Oldham · Saddleworth · the South Pennines
Find the fungi hiding in plain sight
Guided foraging walks and hands-on workshops with Josh Goacher. Learn to spot, name and understand the mushrooms growing around Oldham and which ones to leave well alone.
What I run
Guided forays
A slow walk through local woodland and grassland, finding and naming what is fruiting that week. Small groups, all ages, no experience needed.
Foray dates →Workshops
Hands-on sessions on identification, spore prints and microscopy, or growing your own. Indoors and out, for groups, schools and private bookings.
See workshops →Fungi survey
Help map what grows where. Scan a code on the trail, tap what you have found, and your records join the local survey.
Take part →Coming up
New dates are posted as the season gets going. Fungi fruit when the weather says so, so forays are usually announced a few weeks ahead.
Ask about dates
Hi, I'm Josh
I'm a mycologist based in Oldham. I run small-group forays and workshops for anyone curious about fungi, from complete beginners to keen foragers who want to sharpen their identification.
Every walk is about looking closely: what a mushroom grows on, how it smells, what is under the cap. Foraging comes second to knowing what you are looking at.
More about me →Look first, pick later
Some of the UK's deadliest fungi grow in the same woods as its best edibles, and they can look alike. Every walk teaches identification before foraging. If you are not completely sure, it stays in the ground.
Come and have a look
Small groups, a slow pace, and plenty of time to get down on your knees and look under caps.
Book a foray