Sat16/Sun17Jun - DORSET - Scythe Festival & SABI AGM

Tue May 8 00:51:13 BST 2012

Dear Mower - please forward to your networks :-)

And find, attached as a pdf,  the 
Windrow  Newsletter, produced by SABI, the Scythe 
Association of Britain and Ireland.

It includes:
 Information on the Scythe Association Mower's 
Day and West  Country Scythe Fair (16-17 June): p.1
 Teachers' Training and Group Leaders' course:   p.2
 Comprehensive Listings of Scythe Courses around the UK and Ireland: p.3
 Eastern Counties Festival 24 June, and other events p.4
 How to join SABI Leaflet p.5
 Results of Professional Scythe User Survey p. 6.
If there is no attachment to this email, please 
reply to  chapter7 at tlio.org.uk letting me know.

This newsletter is sent out about three times a 
year. The next issue will be in mid summer.   If 
you wish to unsubscribe please email back to me , 
entitling the email "unsubscribe".

Simon Fairlie
Monkton Wyld Court
Charmouth, Bridport
Dorset, DT6 6DQ
01297 561359
http://scytheassociation.wordpress.com/
http://www.thescytheshop.co.uk/

Newsletter of The Scythe Association of Britain and Ireland No 4 May 2012
1
The Windrow
You are invited to the Scythe Associations
SABI Mowers Day
on Saturday 16 June
which is the day before the
Green Scythe Fair
on Sunday 17 June
at Thorney Lakes, Muchelney,
Langport, Somerset.
Programme for
Saturday
Saturday Morning: Scythe Course for beginners and 
improvers with Christiane Lechner from Austria, Phil Batten and Simon Fairlie.
Also: Informal preparation,sharpening, peening 
and mowing. Test your blade on the famous Sharpometer.

Saturday Afternoon: Workshops on peening, 
haymaking, grassland management, mowing wheat, English scythes etc.
Also Gas about Grass an informal gettogether 
about all aspects of scythe use, led by Chris Riley.

Saturday evening: Scythe Association AGM followed 
by live music (jammers welcome, please bring your instrument).
Café/Restaurant and Bar on site. Individual 
scythe tuition from Christiane Lechner available (see last item p.3).

Programme for Sunday
Mowing Championship Heats 11am - 2.15 pm
Team Mowing, Scythe v Strimmer, Kids Mowing, Haymaking Competition 12-2.30
Mowing Championship 3.30pm
Prizegiving 6pm
Also: music, ceilidh, speakers, theatre, craft 
area, kids area, healing area, over 70 stalls, 
local organic food, beer and cider.

Tickets
 Two day ticket: £15, plus £10 membership fee if 
you arent already a member. This includes 
everything except the course on Saturday morning.
 Two day ticket including beginners or 
improvers course on Saturday morning: £50.
 Entry for Sunday only: £5.
Accompanied children free.
Free parking on site.
Camping: £10 per pitch.
Tickets available on the day, but please book beforehand for the course.
To book or for more information: ring 01297 
561359, or email chapter7 at tlio.org.uk

