The upcoming West country Scythe Festival and Green fair offers fantastic opportunities to learn to scythe, or to hone your scythe skills and knowledge. It is not too late to book yourself on to one of the scythe courses running on Friday and Saturday 10th and 11th June (see details below) with some of the Read more about The Green Scythe Fair is a learning experience[…]
International Peening Day at the start of this month aimed to highlight the importance of blade peening and scythe maintenance to get the best from your scythe. Some time ago, Michelle of Scythe Cymru put out a request for more experienced practitioners to offer a blade peening service; recognising that peening is a practical barrier Read more about Blade Peening Services[…]
(as published in Windrow 17 April 2022 – updated with photos) In part 1, I suggested that scythes are not handed tools, and as such referring to them as left and right handed was confusing and misleading. I proposed referring to the standard scythe set ups as anti-clockwise rather than right-handed scythes As so-called left-handed Read more about Anti-clockwise scythes – Part 2 : What then is the point of a clockwise scythe set up??[…]
(as published in Windrow 17 April 2022 – updated with photos) As a scythe instructor one of the most frequently asked questions I get asked is “I am left-handed, would I be better with a scythe configured differently to regular scythes?” This is making the [not unreasonable] assumption that scythes are a handed tool, and Read more about Anti-clockwise scythes – time to put the label “Left-handed” Scythe to bed? Part 1[…]
ON July 24th we had a blistering hot day at Blackhaugh farm for this years festival, over 200 people came along! By 9.30 most of the competition squares had been prepared, the signs were all in place, structures up and the chairs and straw bales were ready for play and use. Food vans were up Read more about The Scottish Scything Festival 2021[…]
This Hay Meadow festival was held on Saturday 24 July 2021 behind the Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre (run by the Charity GROW COOK LEARN) where there are 30 acres of meadows beside the Onny river. The meadow selected for the festival and scything competition was uneven, lumpy ground with dense, wiry vegetation including dock, lady’s Read more about Shropshire Hills Hay Meadow Festival Report[…]
A report by Jim McVittie. The Site Peter Blackwell farms at Bell Sykes farm near Slaidburn in the Forest of Bowland AONB and thanks to the efforts of himself, his father and his grandfather has some of the best wild-flower meadows in Lancashire. Peter had allocated the whole of a four acre field which gently Read more about Northern Scythe Competition 2021[…]
12th -13th June 2021 Thorney Lakes, Muchelney, Somerset.The aim of this gathering was to bring together SABI committee members, scythe event hosts and volunteers, scythe instructors and leading scythe competitors; to share their experiences and plan for future events. This workshop was restricted to 30 participants by covid necessity. Saturday started soon after sunrise with Read more about SABI Somerset Green Scythe Workshop Report[…]
Opportunities for scythe-folk around the country to meet up face to face are still somewhat limited by the pandemic. But please don’t despair, things are looking better for the summer! In anticipation of this we have organised two spring events that can still run and connect people remotely via the wonders of internet technology. International Read more about Opportunities to prepare for the coming mowing season and have your scythe questions answered![…]
This year’s SABI annual winter gathering was a most auspicious occasion as it marked 10 years since we first got together to organise ourselves into an association based around our (then comparatively new) shared passion for scythes. Our aim was to encourage others to join us and grow the movement. I am very pleased to Read more about Scythe Association: 10 years on – still here and still mowing![…]