Phil Brooke

Phil Brooke Longbows is based in a beautiful Private woodland in the heart of the high weald, East Sussex, where Phil is the woodland manager. We manage the woodland traditionally through our courses and our primary management goals are wildlife conservation and education.

Phil is a Woodsman, Bushcraft specialist and Traditional Bowyer. He Founded Chosen Paths Bushcraft in 2011, and since then the company has evolved into Phil Brooke longbows. Our primary role is teaching a broad amount of subjects from Traditional Bow Making, Bushcraft, Deer butchery, Woodcraft, Natural navigation, Plant and Tree Lore, Animal tracks and sign and more. Phil has also been connected to the Woodcraft School in Midhurst for over ten years initially as a student then instructor and now as Woodcraft schools Chief Instructor for more than 10 years.

He successfully completed The ten month Certificate in Bushcraft Leadership in 2011 and almost immediately began to work for the company and has proved to be an excellent teacher of the subject. He is especially interested in traditional archery and is a full-time Bowyer when not delivering Bushcraft! In addition to this Phil is also a keen naturalist. At a recent trailing evaluation he attained a level three (97%) coupled with his existing track and sign score (97%) means Phil is now a level three tracker through CyberTracker conservation. Phil is also a first rate plants-man particularly interested in herbal medicines.

Prior to 2011 Phil was a military man with an Armoured Infantry unit, serving all over the world including the middle east. He completed 500 skydives and was a Demo Jumper for his regimental Free-fall team. As soon as the military journey was finished he embarked on a journey round the planet going to the most remote and wild places possible, The Himalayas, India, Cambodia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Laos to name a few, this is where the Real love of the natural world began and the journey into Bushcraft.

Qualifications

Since completing these programmes as a student himself with Woodcraft School, Phil's been fortunate enough to run most of these qualifications as the lead instructor. Having had the benefit of being a student himself, it gives a high level of insight and understanding to the students now endeavoring to complete the qualifications, hopefully enabling a higher level of instruction.

Certificate Of Bushcraft Leadership Level 4 - Woodcraft School

Practical Ethnobotany And Plant Identification Level 4 - Woodcraft School

Wildlife Identification and Tracking Level 4 - Woodcraft School

Certificate In Traditional Bow Making Level 4 - Woodcraft School

Certificate Of Applied Bushcraft Level 4 - Woodcraft School

The British Deer Society/Lantra Deer Management Qualification - Passed with Merit

Deer Stalking Certificate With The British Deer Society - DSC1

British Deer Society/Lantra Wild Game Meat Hygiene - Trained Hunter Status

Advanced Bushcraft Award Level 3 - Woodcraft School

The Art Of Tracking - Level 3 Tracker 97% - Cyber Tracker Conservation

The Art Of Trailing - Level 3 Tracker 97% - Cyber Tracker Conservation

NPTC Felling And Processing Trees – Level 2 City & Guilds

NPTC Cross Cutting And Chainsaw Maintainence – Level 2 City & Guilds

I am in love with this world . . . I have climbed its mountains, roamed its forests, sailed its waters, crossed its deserts, felt the sting of its frosts, the oppression of its heats, the drench of its rains, the fury of its winds, and always have beauty and joy waited upon my goings and comings. John Burroughs