ON OTHER PAGES:
 Teachers Training and Group Leaders course: p.2
 Directory of Courses: p.3
 Eastern Counties Festival and other events p.4
 How to join SABI Leaflet p.5
 Results of Professional Scythe User Survey p. 6
Thursday14 and Friday 15
Teachers Training Course
see next page
Kids Mowing Event
We want to have a childrens mowing demonstration 
this year. If you know of any youngsters who can 
mow a bit and might be interested please contact chapter7 at tlio.org.uk
The Windrow 4
2
May 2012
If you need to instruct other mowers or want to 
perfect your scythe skills, we suggest you come on the
Teachers and Group Leaders Training Course
Thursday 14 to Saturday 16 June at Muchelney, 
Somerset culminating in the West Country Scythe Fair on Sunday 17 June
The Teachers Training Course held in the days running
up to the West Country Scythe Festival is without doubt
the best course to attend if you want to master the use of
the scythe and demonstrate its use to other people, whether
in a professional context or informally. It also provides an
unusual holiday on a pleasant site in the Somerset Levels.
We bring scythe and yoga expert Christiane Lechner
over from Austria, while peening is taught by Phil Batten,
probably the person most accomplished at this skill in this
country, and winner of last years Quality Cup. Simon
Fairlie and Steve Tomlin (tbc) also assist with tuition, and
on Saturday there are workshops headed by other scythe
teachers and experts from around Britain.
The course is designed for people who wish to become
scythe teachers, or people who are working as group leaders
of teams of volunteers or employees. However the course
will be useful for anyone who wants to achieve mastery of
using and maintaining a scythe. Anyone can attend the
course provided they have already completed a beginners
course and/or acquired basic scything skills.
Programme
On Thursday and Friday we will run you through the
entire process of using and maintaining a scythe  setting
up snath and blade angles, mowing stance and movement,
sharpening, peening, repairing, health and safety etc  but
at each point we also examine the best way of conveying this
information to beginners. We also cover how to run a course
and organize a group of novices or volunteers in the field.
On Saturday morning you will have the opportunity
to practice teaching novices, under the supervision of the
tutors. In the afternoon there are a series of workshops
on peening, haymaking, grassland management, mowing
wheat, the traditional English scythe etc.
On Sunday you have free entry to the West Country
Scythe Fair, a busy event comprising the mowing
championship, other scythe and haymaking events, music,
speakers, kids area, craft area, over 70 stalls, local food and
beer and cider.
Certification
This course is approved by the Scythe Association of
Britain and Ireland, which is the only body of its kind in the
UK. You will receive a certificate of attendance, which may
be of value in the event of health and safety or insurance
issues arising.
Site and Facilities
The course includes lunch on Thursday, Friday and
Saturday and free entry for the Scythe Fair on Sunday.
In order to keep costs down, self-catering facilities with a
supply of basic food stuffs are provided for breakfast and the
evening meal  or you can go out to eat in a local pub or
restaurant.
The course takes place at Thorney Lakes Caravan Site,
a pleasant rural location on the Somerset Levels. There is
camping and caravan space on site at a cost of £10 per pitch,
(so you can bring your family with you). See Thorney Lakes
website: http://www.thorneylakes.co.uk/ Alternatively we
can direct you to bed and breakfast nearby.
How to Register for the Course
The price for attendance is £135 for individuals or
£160 for representatives of organizations. To register
for the course, or for more information, please contact
Simon Fairlie, 01297 561359 chapter7 at tkio.org.uk
Phil Batten explaining peening at the Teachers Training Course 2010
Christiane Lechner teaching a young lad
The Windrow 4
3
May 2012
HOME COUNTIES
Clive Leeke, Reading, Berkshire;
clive at traditionalhedgelaying.co.uk
Clive offers scythe courses for all ages
and abilities, in the Chilterns, the beautiful
North Wessex AONB, and in Central London.
Visit:
Introduction to Scything; Earth Trust,
Little Wittenham, Oxon; 21st July, 9th September
2012  £50
Chalk Grassland Haymaking; Avebury,
Wilts; dates & price to be announced
clive at traditionalhedgelaying.co.uk www.
traditionalhedgelaying.co.uk
Beth Tilston Brighton,
Learn to scythe in the South East of
England. Courses all over the region  updated
continually. Visit www.learnscything.
comfor more info.
Beginners scythe course  Hatfield Forest,
4th August, £45
Beginners scythe course  Braziers
Park, 26th June, £45
bethtilston at googlemail.com
Mark Allery
