Final run from Malcolm's workshop • In 12 active carts • 186 left
Malcolm's Sure-Grip Hand-Carved Walking Stick
Malcolm's Sure-Grip Hand-Carved Walking Stick
Ships within 2–3 days
30-day money-back guarantee
Free UK delivery with tracking
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Malcolm's Sure-Grip Hand-Carved Walking Stick
Hand-carved in the Chiltern Hills, Buckinghamshire
Malcolm Hatherley, seventy-four. A former High Wycombe chair maker, forty years at the bench and nearly six thousand walking sticks. 186 left, and nobody to hand the chisels to.
“Everybody thinks the animal is the point. The animal is just where the wood ends up. The point is the palm.”
Malcolm Hatherley · Stokenchurch, Buckinghamshire
What arrives at your door
Six things that make it different
The grip gets shaped to the base of the hand first. The animal is carved around that shape afterwards. Each one is really a different way of spreading the weight.
The handle sits at a slight angle to the shaft, not straight across. That puts the weight on the base of the hand and the forearm instead of the wrist.
The weight sits high, about a foot below the handle, so the stick swings forward on its own instead of being lifted on every step.
Handle and shaft are one piece of wood, not two stuck together. On most decorative sticks the weak point is exactly where the handle is glued on.
Oil worked in by hand over three days instead of sprayed-on varnish. Varnish turns slippery when your hand is damp. Oiled wood grips back.
A thick rubber tip on solid wood instead of a thin cap on a hollow tube. Solid wood does not clack down a tiled hallway.
Four grips, four different hands
Made for
What you are actually getting
- Solid hardwood throughout. No hollow tube, no glued-on handle, nothing inside to rattle or give way.
- Cut to your height, once. It ships long on purpose. A fine-toothed saw takes an inch off in under a minute.
- Hand-carved detail. Every feather, every strand of mane cut individually, not pressed or moulded.
- A finish you can feel through. Hand-rubbed oil, not sprayed varnish, so the grain stays open under the palm.
- 186 in total. Across all four grips. The workshop is closing, so there is no restock.
Grip preference is personal. If the shape is wrong for the hand it was meant for, send it back within thirty days for a full refund — one email starts it, no explanation needed. A stick that sits in the hallway helps nobody.
These are carved by hand from natural hardwood, so grain, tone and the depth of individual cuts vary from piece to piece. Two Owls are never identical. That is the nature of the thing, not a fault. The stick also arrives longer than you need — that is deliberate, so it can be cut to your exact height rather than adjusted with a pin.
Product details
| Material | Solid hardwood, walnut and rosewood tones |
| Finish | Hand-rubbed oil, matte to satin sheen |
| Grips available | Owl, Horse, Elephant, Leopard |
| Length as shipped | 92 to 94 cm (36 to 37 in), to be cut to height |
| Shaft | Solid end to end, spiral-turned neck |
| Tip | Thick-walled rubber, replaceable |
| Travel | Horse and Elephant unscrew at the brass collar |
| Care | Wipe with a dry cloth. Re-oil once a year with any furniture oil. |
| Made by | Malcolm Hatherley, Stokenchurch, Buckinghamshire |
| Remaining | 186 across all four grips — no restock |
The Last Winter
The Last Winter
A note from the workshop:
Malcolm Hatherley started as an apprentice in a High Wycombe chair factory at sixteen. In 1986 his father came home from hospital with a grey NHS stick and refused to be seen with it, so Malcolm carved him a better one. Forty years and nearly six thousand walking sticks later, arthritis in both thumbs means he can no longer hold a chisel steady for hours. These 186 are the last ones from his workshop in Stokenchurch. When they are gone, there will be no more.
Free UK Delivery
Free UK Delivery
Free delivery across the United Kingdom
- Delivery time: 3–5 working days
- Every stick is wrapped by hand in brown paper and sent with tracking
- Length as sent: 92–94 cm (about 37 in), longer on purpose so it can be cut to your height with a fine-toothed saw
- Solid hardwood, one piece from grip to tip, thick rubber tip
- The Horse and the Elephant unscrew at the brass collar for the car boot or overhead locker
- 30-day money-back guarantee — one email is all it takes
Frequently Asked Questions
Got a question? Here’s how to reach us.
Got a question? Here’s how to reach us.
Email us anytime at info@cedarandtinco.com. We answer Monday–Friday 9am–5pm and Saturday 10am–3pm (UK time). Whether it’s about your order, which grip suits which hand, or how to cut it to the right height — a real person writes back.
Can I return it if it’s not for me?
Can I return it if it’s not for me?
Of course. 30-day money-back guarantee. Try it on your usual walk for a week, and if the grip isn’t right for the hand it was meant for, email info@cedarandtinco.com within 30 days for a full refund. No questions, and UK delivery is free.
How is it made?
How is it made?
Malcolm starts with the shape, not the animal. He roughs out the grip with mallet and chisel until it sits right in the heel of the hand, at a slight angle to the shaft. Only then does he carve the owl, horse, elephant or leopard into it, cut by cut. Grip and shaft are one piece of hardwood. The finish is oil, rubbed in by hand over three days, so the grip stays dry and sure in a warm hand. Each stick is wrapped in brown paper with its length pencilled on the end.