Fancy your own pottery throwdown or making a marvellous mosaic? Head into the Forest of Dean for a crafty escape with our five favourite arty independents and let your creative spirit run wild.
Explore our The Crafty Forest itinerary which includes:
Get Snappy with Sculpture
Snap up new skills with the Forest of Dean & Wye Valley School of Photography whilst exploring one of the UK’s first Sculpture Trails, home to incredible installations by world-leading artists. Stay 15 mins’ walk away in a 100-year-old cottage.
Go to: The 4.5 mile Forest of Dean Sculpture Trail was one of the first to open in the UK and features beautiful sculptures and installations by some of the world’s leading artists, bedded down between trees and rooted into the forest floor.
Do this: Join professional photographer and Forest local, David Broadbent of The Forest of Dean & Wye Valley School of Photography, for a fascinating Forest of Dean Photography Experience masterclass discovering the stunning artworks and unique landscape along the trail. With over 35 years’ photography experience, David runs one-to-one courses to help you skill-up or sharpen your style, as well as group sessions. Each session is tailored to your needs and walking pace, lasting two to five hours.
Stay here: Woodside Cottage, a 100-year old cottage set in the Cannop Valley just a 15 minute walk from the start of the Forest of Dean Sculpture Trail (sleeps six, in three bedrooms).
Go to: Lydney, the ‘Gateway to the Forest’, where you’ll find mosaic maestro, Rachel Shilston. Her bright, modern Inspiring Creativity studio is a vibrant den of creativity large enough to accommodate groups of up to 30. There’s also a funky fully-licensed ‘chill out zone’ where you can refuel with a hot drink (or something a little stronger).
Do this: Make a unique mosaic under Rachel’s expert guidance on her Mosaic for Beginners Workshop. First, choose your design: from bees and owls to beach huts and hearts. Then bring it to life using gorgeous vitreous glass tiles, ceramic beads and glass pebbles. Rachel will show you the steps to take to create something to be proud of and she’ll teach you how to grout your design so you can finish it off back at home with complimentary grout. Also keep an eye out for Rachel’s fabulous themed mosaic events that she runs during the year. They’re a winning experience and some even include food, cocktails and entertainment.
Go to: The award-winning Harts Barn Cookery School where you can stir fry a feast thanks to accessible, practical, and affordable cooking classes. You’ll find the school set amongst a rural complex of craft businesses, one of which is the Forest Larder. Here you can pick up a range of local delights such as honey, meat, cheese, eggs and beer.
Do this: Book a Forage and Feast or an Afternoon Tea Experience. Or, if they don’t take your fancy, why not learn Chinese cooking or how to make artisan bakes? The range of classes is huge and they offer one-on-one and group courses. Whatever you want to cook or bake, they can teach you.
Stay here: Parish Mill Holidays - featuring a pretty self-catering 17th century stone cottage (sleeping up to five) and a cosy one-bedroom stone lodge (sleeping two). Run by Tracey and David, both properties are built with local Forest stone and come with their own private gardens and hot tubs as well as seven acres of gorgeous gardens and pastures to explore.
Arts and Crafts Shopping
At Taurus Crafts, the arts and crafts capital of the Forest, pick up locally-made arts and crafts as gifts or something special for the home. Stay in a dog friendly cottage or camp at Forest Oak Farm.
Go to: Taurus Crafts, a vibrant arts and crafts centre that’s home to a diverse range of indie businesses. Alongside the friendly cafe, garden centre and gift shops, there’s always something creative and crafty going on whether it’s a seasonal event or fun workshop. There’s much more than you might imagine at this hidden Forest of Dean treasure.
Do this: Watch a stone carver in action, book a chocolate-making class with The Chocolate Bar, get a picture framed or book into a ring-making class with The Studio Jewellery School and make your rings in either silver, gold, palladium or platinum.
Stay here: Forest Oak Farm - 20 acres of family-run farmland where you can either camp or check in to one of the dog-friendly holiday cottages overlooking the fields.
Pottery Time
Go potty for pottery with a Pottery Trial Class run by Eastnor Pottery in Herefordshire. Stay nearby at the delightful Saltbox Escapes.
Go to: Make tracks for Eastnor Pottery, located within the magnificent Herefordshire Country Estate of Eastnor Castle, surrounded by the Malvern Hills. Great walks and dramatic scenery make this the ideal place to spend a creative break.
If you are unable to visit the Pottery studio in Herefordshire, The Flying Potter is more than willing to deliver the Eastnor Pottery Experience to a venue of your choice.
Do this:
About Us
Eastnor Pottery offers remarkable pottery experiences for individuals, groups, schools, businesses and organisations. We work with tens of thousands of workshop participants, all ages and abilities, exploring creativity and sharing the therapeutic benefits of working with clay.
Experience ‘hands on’ real clay and an exciting variety of hand modelling making techniques.
Small friendly groups ensure maximum attention from our experienced staff, always on hand to guide and offer advice.
Big emphasis on having fun and learning via enjoyment.
Fantastic fired results every time. Your clay masterpiece will be fired and glazed, spending four days in the kiln. You’ll be totally amazed at the professional, ceramic quality of your creative efforts when they emerge from the fire!
Stay here: Sleep in a beautifully renovated 19th-century stone cottage at nearby Saltbox Escapes. Expect a well-equipped modern open-plan living space, plus exceptional views across the outstanding countryside.
The stunning scenery and landscapes of the Forest of Dean and Wye Valley has long been an inspirational place to many writers, artists, poets and craftspeople and the arts and crafts scene in the area is vibrant and diverse, from potters to jewellers, weavers to painters, musicians to photographers.
Unique experiences abound in the Forest of Dean and Wye Valley. From outdoor adventures to creative activities, guided tours to heart pumping thrills, we have it all. There's rock climbing and off-road driving, archery, paintball and stand-up paddleboarding. Or why not enjoy a distillery tour or wine tasting, foraging experience, cookery class or photography workshop or sample some of our nature and wildlife based experiences.
Freedom awaits the adventurous, creative and spirited in the Forest of Dean and Wye Valley. Whether you’re a foodie or thrill seeker, nature lover or wild explorer, this beautiful area has so many memorable experiences to offer. It’s a place to free your mind, body and soul, express yourself with arts and crafts, get outside and get active or simply explore a wealth of hidden gems and interesting things to do.
The stunning scenery and landscapes of the Forest of Dean and Wye Valley has long been an inspirational place to many writers, artists, poets and craftspeople and the arts and crafts scene in the area is vibrant and diverse, from potters to jewellers, weavers to painters, musicians to photographers.