Beginners/improvers ciurse, for Transition
Guildford with Mark Allery as trainer. Saturday
9 June and the Tuesday 4 September.
Held on the Downs accessed from the trackway
leading off Longdown Road just east of
Guildford. Booking through John Bannister
01483 570468
WEST COUNTRY
West Country Scythe Festival
Saturday 16 June: Scythe Course for
Beginners and Improvers.Scythe tuition in
the morning, and then a choice of workshops
in the afternoon.Tutors: Christiane
Lechner, Phil Batten and Simon Fairlie.
For more information contact Simon Fairlie on
01297 561359, chapter7 at tlio.org.uk
Jez Hastings, Monkton Wyld, Dorset
Short cuts for Gardeners 7 July 2012
£50 includes a delicious lunchThis course
is specifically aimed at gardeners and
allotmenteers. Jez runs the gardens and
grounds at Monkton Wyld Court.
Jeremyhastings at me.com
Simon Fairlie Monkton Wyld Court,
near Axminster.
18 May  one day course with Mark
Allery at the Weald and Downland Museum,
Singleton, W Sussex. Please contact Lucy
Hockley 01243 811021 www.wealddown.co.uk
9 June  Urban lawn-mowing and
scythe use, London Green Fair at Regents
Park.
14-15 July Scythe Use and Haymaking
from £145 see Monkton Wylds website
http://www.monktonwyldcourt.co.uk/
www:thescytheshop.co.uk ; chapter7 at tlio.org.
uk; 01297 561359.
Alastair Inglis Exeter
Beginners Scythe courses:
Thurs 24 May, 09.30  4.30-ish, Underwood
Discovery Centre, Beeson, S. Hams.
Sat 09 June, 09.30  4.30-ish, at Sharpham,
nr. Totnes.
Sat 30 June, 09.30  4.30-ish, at Helford,
Cornwall.
Sat 07 July, 09.30  4.30-ish, at Exeter
Community Agriculture field, nr. Shillingford
St. George, Exeter.
Mid-July, Date TBC, , 09.30  4.30-
ish, at Growers Organics, Yealmpton, nr.
Plymouth.
Other events:
Sat 25 Aug, Grains Scything Workshop - Underwood
Discovery Centre, Beeson, S. Hams
Sat 08 Sept, Grains Scything Demonstration -
Underwood Discovery Centre, Beeson, S. Hams.
Sun 26 Aug, Scything Demo & Beginners Taster
-Westcountry Storytelling Festival, Embercombe,
nr. Exeter.
Sat 22 Sept, End-of-Season Scythe Maintenance
& Peening Workshop - Exeter Community Agriculture
field, nr. Shillingford St. George, Exeter.
al.inglis at yahoo.co.uk, or 07796-805453.
Chris Riley, Wiltshire,
Available for scythe teaching in Wiltshire
and neighbouring counties, and nationally
from August 2012.
chris at riley2009.plus.com
EAST ANGLIA
Eastern Counties Scything
Weekend
Saturday 23 June: Scythe Course for
Beginners and Improvers.Tutors: Simon
Damant, Richard Brown and others tbc.
Contact Simon.Damant at nationaltrust.org.uk
Richard Brown*, Kings Lynn,
Norfolk.
Botanist,and seedsman offers practical
instruction on wildflower meadow and
grassland management using a scythe. Visit
http://wildseed.co.uk/ for more details.
Scything & grassland management
course, Greengrow, Ilketshall St Andrew, Suffolk.
26 May  £45
Scythe clinic, talks & demonstrations,
Oxborough Hall (NT), Norfolk. 21st July 
free (with NT entry fee).
richardjbrown556 at gmail.com
NORTHERN ENGLAND
Steve Tomlin Kendal, Cumbria
Courses for beginners and improvers in
beautiful meadows on the edge of the Lake
District.
Learn to Mow with an Austrian Scythe
26 May, 30 June, 9 Sept 2012 - £60
Scythe Improvers 11 Aug  £70
Improve your Peening 12 Aug  £60 -
Both improvers courses together £115
steve-tomlin at hotmail.co.uk; http://scytherspace.
wordpress.com/courses for more info.
Paul Kingsnorth Cumbria.
Scything for Beginners:
Hay Bridge Nature Reserve, Bouth,
South Cumbria. A day-long course in a beautiful
nature reserve. Maximum six people:
Saturday 12 May, Sunday 10 June, Saturday 7
July, Sunday 2 September.
Hebden Bridge, Yorkshire 23 June. A
day course on a local smallholding.
Brantwood House, Cumbria14 & 15 July
A two-day mowing course with me and Steve
Tomlin, at John Ruskins old house on the
shores of Coniston. Food and accommodation
provided, with plenty of mowing time
and an evening talk.
http://paulkingsnorth.net/scything/courses
email: paul at paulkingsnorth.net
SOUTH WALES
Phil Batten
Beginners courses and peening courses.
At Dyfed Permaculture Farm Trust, S Wales:
Beginners Scythe Course - 20th May;
29th July; 11th August; 19th September
Scythe Workshop / Improvers Course -
28th July
Peening and Sharpening Workshop -
14th July
scythecymru at yahoo.co.uk http://scythecymru.
wordpress.com
Deano Martin is available for scythe
tuition in the Lincolnshire are
deanom at madasafish.com
WELSH BORDERS
Andrea Gilpin*, Presteigne, Powys,
Learn how to mow with ease and flow!
Ditch the mower and strimmer  with every
stroke of the scythe embrace an ecologically
beneficial way of managing grass.
info at cfga.fsnet.co.uk; www.caringforgodsacre.co.uk
CHANNEL ISLANDS
Phil Batten
Beginners Scythe Course at Wild-Guernsey,
Guernsey, on 8th September.
See www.scytheguernsey.wordpress.com for
details or email scytheguernsey at yahoo.co.uk
SCOTLAND
Paul Kingsnorth
