traditional skills.
Living on a small holding with rare breed sheep, hens and bees, Willow has always been intrigued to learn the skills which enable us to connect deeply to nature; spinning, tanning, leatherwork, felting, bone and wood carving, indigenous arts and plant crafts. In 2003 she embarked on a three-year apprenticeship in wilderness living skills and survival techniques under Juha Rankinen (Sweden). She went on to instruct bushcraft courses for Ray Mears, ‘Woodlore’. In 2009 Willow joined ‘Woodsmoke’ where she was given the opportunity to design, develop and lead courses which were virtually non-existent in the UK; Buckskin Tanning, Bone & Antler Carving and Mukluk Moccasin Making.
In 2017 she accepted the role as Head Instructor and Course Developer for LivingbyNature in the Netherlands where she started to design and instruct unique year-long courses (The Instructor Course, Winter Course and most significantly, Faith in Nature I and II). It is in the Faith in Nature Courses where she combines her life-long experience, insights, philosophy, spirituality, bushcraft, tracking and craft skills. All her experience is deeply connected to the earth but she also finds a firm footing in substantiating science. The combination of scientific thinking and experience from traditional origins means that Willow moves comfortably in Nature with her heart and soul.
Wilderness Folk School is delighted to have Willow - her vast wealth of knowledge and experience is such an asset in our aim to foster nature connection.
Associates
Mark Williams
We team up with Mark on our fantastic 'Fungi Foray & Camp Cookery Course'
Mark Williams of Galloway Wild Foods is a passionate mycophile, wild gastronomer and professional wild food educator, who has been teaching about wild mushroom identification and edibility for 30 years. Mark is a font of knowledge and enthusiasm on wild fungi, specialising in making this often daunting subject fun and accessible to novices, while providing solid foundations for a lifetime of discovery, enjoyment and worry-free wild eating. Mark writes widely on this subject and works closely with leading mycologists, landowner/conservation organisations such as The National Trust and Scottish Natural Heritage. Mark’s wild mushroom cookins are legendary! Mark is also a member of the Association of Foragers and the British Mycological Society.
Dan Gardoqui
Dan Gardoqui (aka "the bird whisperer") is a bird language expert from the USA who's been studying and sharing his passion for deep nature connection for over 30 years. In the early 1990's, Dan, along with his mentor, Jon Young, created the group bird language learning model that is used around the world today. Dan brings his passion and deep naturalist knowledge to all of his courses, workshops and guided adventures via his business, Lead with Nature. Dan served as science & audio editor for the bird language book "What the Robin Knows" and has been a keynote speaker and headliner for bird festivals and wildlife conferences. Dan is a certified bird guide, wildlife tracker and Registered Maine Guide. To hear some of his bird imitations, enjoy this award-winning video - "The Birder" or explore his "Learn a Bird" series on YouTube.
Dan leads our Bird Language Course with Steven which takes place at the fabulous Lassintullich Lodge near Loch Rannoch.
Howl Bushcraft
We team up with Howl Bushcraft on our unique 'Canoe Wilderness Scotland' & 'Coast to Coast' expeditions
From Howl...
''The aim of Howl Bushcraft is to provide the elementary skills needed to spend time outdoors without the clutter of modern gadgets and gear. We look to nature to provide what we need, and the skill of our hands to craft it. We practice a high level of respect for the natural world, and always instill our sessions with the leave no trace ethos''.
Lorna Singleton
Lorna trained in native woodland management and crafts during a 3 year apprenticeship, fell in love with split wood basketry and has been weaving ever since. She has specialised in making and teaching oak basketry since 2010 and hazel basketry since 2016, coppicing all the material for her baskets from local woodlands. She is one of the UK's last remaining 'Swillers' - check out her website
Lorna Says,
''I love baskets for what they tell us about people and their connection to land; what they’re made from in different regions, how the materials are harvested, what the baskets are used for, who makes them. I love travelling to research basketry styles and working out how to make them''
Lorna Singleton teaches on our