Gudvangen Viking Market 2015, Norway

[Dreadhead]

Hi folks,

I've been absent from BCUK for a while (and consequently missed the moot again this year). I was invited to the Gudvangen Viking market this year, and asked if I would run leatherworking courses which I just couldn't pass up on

The market is held every July in the centre of Gudvangen, which is in the heart of norway 3 hours east of Bergen City. Luckily I have friends who have a farm 20 minutes away in Flåm, so I arranged to stay with them and help out on the farm when I had the time either side of the market. This worked out perfectly as it meant I could buy a new viking stall tent and ship it to them rather than lugging it through the airport.

So in early July I flew out with SWMBO and we headed over to the farm in Flåm. I spent the couple of days we had before the market crafting a viking frame for my new tent, and making tables and benches for my stall. I made the prototype frame from seasoned larch that had been cut and seasoned before I was born. The benches were made from a recently felled tree, sawn into four plans in Terjes own sawmill. The rest was done with a chainsaw to make basic legs which the seat could slot into. The table was a hastily knocked up solid board planed and sanded down, with interlocked legs which werent finished nicely as I ran out of time but it did the job

Finally, it was market time! It was a fast-paced week full of meeting people, learning, and teaching. There was 3 tv crews out filming for various television channels throughout the week, viking wrestling (glima), plenty of great viking music, food, there was hugnarian horse archery, storytelling, blacksmithing, woodcarving, leatherworking (of course ) and loads more. I had an insanely busy week trading/selling, and running courses every day. I was teaching my students how to make belt pouches and arm guards mostly, and one lady who wanted to make a reindeer skin dress which was a lot of fun. SWMBO was also selling her needle felted wool viking ladies, which ended up bringing a crowd of viking children around our tent every morning which was a real joy

Enough blabbing, here's some pictures.


Bench making the day before the market.
HalfGoat Gudvangen Viking Market 13.07.15 1 by Hamish Odinson, on Flickr

Gudvangen
HalfGoat Gudvangen Viking Market 14.07.15 1 by Hamish Odinson, on Flickr

HalfGoat Gudvangen Viking Market 14.07.15 2 by Hamish Odinson, on Flickr

HalfGoat Gudvangen Viking Market 14.07.15 3 by Hamish Odinson, on Flickr

HalfGoat Gudvangen Viking Market 14.07.15 4 by Hamish Odinson, on Flickr

HalfGoat Gudvangen Viking Market 15.07.15 1 by Hamish Odinson, on Flickr

HalfGoat Gudvangen Viking Market 15.07.15 2 by Hamish Odinson, on Flickr

The Half-Goat Leatherwork stall
HalfGoat Gudvangen Viking Market 17.07.15 2 by Hamish Odinson, on Flickr

HalfGoat Gudvangen Viking Market 15.07.15 4 by Hamish Odinson, on Flickr

Teaching
HalfGoat Gudvangen Viking Market 15.07.15 5 by Hamish Odinson, on Flickr

Teaching
HalfGoat Gudvangen Viking Market 15.07.15 7 by Hamish Odinson, on Flickr

HalfGoat Gudvangen Viking Market 15.07.15 8 by Hamish Odinson, on Flickr

HalfGoat Gudvangen Viking Market 15.07.15 9 by Hamish Odinson, on Flickr

HalfGoat Gudvangen Viking Market 16.07.15 1 by Hamish Odinson, on Flickr

HalfGoat Gudvangen Viking Market 16.07.15 4 by Hamish Odinson, on Flickr

Teaching - start them young!
HalfGoat Gudvangen Viking Market 16.07.15 8 by Hamish Odinson, on Flickr

Made by one of my students (with help from her kids bless)
HalfGoat Gudvangen Viking Market 16.07.15 9 by Hamish Odinson, on Flickr

HalfGoat Gudvangen Viking Market 16.07.15 10 by Hamish Odinson, on Flickr

View from my stall
HalfGoat Gudvangen Viking Market 16.07.15 11 by Hamish Odinson, on Flickr

Sporran pouch made by one of my students
HalfGoat Gudvangen Viking Market 16.07.15 12 by Hamish Odinson, on Flickr

HalfGoat Gudvangen Viking Market 17.07.15 1 by Hamish Odinson, on Flickr

View from my stall
HalfGoat Gudvangen Viking Market 17.07.15 4 by Hamish Odinson, on Flickr

Tired warriors
HalfGoat Gudvangen Viking Market 17.07.15 5 by Hamish Odinson, on Flickr

Made myself a new apron
HalfGoat Gudvangen Viking Market 17.07.15 6 by Hamish Odinson, on Flickr

International storytelling
HalfGoat Gudvangen Viking Market 17.07.15 8 by Hamish Odinson, on Flickr

HalfGoat Gudvangen Viking Market 17.07.15 9 by Hamish Odinson, on Flickr

Glima - viking wrestling
HalfGoat Gudvangen Viking Market 17.07.15 10 by Hamish Odinson, on Flickr

Courses
HalfGoat Gudvangen Viking Market 17.07.15 11 by Hamish Odinson, on Flickr

Courses
HalfGoat Gudvangen Viking Market 17.07.15 12 by Hamish Odinson, on Flickr

Courses
HalfGoat Gudvangen Viking Market 17.07.15 13 by Hamish Odinson, on Flickr

Courses
HalfGoat Gudvangen Viking Market 17.07.15 14 by Hamish Odinson, on Flickr

A students progress
HalfGoat Gudvangen Viking Market 17.07.15 15 by Hamish Odinson, on Flickr