Beginners and Improvers Weekend,
Scotia Seeds, Angus, Scotland. Beginners Day
 Sat 25 August; Improvers Day  Sun 26 Aug.
Fiona Guest fionaguest at scotiaseeds.co.uk
IRELAND
Chris Hayes will be giving two beginners
courses in Tipperary and Cork later in the
summer, provisionally for late july.
chris at badgershillforestry.ie
INDIVIDUAL TUITION
Christiane Lechner will be giving individual
tuition at the West Country Scythe
Festival. Places very limited.
To book contact Christiane at c.lechner at stn.at
UK Scythe Course Directory 2012
Courses for beginners and improvers throughout 
the country. If you want a course specifically on peening, see Phil Batten
(S Wales), Steve Tomlin (North of England) or Alastair Inglis (South West)
The Windrow 4
4
May 2012
Eastern Counties
Scything and
Smallholding Weekend
Wimpole Estate, Cambs
23-24 June 2012
Scythe competition, haymaking,
rural skills and smallholders fair.
Sprint mowing competition 3pm
Blacksmith, Pole lathes, Cleaving, Wattle & gate
hurdle making; Heavy horse hay making demonstrations;
Spoon making competition; Home made cider
competition; Team mowing and scythe vs. strimmer;
Hay stack race; Peening competition; Smallholder
stalls and rural crafts; Local beer festival.
Long Distance Mowing Competition Saturday
Simon Damant, the organizer, says: Sprinting is fine
but the real champion is the person who consistently
mows well over a period of time I am therefore offering
a £30 prize for the winner of the quarter acre
cut I will not do it this year and if more than two
ladies do the eighth of an acre I will give a prize of
£30 for the winner of that.
Those interested in the competition please email me
with their details before the 20 June so I know the
approximate number of entrants if possible but not
to worry if you come on the spur of the moment.
Contact: Simon Damant simon.damant at nationaltrust.org.uk
Transylvanian Scythe Holidays
After last years successful haymaking festival in Romania, this year
Barbara Knowles is co-ordinating two events:
Haymaking course 15 to 21July
A new opportunity to learn every aspect of traditional haymaking
working alongside the Sárig family. July displays the outstanding
meadow flowers and butterflies at their most spectacular.
International Haymaking Festival 19 to 26 August
Now in its fourth year, the Gyimes Haymaking Festival is a celebration
of traditional skills and crafts related to making hay. The programme
depends on the weather but should include mowing by scythe, making
hay, a mowing competition, learning how to make traditional rakes and
scythes with a local craftsman, visiting the cows in the summer pastures,
making and tasting cheese, horse and cart rides, collecting wild
herbs, enjoying local food, learning about meadow plants and animals,
testing your skill in folk dances.
We can organise village accommodation, rail transfer from Miercurea
Ciuc, airport transfers (from Tirgu Mures, Cluj-Napoca or Bucharest),
and suggest a guide and an itinerary if you want to explore more of the
area before or after the events.
Places are limited, so send expressions of 
interest to barbara.knowles at yahoo.co.uk
We can also organise tailor-made haymaking holidays in Transylvania.
EVENTS
London Green Fair
Regents Park, 9-10 June 2012
Liberating Londons Lawns
SABI stall, talk, demonstration and tuition on
the subject of mowing and managing urban and
suburban lawns and gardens with a scythe, with
Ida Fabrizio, Clive Leeke and Simon Fairlie. Part
of the London Permaculture Groups stand. Contact
Ida at ifabrizio at hotmail.com; 07930 927 979
World Championships 2012
The World Scythe-Mowing Championships
2012 are taking place in
Salbitz, Saxony, from 17-20 May.
These are well worth a visit, but in
case you are thinking of competing,
take a look at Joseph Mayer,
the German champion mowing 10
metres by 10 metres in 1.10 seconds
at Imdorf on youtube. http://www.
youtube.com/watch?v=PLKKOKeWIU
c&feature=related
For more information see the ScytheWorld
Championship website (in German) at http://
www.sensenwm.de/398.html
Aerial photo of grass plots ready
for the Salbitz competition.
Make Hay in England
Haymaking at Monkton Wyld We makes 2 to 3 acres of hay by
hand (using racks when necessary) at Monkton Wyld, near Axminster
Devon. On and off, when the sun shines, from late May
through to the end of July. Helpers welcome. If you might be
interested in helping, and want to be informed when it is happening
please email chapter7 at tlio.org.uk or ring 01297 561359.
Exeter: Small-Scale Haymaking with Scythes - Exeter Community
Agriculture field, nr. Shillingford St. George, Exeter.
Some time in mid to late July. Contact Alastair Inglis al.inglis@
yahoo.co.uk, or 07796-805453.
Left: The London Green Fair, Regents Park last year.
Trim Haymaking Festival
Irish members of SABI will be attending the
