There’s making a walking stick out of a bit of old wood, and then there’s stick dressing…so I’m told. Steve Barrett is a show judge and award-winning stick dresser based on the Dorset/Somerset border. Over the years he has won awards in national and local stick dressing competitions and he’s only too happy to share this tradition with others who want to learn to make beautiful walking sticks.

I asked Steve to explain to me exactly what stick dressing is. “Stick dressing isn’t about making walking sticks, which is what people often think. It is in fact the old fashioned art of using Rams horn to fashion shepherds crooks, the all-important working tool to aid the shepherd. Stick making involves using materials such as wood or Antler, however in the case of wood in particular, this is useless for a working crook because of the weak points on the crown of the stick. For a really strong, long-lasting shepherds crook, Rams horn is what a stick dresser will use.”

Steve Barrett runs tailored courses that will teach participants the whole process of stick dressing: from selecting the right wood and the benefits of the different types, through to carving the top of your stick using a variety of methods and materials. At the end of the course you will have completed your very own stick, and have many of the skills needed to go on and make more.

Take part in a British tradition that goes back hundreds of years, and next time you go for a walk, stride out in style with a stick you’ve made yourself.

For more information about Steve Barrett and the courses he runs, or to buy one of Steve’s sticks online, visit his website at www.walkingandworkingsticks.co.uk

Tags: Craft & Creative, shepherds, stick dressing