Work Parties

Come and join us for a week with Cross Cut (a cooperative of women who design & build ecological, sustainable structures) taking part in a 5-day hut build. You will learn learn the skills you need to construct a small, off-grid, timber-framed hut.

Monday 6 – Friday 10 June

We hope the week will, not only be a time to learn new skills in sustainable building, but a time to make new connections with others in a beautiful place. There will be time for exploring the woods and relaxing together over food in the evenings.

We have accommodation in the Pavilion and the Roundhouse for participants to stay in, or you can come on a daily basis if you live nearby – there are buses that stop at the end of the drive that start at Buchanan Street Bus station in Glasgow, and stop at Bishopbriggs, Kirkintilloch and Kilsyth.

So if you’re interested in hut design and off-grid buildings and are wondering how to build them – come along and learn with us!

More Information

We’re building an insulated wooden hut on the site of an old potting shed that will act as an artists studio, meeting place for our artists residencies, and a base for researchers working on the woodland birds. Cross Cut Coop will be supporting the build, and will instruct participants in the use of equipment, skills and principles of building an off-grid hut.

Over this four day course you will learn the skills you need to construct a small, timber-framed hut. You will be led through the processes involved in building a timber structure from flooring to roofing. You will learn to build using standardised material dimensions so as to save you time, money and work, therefore, this hut will be 2.4 x 3.6 metres in size.

The course will consist of an introduction to basic tools useful for building off-grid (including hand tools, drill, circular saw). Together we will build frames, install roof rafters, sheath the building and install timber cladding. The image gives an indication of the components we will create and the construction process we will go through. The course is ideal for those wanting to gain the skills needed to build their own huts or generally gain confidence with tools and up-skill. No prior building experience is required to participate.

Cross Cut is a cooperative of women who design & build ecological, sustainable structures from locally sourced timber, and regularly run workshops to pass on their passion and skills to others. They will be keeping us on the straight-and-narrow during the week. Cross Cut are running a Build School at Falkland in May and the hut they are building during that week will be reconstructed during this work-party saving time so that we can experience the whole process of building, insulating and cladding a hut in an accelerated timeframe.

All participants need to be over 18 years old.

Costs:

The cost will be £250 for the five days including all lunches.

Accommodation (Mon/Tues/Wed/Thurs/Fri) is provided in the Pavilion and the Roundhouse and will cost £150 per person sharing a room (if we can make this work with the numbers) and £250 if you have a room to yourself. If you are staying in our self-catering accommodation, just bring your own breakfasts, lunch is provided and we will coordinate about shared evening meals when we know who is coming (cost not included). Accommodation in the Roundhouse only is available Sunday 5th at a small additional cost.

About Upper Woodburn:

Upper Woodburn is a small native woodland at the foot of the Campsie Fells with three self-catering cottages. June is a wonderful time in the woods and gardens with incredible wildlife and the rhododendrons in full bloom (we are working on a plan of how to remove the rhododendron ponticum but, until then, they will look spectacular in June!). The dawn chorus will be at its height – if you can get up at 5am…. You can find more information about us here:

Optional Activities

We are just getting started at Upper Woodburn, having taken over this magical place in June 2021, so are experimenting with additional activities. With it being June and the height of the dawn chorus, Kat will run an optional extra activity of a dawn chorus walk if there is demand – for those that need help in identifying the species – and an evening badger stake-out.

If you are interested in either of these let us know when you book.

If you have any questions please get in touch with Kat kat@upperwoodburn.com

Cross Cut are a worker’s cooperative who combine the passing on of skills for sustainable building within their own construction work and projects and are established to be accessible, collaborative, affordable and sustainable in what they do. – Photo Cross Cut – www.crosscutcoop.com

Upper Woodburn is one of the key native and ancient woodland sites along the Campsies. While much of the neighbouring land was deforested for grazing and farmland, somehow Upper Woodburn survived. The site is categorised as upland oak woodland, which is a highly threatened habitat and we have a plan to improve the condition of the wood through removing rhododendron and through planting new trees, protected from browsing by deer.

Come and join us in our conservation efforts on our regular monthly workparties – all welcome. 10-1230pm with lunch provided afterwards.

FREE Please email kat at nager@hotmail.co.uk if you would like to join in

We also plan to hold week-long residentials where there will be three days of conservation and two days where you can rest up and enjoy the location. If you are interested in these please get in touch!

Upper Woodburn is one of the key native and ancient woodland sites along the Campsies. While much of the neighbouring land was deforested for grazing and farmland, somehow Upper Woodburn survived. The site is categorised as upland oak woodland, which is a highly threatened habitat and we have a plan to improve the condition of the wood through removing rhododendron and through planting new trees, protected from browsing by deer.

Come and join us in our conservation efforts on our regular monthly workparties – all welcome. 10-1230pm with lunch provided afterwards.

FREE Please email kat at nager@hotmail.co.uk if you would like to join in

We also plan to hold week-long residentials where there will be three days of conservation and two days where you can rest up and enjoy the location. If you are interested in these please get in touch!

Upper Woodburn is one of the key native and ancient woodland sites along the Campsies. While much of the neighbouring land was deforested for grazing and farmland, somehow Upper Woodburn survived. The site is categorised as upland oak woodland, which is a highly threatened habitat and we have a plan to improve the condition of the wood through removing rhododendron and through planting new trees, protected from browsing by deer.

Come and join us in our conservation efforts on our regular monthly workparties – all welcome. 10-1230pm with lunch provided afterwards.

FREE Please email kat at nager@hotmail.co.uk if you would like to join in

We also plan to hold week-long residentials where there will be three days of conservation and two days where you can rest up and enjoy the location. If you are interested in these please get in touch!