Trim Haymaking festival on 17 June (unfortunately
the same date as the West Country
Scythe Fair). See the festivals website:
http://www.trimhaymakingfestival.com/
The Windrow 4
5
May 2012
THE SCYTHE ASSOCIATION
OF BRITAIN & IRELAND
was formed in 2011, only 2000 years after the arrival
of the scythe in the British Isles . . .
These islands are blessed with one of the best grassgrowing
climates in the world, so grassland management
has always been a necessary activity, whether for
feeding livestock through the winter by haymaking, or
for keeping on top of lawns, cricket pitches and wayside
weeds.
In the past workers were trained in the proper handling
of the English scythe, but after WW2 scythes were
replaced by noisy and temperamental petrol-powered
machinery. In the last decade the Austrian scythe has
arrived in the UK. A traditional yet modern and versatile
tool, it is light and easy to use, yet giving scope for
ever-improving levels of skill and pleasure.
Scythes are once again being used in public parks
and gardens, wildlife reserves, stately homes and allotments,
on riverbanks and haymeadows throughout the
islands. From the Home Counties to the Outer Hebrides,
the scything revival is flourishing, not least because of its
benefits to health , its environmental benefits, and the
sense of satisfaction that comes from real work done well.
As a testament to the scythes many enjoyable aspects,
a lively social network has sprung up with events, festivals
and courses around the country and keen participants
from all walks and ages of life. It is this natural
association which SABI exists to support and foster.
The Aims of The Scythe Association:
 To promote the use of scythes in Britain
 To improve mowing skills through training and the
broadcast of information
 To promote the advantages of the scythe to government,
local authorities and national organizations
 To enhance communication amongst mowers and
between mowers and landowners and other sectors
 To promote the study of the history of the scythe
and allied technologies
 To maintain standards of manufacture and supply of
scythes and ancillary equipment
Membership benefits include:
 Free or reduced entry fees to competitions
 Personal invitation to regional events
 Local and national networking and
training opportunities
 Downloadable leaflets
 Googlegroup news and blog access.
 A membership card and handsome die-cast badge.
Membership is open to all, and runs annually from the
1st February. Irish members may pay by cheque or
cash, in euros.
The
SCYTHE ASSOCIATION
of BRITAIN and IRELAND
MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION FORM
Name:
Address:
Town
County / Postcode
email address
I enclose a cheque or postal order made out to the
Scythe Association for £10 for annual subscription to
next 31st January (Irish members - 10 euro)
How would you prefer to keep in touch with the
Association? (tick as many as you wish to)
website news postings
Windrow newsletter (sent as pdf by email)
facebook / twitter
gmail group
by post
Do you belong to any organisations or companies
relevant to your use of scythes?
Signature: Date
Please return to Membership Sec, Monkton Wyld
Court, Charmouth, Bridport DT6 6DQ.
The Windrow 4
6
May 2012
SurVEy oF ProFESSioNal aNd
VoluNTary SECTor SCyThE uSErS
This survey was carried out in the months of 
January-March 2012. The purpose was to
determine how scythes were being used by 
professional and voluntary sector organizations and
individuals, to assess whether they were seen to 
be effective, and to identify problems.
Method of Survey
110 survey forms were mailed directly to 
addresses supplied by the Scythe Shop; these elicited 49 responses.
A further 14 responses came back through 
advertising the survey in the Windrow, the newsletter
of the Scythe Association of Britain and Ireland. 
Two of these responses were discarded because they came
from people who were only mowing in domestic 
gardens, leaving 61 valid responses.
There were 17 questions  all open ended 
questions, rather than limited response questions (eg tick
(a) (b) or (c). (We chose this approach on the 
grounds that many scythe users are likely to be the sort of
people who think outside the box.)
Of the 61 respondents, only two had stopped using 
scythes, while all the others still used them. We
draw no statistical conclusion from this as 
recipients of the survey who had stopped using scythes might
be less inclined to fill in the survey. 
Nonetheless, since there was a 45 per cent return rate on the targeted
survey forms  which is fairly high  it seems 
very likely that a majority of professional users who have
bought scythes in the past ten years are finding them useful.
Main conclusions
 Scythe use is experiencing a revival. The 
overwhelming majority of organizations buying scythes (89
per cent) have been using them for less than ten 
