Meet Your Instructors
Meet the team at TrackCraft!
Our dedicated instructors bring a wealth of knowledge, experience, and passion to the art of tracking. With expertise spanning mantracking, Search and Rescue, Wildlife Tracking and Intuitive Tracking, foraging, nature connection and art, our instructors are here to guide you through a transformative learning journey. Our world class guest instructors offer decades of experience and invaluable knowledge too.
At TrackCraft, we believe that learning to read the hidden stories in nature requires guidance from those who have spent years honing their craft. Our instructors are not only seasoned trackers but also accomplished educators, committed to sharing their insights and skills with enthusiasts, professionals, and nature lovers alike.
Whether you’re interested in understanding animal behaviours through their tracks, honing your human tracking skills for search and rescue missions, exploring the spiritual connection between tracking and intuition, learning the many and diverse uses for our native flora or simply rediscovering a connection to nature, our diverse team of instructors has you covered. Each instructor brings a unique perspective and a deep appreciation for the intricate trails and tales that nature brings.
Instructors
Rhoda Watkins
Rhoda Watkins is a seasoned tracker and devoted naturalist bridging the gap between people and the natural world. She’s led daring expeditions in remote locations worldwide. Rhoda’s deep affinity for nature was nurtured in her formative years, leading to a lifelong immersive tracking education. After a foundation in mantracking and tactical tracking, she studied under the esteemed San people of Namibia, amongst others, becoming one of the few women dedicated to mastering tracking at such a high level.
With qualifications in Zoological Conservation and Environmental Protection, Rhoda imparts her expertise in tracking, foraging, survival skills, and rewilding principles. She also leads a search and rescue tracking team, reducing the time to locate missing individuals. Her dynamic presence on screen includes documentaries like “Panthera Britannia” and “Big Cat Britain Declassified.” She is crafting her inaugural wildlife tracking book, cementing her legacy as a trailblazer connecting humanity to the enchanting world of tracking.
For Rhoda's full biography click here.
Jay Opie
Jay, a Cornishman, developed a profound connection to nature on his grandparents farm, surrounded by ancient archaeological sites. He honed practical skills like foraging and bushcraft, supplemented by a deep dive into survival, history, and maps during indoor moments. Joining the army cadets at 13 added structure and a unique perspective to his journey.
Jay then spent over two decades managing inquiries to locate missing persons for Devon and Cornwall Police. He became one of only two civilian “Lost Person Search Managers” at the time and joined a local Search and Rescue team, taking on leadership roles. Recently, Jay studied Conservation and Ecology. He also leads Trackcraft courses and trains dogs for scent discrimination, all while pursuing archery, photography, and TV appearances.
For Jay's full biography click here.
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Kev Newton
Kev served 27 years in the military, starting his career by joining The Parachute Regiment in 1995. He subsequently had many diverse roles, from GPMG gunner to survival instructor, and deployed to Northern Ireland, Kenya, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Ukraine. In 2000, he moved to Cornwall, joined the School of Combat Search and Rescue, and later became a key figure in forming Defence S.E.R.E. Training Organisation. Over 16 years, Kev excelled, training military personnel and notable civilians, including Prince William, Prince Harry and Richard Branson. He attended many international and European specialist courses, gaining qualifications in jungle, desert, arctic and urban survival, evasion and extraction. In 2022, he left the military, embracing business opportunities in survival training and supporting celebrities on TV survival shows. He has recently worked on the Swedish Island survival series, Castaway with Ruby Wax and both the UK and Australian series of Survivor.
For Kev's full biography click here.
