It’s peak fungi season, so we’re heading out on a Fungi Field Trip to see what the woods are fruiting.

We’ll begin with a warming medicinal mushroom tea, introductions, and a chance to meet the group before heading out into the woodland.

As we wander, we’ll learn how to read the clues fungi give us: shape, colour, texture, scent, habitat, and the trees and plants growing nearby. The walk is suitable for complete beginners, but there’ll be plenty for anyone looking to sharpen their ID skills and deepen their understanding.

We’ll also zoom out from individual mushrooms to the bigger fungal picture, exploring the mycelial networks beneath our feet, the relationships fungi form with plants and trees, and their essential role in decomposition, regeneration, and woodland ecology. Along the way, we’ll touch on some traditional culinary and medicinal uses too.

This is primarily a no-pick walk, with the focus on observation, identification, and curiosity rather than filling baskets. We’ll also explore responsible foraging and what it might mean to have a more respectful, reciprocal relationship with the fungal world.

Expect mushrooms, mycelium, ecology, good conversation, and an afternoon of looking at the forest a little differently.

No previous knowledge needed. Just curiosity and suitable footwear.

Please note: this is an observational walk, not a foraging event. We won’t be collecting or consuming psychedelic mushrooms.

Under 18s are very welcome when accompanied by an adult, but everyone attending will need their own ticket.

The event will take place in woodland near Frome. Exact meeting details and what to bring will be shared in the week before the event. You’ll need your own transport, so if you need a lift, bring a mate with a car and make a night of it.

YOUR FACILITATOR

Alice Pefanis

Alice Sophia Pefanis is a mycologist researching the application of low tech, nature based solutions for freshwater remediation. She began foraging fungi in Eastern Europe as a child and later honed her identification skills in Canada and the United Kingdom, going on to specialise in edible, medicinal and mycoremediation species across the Northern Hemisphere. With a background in mycology, ecosystem restoration and regenerative agriculture, her work centres on the application of fungal systems, particularly mycofiltration, to reduce nutrient and microbial pollution in freshwater environments. She has led field based research trials investigating the performance of hyperlocal wood decaying fungi, including Trametes versicolor, in dynamic freshwater systems, alongside multiple trials using Pleurotus pulmonarius to remediate dairy wastewater and sewage overflow pollution. Alongside her research, she lectures on ecology and agriculture courses, leads fungal forays in the UK and delivers workshops that translate scientific knowledge into applied and accessible practices, supporting communities to engage with fungi as collaborators in ecosystem repair.

Carly Birch

Carly is a facilitator, event curator, and co-director of the Psychedelic Society, supporting strategy, long-term vision and team leadership. Grounded in the belief that exploring consciousness is an inalienable right, she is especially interested in how the surrounding culture influences the way these experiences are met, interpreted, and integrated. Her work centres on strengthening social and spiritual connection, and on the shared intelligence that communities carry.

With a commitment to fostering a more connected, curious, and open-minded culture, Carly creates gatherings and immersive retreats that offer practical ways to deepen relationship with self, others, and the natural world, while helping broaden and refine public understanding of psychedelics.

Alongside her work with the Psychedelic Society, Carly is certified in Transpersonal Coaching Psychology and has completed a year-long psychedelic informed practitioner training with VITAL. She brings in-person experience supporting and managing psychedelic retreats, and also supports Heroic Hearts Project UK, assisting with ayahuasca retreats for veterans and law enforcement workers.

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