years, and 73 per cent have been using them for less than five
years. (Q 4).
 Scythes are being used in a wide variety of 
professional contexts, and on a wide variety of vegetation.
On some sites scythes are the main or only tool 
used for cutting light vegetation, in other cases they are a
subsidiary tool. (Questions 2, 9 and 10)
 Scythes have several advantages over machine 
tools. The main advantages cited for using scythes are
that they are good for volunteers, they make no 
noise, they use no fossil fuel, they are light, pleasant to use,
good for wildlife, cheap, environmentally 
friendly and better at depositing vegetation in rows where it can be
gathered up. (Q 11, 12,)
 Scythes have two principal disadvantages. They 
require some skill, and they are slower than machines in
some situations. (Q 13)
 Scythes are especially useful for volunteers. 
There are few health and safety issues and no requirement
for professional certified training. Nonetheless 
a certain level of skill is necessary and bringing volunteers up to
this level can sometimes be problematic. (Q 12)
 Most people enjoy working with scythes. A large 
majority (80 per cent) reported that their workforce
enjoyed using scythes and some responses were 
very enthusiastic. Only one response stated categorically that
their workforce did not enjoy using scythes  it 
was tried by the warden as an experiment and rejected. However
in some cases there is a problem with staff 
acceptance, particularly with employees used to working with
machines. (Q 8, 17)
 Scythes improve relations with the public. 82 
per cent of respondents reported that scythes altered their
rapport with the public; and all except two of 
the remainder had no engagement with the public. The most common
observation was that the absence of noise and PPE 
made workers more approachable. (Q14)
 The majority of users have had some training, 
but many still find sharpening and peening challenging.
(Q7 and 15). Peening, which involves thinning the 
edge of a blade with a hammer and anvil, is the most
difficult aspect of scythe maintenance for many people.
 Scythes are fairly robust, and breakage is not 
a great problem. There were 11 reports of broken blades
or snaths; in 8 of these cases, misuse was cited 
as a reason for failure. (Q 16)
The Windrow 4
7
May 2012
1. Staff Acceptance
The scythe is a popular tool: 49 responses (80%)
stated that their workforce enjoyed using them, nine
(13%) reported a mixed reaction and only one response
stated that workers categorically disliked the tool. (Even
in this case, a site of 5000 acres, the respondent mentioned
that he had used it in his own orchard and did
really enjoy it so it is a personal preference). 36 out of 42
organizations using volunteers (85%) reported that their
workforce enjoyed using scythes. For example, a voluntary
group working for a district council reported that
they found scythes:
 very satisfying. We have a band of volunteers who will
pick up a scythe along with other tools  seems to come as
second nature.
Others made comments such as very popular
(County Wildlife Trust) and very positive and well-received
(BTCV group).
However, 12 responses to Question 17 (Have you
experienced any other problems or difficulties when
introducing scythes into the work schedule?) mentioned
resistance from users when scythes were first introduced,
and the matter was also raised in responses to Question13
(Disadvantages of the scythe) . In some cases this
resistance disappeared over time, in others some staff
were enthusiastic about scythes while others remained
unconvinced. Since these responses were very varied it is
worth quoting several of them.
Initial credibility issues. (County Council)
Most volunteers show no interest at all in learning the
skill of scything, but a few are very enthusiastic. (District
Council)
Perception biggest problem! People quite wedded to their
brush cutters. (Wildlife Trust)
The problem is convincing people used to machines that a
hand tool is capable of doing the job. (Metropolitan Council)
Biggest problem is staff acceptance. (Zoo)
Some staff were doubtful but they came round. (Voluntary
group)
Most people cant see the advantage, but many others
enjoy. (National Trust property).
Resistance of members of staff who love their machines!
(National Trust property)
Staff and volunteers can be suspicious of scythes perceiving
them to be inefficient. Often there is initial interest and
then people default to machinery. Many people find the technique
of using them difficult. (National Trust property).
It is a problem getting buy-in from paid employees who
view it as making their life more difficult. Need to introduce
gradually and let them try it out  in my experience they can
become the best advocates. (Private Contractor)
Unsurprisingly, resistance to using the scythe
was most common amongst workers who already used
