WELCOME to Highland Traditional Archery - dedicated entirely to the simple pleasure of stickbows. The aim of this site is to promote traditional archery in the North of Scotland and hopefully encourage more people to pick up a bow and get shooting. It's mainly a matter of aesthetics; tradbows just look so beautiful and feel so good in the hand. It's the timeless romance of the wooden bow that will never fade. And as life moves forward at breakneck speed, increasingly dependent on  computers and technology, it feels good taking a positive step backwards towards the primitive.

Traditional archers try to keep things basic. Just string the bow and shoot some arrows. It's the simple things like wooden bows so light in the hand and warm to the touch; the smell of cedar and the rustling of feathers in the quiver; the living craft of the bowyer, fletcher and leatherworker; the stillness of mind and slowing of time before the loose and the explosive release of energy that sends the shaft arcing towards its target.

Archery is a martial art as well as a sport and like all traditional arts there is no quick and easy way. It takes many hours of focused practice, sore fingers, aching muscles and broken arrows to make the perfect shot. But it's never perfect and that's what keeps us hooked.

WHAT IS FIELD ARCHERY?

Field archery is one of the most exciting, challenging and rewarding aspects of the ancient practice of archery and shooting traditional equipment is perhaps the closest we can get to the hunter/warrior/bowman of yesteryear. The sport involves shooting at a number of different targets on a course, usually situated in woodland, at different ranges, heights and angles, sometimes without knowing the actual distances to the target. Types of round can include Field, Bowhunter and Animal - each with its own set of rules and requirements - or 3D foam animal targets.
As well as maintaining a consistent shooting form, the field archer must also contend with the weather conditions and the demands of the terrain. It is these additional challenges that draw people to field archery.

   Contact Information:   urbanology@btconnect.com

NB: This website is the work of one enthusiastic amateur and all opinions  within are expressed in good faith. This is not an instructional site, rather it is a launching pad to access  a wider range of  traditional archery  information.