Advice For Forayers
We welcome the participation of young people in our forays, accompanied by a responsible adult(s). However, our
walks are not suitable for pushchairs and small children will need to be carried.
A limited number of sites are accessible to wheelchair users and people with restricted mobility. Please get in
touch if you would like advice about any forays planned in such areas.
Dogs are allowed on some sites - you should check the detailed foray instructions before attending with your
pet, as landowners may not permit them access.
Edibility Of Fungi
Advice on the edibility or otherwise of any fungi is given in good faith. Members and visitors should be
aware that certain species that are commonly regarded as edible, may upset some people. Care should always be
taken in selecting and preparing edible fungi, choose only fresh specimens. If there is the slightest doubt
over the identity of the specimen, do not consume it. If trying a new species for the first time, eat only a
little until you are sure that you like it, and it likes you. Always retain a specimen in the fridge in case
of need for further identification.
Finding The Sites
A set of directions to the meeting point for each foray is given on the detailed programme sent to members. This
includes the site grid reference, and assumes a starting point of the nearest main town or motorway junction.
To find the grid reference you will need either:-
OS Landranger series of 1 : 50,000 maps as references of meeting places are to three figures (nearest tenth
of a kilometre)
Access to the internet to use www.streetmap.co.uk (enter the grid reference with no gaps into the search box and click on
Lat/Long or Landranger to view a map).
+ Instructions on finding a location with a grid reference
Using a Grid Reference
The first two letters give the portion of the map (SO, SP, ST, SU for our area) and the next two series of numbers give the precise location in the grid square across the map moving East (across) and then North (up). Grid numbers are given on the axis of the map in series of two numbers (Eastings as vertical lines) and Northings (horizontal lines) in blue.
For example : SP 041 132 on sheet 163 is in letter block SP, on grid square 04 along by 13 upwards, the precise location of the meeting point is one tenth of a square along (041) and two tenths up (132) from the bottom left corner of the square.
What to Bring/Wear
Sturdy footwear (walking boots or wellies)
Wet-weather clothing, (the forays go ahead despite the weather conditions)
Old clothing (quite often the forays get into bramble and dense shrubbery)
A knife (but please note the + Laws On Carrying Knives
Carrying Knives
The law about carrying knives in a public place is governed in England by the Criminal Justice Act 1988. This puts the responsibility on the individual to show they have a 'lawful authority or reasonable excuse for carrying it'.
There is an exception made for folding pocket knives (pen knives) with a cutting edge of less than 3 inches (75 mm) which does not lock.
There is a further exemption for the carrying of knives as part of either a national costume (such as the Scottish Skean Dhu) or as part of a religious obligation (the Sikh Kirpan).
To view the advice from the Association of British Fungus Groups click here
A basket for collecting, a wooden trug, wicker basket or plastic tub, but not a carrier bag
A notebook and pen/pencil, to note down your finds so you will remember them when the list comes out
A competent field identification textbook, if you have one
Books/Field Guides
Every field mycologist needs a range of literature as a basis for the identification of fungi but there is the
problem of selection when you are getting started. It is all too easy to spend a considerable sum of money on the
wrong books and knowing what is available is half the battle. There are several illustrated general guides
available which are a starting point for anyone just getting interested in the subject, and the illustrations
accompanied by descriptions of macro characters enable a fair number of the larger fungi to be identified with
reasonable certainty.
Here are our recommendations to get you started:
Available New
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STERRY, Paul - "Complete British Mushrooms and Toadstools: The Essential
Photograph Guide To Britain's Fungi"
2009 Collins Complete Guide ISBN-13:
978-0007232246
This is the group Foray Leader's current recommended field guide. Says Dave Shorten:-
"This has realistic photographs - no digital enhancements here. They are taken in the
habitat, with enough species to satisfy both beginners and more experienced forayers. It is also
reasonably priced." Find it on Amazon
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PHILLIPS, Roger
"Mushrooms"
2006 Pan Macmillan Books. ISBN: 0-330-44237-6 Cover
price £18.99
Recently revised, this is now a smaller format version of the original A4 book. Over
1250 photos of species with descriptions, which help to show how variable fungi can be!
Easier to carry than its predecessor, although possibly still a little heavy for some. Find it on Amazon
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| Possibly Available Secondhand |
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Bon, M. "Mushrooms and
Toadstools of Britain and North-Western Europe"
Original edition in 1987, from Hodder & Stoughton is out of print, and scarce but worth
looking out for in secondhand bookshops. This is also now true for the French
edition.
You can sometimes find this book on Amazon
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Courtecuisse, R. & Duhem, B.
"Mushrooms & Toadstools of Britain & Europe"
1995, Collins Field
Guide. ISBN 0-00-220025-2. Cover price £14.99
More comprehensive than Phillips, with 3,500 species described, but beware there are a number in
it that are not British. Good illustrations, although some are a little small and the
typeface is difficult to read in poor light. Still appears to be available via standard
online bookshops, but may disappear in the face of a re-issue of Bon (see above). Find it on Amazon
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