Dartmoor is a wild landscape, bursting with life and vitality, its beauty unspoiled and waters unpolluted. In Autumn especially, the hills and woodlands are a riot of colour and abundant with produce. In nature’s terms, it is the season of fecundity but also one of withdrawal, as resources need to be conserved. In human terms, it’s also the time to ‘go inside’. The air becomes crisp, the days shorten, the fires are lit, and we welcome the season of reflection.

Using nature in Autumn as our context and inspiration, this weekend offers an opportunity to review our personal & educational practice and a rare chance in this busy world to reflect and look inwards. The two days aim to help us resource ourselves as educators, rangers, teachers and above all, people. Too busy giving out to others, we rarely create sustaining, resourcing times for ourselves, especially amongst our peers and colleagues. By setting foot off the trail and by taking a risk in a supportive environment, we invite you to reconnect with the wildwood and with your wilder self. Time spent in this way will give us critical time to reassess our personal values and ponder some pertinent questions. ‘What is the source of our motivation?’ ‘Are we being all that we can be?’ ‘How can we be more engaged and effective?’ ‘To what and to whom are we committed?’ ‘Who are we?’

Moor Barton wood in Autumn is the perfect backdrop in which to explore what sustains us in both our working and personal lives. We will look to achieve this by creating a supportive atmosphere of enquiry, together with a combination of exercises, activities, reflection and personal sharing. The process itself, although structured to begin with, will become more fluid, open and directed by the needs of the participants as the weekend progresses. Needless to say, there will be elements of risk involved, and to that end we would welcome the spirit of adventure, and purposeful investigation.
  
Food for the weekend will be an extra £20. 2-3 person tents are available to hire at £5 per night.

Leaders
Orlando Rutter has always been interested in natural history, kindled by explorations in the Malayan rainforest as an eight year old.  Starting with habitat management for conservation his focus has become increasingly on raising environmental awareness, the way 'the environment' is perceived by the wider community and the steps people can take to personal responsibility. This has led to a greater emphasis on environmental education and training. He is currently Education Manager for Dartmoor National Park

Chris Salisbury: Educator, trainer and storyteller, Chris founded WildWise after working for the Devon Wildlife Trust. With a theatre and therapy training, he encourages the enjoyment and valuing of nature on courses around the world.