machines, and hence amongst paid staff rather than
volunteers or individual users. Of the nine organizations
reporting continuing resistance from at least some of
their workers, two thirds used paid employees (whereas
only 39 per cent of all respondents employed paid staff).
On the other hand, only six out the 42 respondents
using volunteers reported negative reactions towards the
scythe. In at least two cases this was related to the use of
machinery:
Variable response. Volunteers that use brushcutters always
prefer brushcutter over scythes. (County Wildlife Trust)
A little reluctance from some volunteers who are very
used to using brushcutters. (County Wildlife Trust)
The manager of an RSPB nature reserve observed
Our volunteer team are not all machinery qualified and will
default to scythes. . . Some can get scythes and appreciate
their use  others see them as a necessary evil . . .  He found
the main disadvantage of scythes to be working with
volunteers who dont get them. Yet he also considered
scythes are a great way to engage volunteers.
2. Training
Why do some people get scythes while others
dont? Is it a case of horses for courses as the RSPB
manager put it? Are some people constitutionally or
psychologically better suited to the scythe than others
? Is it, as one respondent put it, that some people like
big, smelly, horrible machinery? Or is it simply that some
people conclude that the advantages of using a scythe
are outweighed by its disadvantages.
The answers to question 13 confirm that there are
two main disadvantages to the scythe: that it is slower
in some circumstances than using machinery, and that
it requires a degree of skill  as one respondent put it:
training for brushcutters is more straightforward. To an extent
these two disadvantages reinforce each other. Lack
of skill makes work with the scythe much slower than
it need be  and the worker who repeatedly defaults to
machinery because he finds it quicker will never develop
the skill. By contrast, volunteers who are not qualified
to use machinery must knuckle down and learn to master
the tool, and more often than not, that is what they do.
It can take more than a simple training course to
avoid this vicious circle. More than half of all respondents
stated that at least one person had attended a one
day or two-day training course, and less than a quarter
had had no training other than publications and videos.
There was no correlation in the survey responses
between user resistance to the scythe and lack of training.
On the contrary, nearly all of the respondents who
reported staff resistance provided a measure of formal
training, and two of them, both managers of National
Trust properties, are highly experienced scythesmen.
Analysis of Some Salient Issues
The Windrow 4
8
May 2012
Nonetheless the majority of those reporting user
resistance reported difficulties keeping tools sharp. One
independent contractor reported: beginners do struggle
and in many organizations with volunteers the inability to
keep scythes sharp is a reason why they dont catch on. Two
respondents complained that it was a chore having to do
all the peening and maintenance for their volunteers. In
all, 25 responses (41%) cited problems with sharpening
and peening; it is also possible that some of those who
did not report a problem are unaware that their blades
could be keener and their scything faster and more effective.
our recommendation for anyone planning to
introduce scythes to their workforce is to adopt a training
strategy that focuses particularly on sharpening and
peening  possibly involving attendance at one of the
peening courses that several teachers are now providing.
There are probably many enthusiastic volunteers who
will never master peening  but it might be an advantage
to train two or three more adept workers to peen, so
that the burden of maintaining blades in condition does
not fall on one person.
3. Arguments For and Against Certification
One respondent, a contractor working primarily for
a conservation charity, made the following comments :
Scythes have a great appeal and help to draw volunteers
in. They are so much more pleasant to use than a strimmer.
[However] Austrian scythes require a more careful approach.
This is a difficult skill to master and takes practice and dedication
and good training. I think the main barrier to the wider
incorporation of scythes in our work is one of training. At the
moment it is more straightforward to arrange training and
maintenance for brushcutters etc. It can also be difficult to get
managers/external organizations to see a scythe course on the
same level as an externally certified (eg LANTRA) brushcutter
course. He suggested that scythe use could be promoted
by getting LANTRA or another training authority to
include a certification for the use and maintenance of Austrian
