On a sunny day gather your rose petals. That is, the petals from approximately 5 rose flowers. Take only the petals, not the centre, which is the rose hip. We leave that to forage later in the year.
Give the petals a little shake and check for bugs.
I prefer not to wash them, but if you are unsure of the place you picked them from, you can give them a quick wash in a bowl of cold water.
In a large pot, place a heat-proof bowl, add the rose petals all around the heat-proof bowl, and pour the water over them.
Place the lid of the large pot upside down onto the pot. Turn the heat to medium.
Place the ice cubes on top of the lid. Simmer gently for 30 minutes or so. During this period you may need to tip discard the melted ice water and replace it with fresh ice.
After 30 minutes, take off the heat and carefully open the lid so as to not tip the ice water into the bowl underneath.
You will see through the distillation process water has collected in the bowl in the centre. Transfer the rose water into sterilised bottles and allow it to cool before securing the lid.
If at this stage you feel you don't have enough rose water and there is still enough water for evaporation in the pot, then repeat the process for another 30 minutes or so, keeping a close watch.
Use the rose water as desired for skin care or cooking.