Our daily morning visitors
HalfGoat Gudvangen Viking Market 18.07.15 1 by Hamish Odinson, on Flickr

HalfGoat Gudvangen Viking Market 18.07.15 2 by Hamish Odinson, on Flickr


Fionns wee pal
HalfGoat Gudvangen Viking Market 18.07.15 3 by Hamish Odinson, on Flickr

Morning crowd
HalfGoat Gudvangen Viking Market 18.07.15 4 by Hamish Odinson, on Flickr

Fionns new best friend
HalfGoat Gudvangen Viking Market 18.07.15 5 by Hamish Odinson, on Flickr

All are welcome on my courses...
HalfGoat Gudvangen Viking Market 18.07.15 7 by Hamish Odinson, on Flickr

Courses
HalfGoat Gudvangen Viking Market 18.07.15 8 by Hamish Odinson, on Flickr

HalfGoat Gudvangen Viking Market 18.07.15 9 by Hamish Odinson, on Flickr

Courses
HalfGoat Gudvangen Viking Market 18.07.15 10 by Hamish Odinson, on Flickr

HalfGoat Gudvangen Viking Market 18.07.15 11 by Hamish Odinson, on Flickr

my view
HalfGoat Gudvangen Viking Market 18.07.15 13 by Hamish Odinson, on Flickr

Dress making with reindeer skins
HalfGoat Gudvangen Viking Market 19.07.15 3 by Hamish Odinson, on Flickr

A pouch completed by a student
HalfGoat Gudvangen Viking Market 19.07.15 4 by Hamish Odinson, on Flickr

Hungarian Horse Archery
HalfGoat Gudvangen Viking Market 19.07.15 2 by Hamish Odinson, on Flickr

HalfGoat Gudvangen Viking Market 19.07.15 1 by Hamish Odinson, on Flickr


I hope you have enjoyed the pictures. Now I have to start planning on whether I can fit both Gudvangen and the moot in together in 2016 (promise I shall make it one year!). Cheers

 

[MartinK9]

Great pics Hamish, thanks for sharing.

 

[bojit]

Wow what a place ,like the apron . Thanks for posting.

Craig. ....

 

[SCOMAN]

Looks like an interesting fair. Your work is really nice and the finished articles by your customers reflect well on yr teaching. Nice photos too. Can I ask how you get the pleated straps for your pouches? I remember being taught how to do it when I was in the navy but I've forgotten and the last few attempts I made were not good.

 

[Dave]

Mindblowing location.

 

[British Red]

Awesome stuff, fantastic to see you both travelling and making a reputation.

 

[jimbo75]

Bloody marvellous ! Top work.

 

[Harvestman]

A fantastic set of photos. I can only imagine the work that you must have put in before and during this event, but it looks like a great time was had by everyone. Some of those landscape and location shots are mindblowing.

 

[Wayland]

Great set of pictures Hamish. Reminds me what a stunning place it is.

I really must try and get to the market one year. Shame they stopped the ferry which makes it such a pain getting there with kit.

 

[Monikieman]

Looks like a really nice place to have been. Seems quite quiet with not a lot of folks around.

 

[Goatboy]

Brilliant stuff Hamish, don't think there was a single picture in there where I didn't go Ooh! You must've had a brilliant time, apron & stall look amazing and the work as sharp as ever. I see their version of Little Red Riding Hood is different with a cute kitten rather than a big bad wolf!
(I'll even cage the ex H&S officer in me and not look at you using the Husqvarna sans safety gear.

)

Looks like a brilliant place and would love to get there myself one day, cheers for sharing.
GB.

 

[crosslandkelly]

Great pics Hamish, superb setting, you all look so like you belong there.

 

[Dreadhead]

Thanks for the kind comments folks

Looks like an interesting fair. Your work is really nice and the finished articles by your customers reflect well on yr teaching. Nice photos too. Can I ask how you get the pleated straps for your pouches? I remember being taught how to do it when I was in the navy but I've forgotten and the last few attempts I made were not good.

Thanks It's a technique called 'mystery braid' I struggled with it for ages until Eric_Methven taught me at a meet. Sometimes it just takes someone to show you in person

Great set of pictures Hamish. Reminds me what a stunning place it is.

I really must try and get to the market one year. Shame they stopped the ferry which makes it such a pain getting there with kit.

High praise coming from a veteran as yourself Gary thanks. I learned the hard way about the ferry just going for it with flights and making my furniture over there. Definitely looking at ferry or road trip for the future though!

Brilliant stuff Hamish, don't think there was a single picture in there where I didn't go Ooh! You must've had a brilliant time, apron & stall look amazing and the work as sharp as ever. I see their version of Little Red Riding Hood is different with a cute kitten rather than a big bad wolf!
(I'll even cage the ex H&S officer in me and not look at you using the Husqvarna sans safety gear.

)

Looks like a brilliant place and would love to get there myself one day, cheers for sharing.
GB.

Thanks mate. I know, I'm not keen on using saws without the right gear (especially when it's with someone elses saw) but needs must.

 

[MT606]

crackin views ya lucky duck! weather looked like it was kind to you...

 

[woodspirits]

lovely to see both you and Fionn 'living the dream' Hamish.

 

[Cromm]

Outstanding.

 

[cleargreenlight]

Fabulous pictures. Fabulous talent. Thanks for sharing the occasion.

 

[Dreadhead]

Thanks everyone Already planning stuff for next year

 

[huntersforge]

Excellent. Thanks for sharing

 

[Llwyd]

Awesome sauce...