scythes.
On the other hand eight respondents to question 12
cited as one of the advantages of scythes that there was
no need for formal training. (Of these eight, three were
Wildlife Trusts, two National Trust sites, one a Forestry
Commission site, one a County Council, and one a contractor.)
Typical comments were:
No formal/external/expensive training. (County
Council)
Any volunteer can have a go with a scythe, brush-cutter
requires a course and certificate. (County Wildlife Trust)
LANTRA training course not required. (National
Trust, their emphasis)
This divergence of opinion reflects a debate that
is currently exercising the newly formed Scythe Association
of Britain and Ireland. Some members would
like to initiate a LANTRA or similar certificated course
on the grounds that better training is needed, and that
it will enhance the credibility of the scythe amongst
professional landworkers. Others argue that one of the
principal benefits of the scythe is that it can be used and
enjoyed by volunteers, and that if a LANTRA course
were established, site managers would be reluctant to let
volunteers use scythes unless they were qualified, for fear
of litigation should an accident occur.
The dispute highlights the fact that there are two
reasons for needing training, which can become confused.
Brushcutters require certificated training largely because
they are potentially a danger to the user and the public.
Scythes (despite their fierce aspect and their association
with Grim Reapers) are less dangerous than billhooks
and require training primarily because they need some
skill to use and maintain. The worry is that by providing
certificated scythe training for professionals, amateurs
will be barred from using them in a professional context
because they no longer meet health and safety requirements
embedded in certification. Eight respondents
stated that one of the advantages of the scythe was that
it had fewer health and safety requirements:
An insurance/public liability policy does not have to have
extra clauses and therefore extra costs for scythes as they do for
strimmers etc. (This response was from a local voluntary
organization which in 2011 provided insurance cover for
a scythe course held by a district council, because the
councils rules prevented it from insuring the course!)
There is one possible way out of this dilemma. If
a LANTRA or similar certificated course were established,
not for individual scythe use on its own, but for
training and managing teams of volunteer scythesmen
and women, then both quality of scythemanship and the
status of the scythe would be enhanced; at the same time,
any conservation organization could engage uncertified
scythe users, either staff or volunteers, without fear of
litigation, provided that they were under the management
of someone who was a trained and certified team
leader.
Conclusion
Scything is an art, but managing a gang of scythesmen
is a greater art, and that is probably the underlying
message of this survey. Mowing was a team activity in
the days when all of our hay and much of our corn was
harvested with the scythe; it remains a team activity
today, because that is the only way that the scythe can
cover a sizable area of land. There is no difficulty finding
volunteers to mow large areas of land because most
people enjoy using scythes provided they are well taught.
It is the job of the professional to instruct them and
organize them.
Joe Wrights film of Anna Karenina, due for release
later this year, will include a sequence showing a gang
of 40 mowers, shot on Salisbury Plain  the largest
team in Britain for many a year. Hopefully it will
arouse wider interest and seta standard for co-operative
scythemanship throughout the country.
The detailed results of this survey are available on
request from chapter7 at tlio.org.uk

Dear Mower

Please find, attached as a pdf,  the 
Windrow  Newsletter, produced by SABI, the Scythe 
Association of Britain and Ireland.

It includes:

 Information on the Scythe Association Mower's 
Day and West Country Scythe Fair (16-17 June): p.1

 Teachers Training and Group Leaders course:  p.2

 Comprehensive Listings of Scythe Courses around the UK and Ireland: p.3

 Eastern Counties Festival 24 June, and other events p.4

 How to join SABI Leaflet p.5

 Results of Professional Scythe User Survey p. 6.

If there is no attachment to this email, please reply, letting me know.

This newsletter is sent out about three times a 
year. The next issue will be in mid summer.   If 
you wish to unsubscribe please email back to me , 
entitling the email "unsubscribe".

Simon Fairlie
Monkton Wyld Court
Charmouth
Bridport
Dorset
DT6 6DQ
01297 561359

<http://scytheassociation.wordpress.com>http://scytheassociation.wordpress.com/
http://www.thescytheshop.co.uk/

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