Woodsman - Tapa dura

‘Ben Law is an extraordinary man’ Kevin McCloud

Ben Law’s incredible sense of the land and his respect for age old traditions offers a wonderful insight into the life of Prickly Nut Wood.

Having travelled to Papua New Guinea and the Amazon, observing age-old techniques for living in, working in and preserving forests and woodland, Ben Law felt compelled to return home and apply his learnings to a 400 year old plot of woodland near where he grew up – Prickly Nut Wood.

This is the story of how he came live off the land, how he coppiced and hedged and created charcoal, how he puddled and built shelter and finally how he carved out his famous woodland home that Kevin McCloud has cited as his favourite ever Grand Design.

And it’s the story of the wood itself – how it lives and breathes and affects all those who encounter it, and how it’s developed over the twenty years Ben has shared in its lifespan.

This transporting tale that will make you long to hear the dawn chorus and wake up every day to the serene beauty of Britain’s woodland.