We offer guided walks and workshops led by our medical herbalist, Max Drake. Walks are usually with groups of between 8 and 30 people of any age, and usually take 1 - 3 hours. During workshops we show you how to make many different herbal preparations, and talk about modern and traditional usage of herbs as medicines. The content of the workshop is geared towards enabling you to start using herbs straight away, and to point you in the right direction for developing your skills and increasing your knowledge.

 

We like to work with community groups and associations, to share facilities and publicise our events. We provide a mobile apothecary, with various bits of specialist equipment and ingredients for making things, and usually hire or borrow a place to conduct the workshops.

During the summer of 2006 we ran several walks and workshops for people in the Hartcliff and Withywood areas of Bristol. Four walks took place on Sundays, with six weeks between each walk. By spacing the walks out like this - one in each of May, June, July and September, we were able to observe the changing natural habitat through the season, and it gave us time to reflect on what we were seeing and learning.

The walks were in the morning and lasted 2 or more hours. We then had lunch at the CSV Environment HQ in Bishopsworth, which was followed each time with a two hour workshop. During the workshops we did the following:

May: We made some hawthorn tincture using freshly picked hawthorn flowers, and we talked about traditional uses for many of the plants we had seen growing in the morning. These included white deadnettle, plantain, nettles, and dandelion. The workshop served as an introduction to herbal medicine and outlined the principles of responsible herb craft.

June: We made some plantain ointment, using juiced ribwort plantain and beeswax. We also made some calendula and plantain cream, using an infused oil of marigolds, plantain juice, beeswax, cocoa butter and a natural emulsifier. This was quite messy but a lot of fun. We also made some meadowsweet tincture, and discussed some of the plants we found, including meadowsweet, cleavers, gelder rose and red clover.

July: We made some more creams and lotions, by popular demand, and made some St. John’s wort tincture. Herbs we discussed included yarrow, angelica, St John’s wort, wood betony, and linden flowers.

September: We made some elderberry syrup and pressed out the St John’s wort and meadowsweet tinctures that had been mascerating over the summer. We talked about the properties of elderberries, hawthorn berries, and rosehips, and about how autumn is the best time for digging up roots such as elecampane, comfrey, and burdock.

In September 2007 we had a walk on Cock Road Ridge in the Longwell Green area of Bristol. This was partly organised by the Friends of Cock Road Ridge and by the artist, Deborah Aguirre Jones, who had been commissioned by South Glos. Council to create some positive vibes around the area.

We found and talked about the following herbs:

plantain, nettles, hawthorn berries, yarrow, red clover, horseradish, willowherb, silverweed, common mallow, elder, agrimony and mugwort.

 

For further information about this place visit

http://www.cock-road-ridge.org.uk

At Cock Road Ridge

Pic by Deborah Aguirre Jones

The Malago Spring, Dundry Slopes