Course Overview.

Join us for an immersive course that invites you to deepen your understanding of the natural world by learning to trail various species and interpret the signs they leave behind. This experience will take you on a journey through the intricate relationships between humans, animals, and the landscapes we share. You will develop the skills to follow animal tracks and read the clues they offer, revealing the hidden geographies of other species as they navigate their environments.

Throughout the course, you will explore the different forms of communication that exist among species. By learning to interpret vocalizations, scent markings, and behavioural patterns, you’ll gain insight into the rich web of interaction that defines multispecies communities. This deeper understanding of how animals communicate and move through the landscape will enhance your ability to read the world around you and see it through the eyes of its non-human inhabitants.

As we live together in the woodland, you will experience what it’s like to be part of a multispecies community, learning to coexist harmoniously with the plants and animals that share our environment. This experience will encourage you to reflect on the role of place in shaping identity and personhood, exploring how our sense of self is formed in relation to the land and its inhabitants.

By the end of the course, you’ll have developed a profound understanding of the natural world’s complex, interconnected relationships. You will leave with practical tracking skills, a deeper appreciation for the multispecies geographies that surround us, and a renewed sense of your own place within these ecosystems. This course offers more than just skills—it provides a path to a deeper connection with nature and a richer understanding of your relationship with the living world.

You will learn how to:

Recognise different kinds of sign, tracking and trail different native species.

Understanding of how animals experience and interpret the Land.

Know how animal and plant communities respond to one another.

We will cover;

Animal Tracking: Learn to track various species by identifying tracks, signs, and patterns left in the environment. Gain insights into how animals move and interact within shared geographies.
Biosemiotics: Engage in activities that involve recognising and interpreting signs in nature and understanding how different species perceive and communicate meaning through sounds, gestures, and environmental markers.
Mapping Animal Geographies: Explore the landscape through the lens of different species, creating layered maps that showcase how animals, plants, and humans shape and share the same spaces.
Trailing Communities: Participate in guided walks focused on interpreting the signs left by various species, from animal tracks to plant growth patterns, to understand the stories of the landscape.
Multispecies Dwelling: Experience living “with” the land by setting up temporary shelters and observing how humans can coexist in harmony with the animals, plants, and other beings in the area.
Place-Making Activities: Explore how places are created through multispecies interactions by engaging in activities such as foraging, building natural structures, and mapping animal territories.
Reflective Journaling on Place and Self: Engage in personal journaling activities focused on how the land influences your sense of self and how human identity is shaped by the places we inhabit.

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Private Course Option

Details

Instructor: Paul Moseley

Places: Small group size with a maximum of 8 guests to ensure we create a subtle atmosphere in the woods, and you get a very high interact time with the instructor.

Duration: 4.00 pm Friday to 4.00 pm Sunday

Accommodation: This course is run from a woodland camp, where you will set up your tarp or tent and share a communal campfire and other facilities.

Location: Run in a beautiful private woodland area in Staffordshire. You will be sent the exact directions with the booking pack.

Kit: A complete list is provided on booking, but you will need only warm clothing, a sleeping bag, and other basics.

Other Information

This course is fully catered, and all meals are prepared as a community. Please inform us of any dietary requirements.
Under 18's must be accompanied by a participating adult
Please note the terms and conditions before you book