Upper Woodburn is one of the key native and ancient woodland sites along the Campsies. While much of the neighbouring land was deforested for grazing and farmland, somehow Upper Woodburn survived. The site is categorised as upland oak woodland, which is a highly threatened habitat and we have a plan to improve the condition of the wood through removing rhododendron and through planting new trees, protected from browsing by deer.

Come and join us in our conservation efforts on our regular monthly workparties – all welcome. 10-1230pm with lunch provided afterwards.

FREE Please email kat at nager@hotmail.co.uk if you would like to join in

We also plan to hold week-long residentials where there will be three days of conservation and two days where you can rest up and enjoy the location. If you are interested in these please get in touch!

This is one of a regular series of retreats for Activists and Artists. There will be no costs to those attending. More info to follow on how to apply here.

Upper Woodburn is one of the key native and ancient woodland sites along the Campsies. While much of the neighbouring land was deforested for grazing and farmland, somehow Upper Woodburn survived. The site is categorised as upland oak woodland, which is a highly threatened habitat and we have a plan to improve the condition of the wood through removing rhododendron and through planting new trees, protected from browsing by deer.

Come and join us in our conservation efforts on our regular monthly workparties – all welcome. 10-1230pm with lunch provided afterwards.

FREE Please email kat at nager@hotmail.co.uk if you would like to join in

We also plan to hold week-long residentials where there will be three days of conservation and two days where you can rest up and enjoy the location. If you are interested in these please get in touch!

We are delighted to be hosting an interdisciplinary residency organised by Dr Emily Doolittle, of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Emily is a Canadian composer and zoomusicologist. She will be brining together artists and scientists for an interdisciplinary retreat at Upper Woodburn in November. This retreat is for academics from the Royal Conservatoire and St Andrews University but will be a pilot for future artist residencies at Upper Woodburn.

Upper Woodburn is one of the key native and ancient woodland sites along the Campsies. While much of the neighbouring land was deforested for grazing and farmland, somehow Upper Woodburn survived. The site is categorised as upland oak woodland, which is a highly threatened habitat and we have a plan to improve the condition of the wood through removing rhododendron and through planting new trees, protected from browsing by deer.

Come and join us in our conservation efforts on our regular monthly workparties – all welcome. 10-1230pm with lunch provided afterwards.

FREE Please email kat at nager@hotmail.co.uk if you would like to join in

We also plan to hold week-long residentials where there will be three days of conservation and two days where you can rest up and enjoy the location. If you are interested in these please get in touch!

Upper Woodburn is one of the key native and ancient woodland sites along the Campsies. While much of the neighbouring land was deforested for grazing and farmland, somehow Upper Woodburn survived. The site is categorised as upland oak woodland, which is a highly threatened habitat and we have a plan to improve the condition of the wood through removing rhododendron and through planting new trees, protected from browsing by deer.

Come and join us in our conservation efforts on our regular monthly workparties – all welcome. 10-1230pm with lunch provided afterwards.

FREE Please email kat at nager@hotmail.co.uk if you would like to join in

We also plan to hold week-long residentials where there will be three days of conservation and two days where you can rest up and enjoy the location. If you are interested in these please get in touch!

Upper Woodburn is one of the key native and ancient woodland sites along the Campsies. While much of the neighbouring land was deforested for grazing and farmland, somehow Upper Woodburn survived. The site is categorised as upland oak woodland, which is a highly threatened habitat and we have a plan to improve the condition of the wood through removing rhododendron and through planting new trees, protected from browsing by deer.

Come and join us in our conservation efforts on our regular monthly workparties – all welcome. 10-1230pm with lunch provided afterwards.

FREE Please email kat at nager@hotmail.co.uk if you would like to join in

We also plan to hold week-long residentials where there will be three days of conservation and two days where you can rest up and enjoy the location. If you are interested in these please get in touch!

Upper Woodburn is one of the key native and ancient woodland sites along the Campsies. While much of the neighbouring land was deforested for grazing and farmland, somehow Upper Woodburn survived. The site is categorised as upland oak woodland, which is a highly threatened habitat and we have a plan to improve the condition of the wood through removing rhododendron and through planting new trees, protected from browsing by deer.

Come and join us in our conservation efforts on our regular monthly workparties – all welcome. 10-1230pm with lunch provided afterwards.

FREE Please email kat at nager@hotmail.co.uk if you would like to join in

We also plan to hold week-long residentials where there will be three days of conservation and two days where you can rest up and enjoy the location. If you are interested in these please get in touch!

Upper Woodburn is one of the key native and ancient woodland sites along the Campsies. While much of the neighbouring land was deforested for grazing and farmland, somehow Upper Woodburn survived. The site is categorised as upland oak woodland, which is a highly threatened habitat and we have a plan to improve the condition of the wood through removing rhododendron and through planting new trees, protected from browsing by deer.

Come and join us in our conservation efforts on our regular monthly workparties – all welcome. 10-1230pm with lunch provided afterwards.

FREE Please email kat at nager@hotmail.co.uk if you would like to join in

We also plan to hold week-long residentials where there will be three days of conservation and two days where you can rest up and enjoy the location. If you are interested in these please get in touch!

Upper Woodburn is one of the key native and ancient woodland sites along the Campsies. While much of the neighbouring land was deforested for grazing and farmland, somehow Upper Woodburn survived. The site is categorised as upland oak woodland, which is a highly threatened habitat and we have a plan to improve the condition of the wood through removing rhododendron and through planting new trees, protected from browsing by deer.

Come and join us in our conservation efforts on our regular monthly workparties – all welcome. 10-1230pm with lunch provided afterwards.

FREE Please email kat at nager@hotmail.co.uk if you would like to join in

We also plan to hold week-long residentials where there will be three days of conservation and two days where you can rest up and enjoy the location. If you are interested in these please get in touch!