The Great Art Retreat
A creative retreat like no other!
15th August-17th August 2025
Spend a weekend surrounded by nature in the stunning Chiltern Hills and dive into creativity discovering 5 Artistic mediums from lino carving to ceramics! Taught by nationally renowned artists with years of experience, you are bound to walk away with fantastic new artworks and a rediscovered artistic passion! The fully catered weekend will see you experience the mouth watering delights of our open fire chefs as they bring you organic local produce from farm to plate! Camp in our luxurious bell tents and gaze at the stars from around the campfire in the evenings among new friends!
Craft Itinerary
Craft Itinerary
Tailor made for this event each of our artists will run a 3.5hr long workshop session where you will get hands on with the styles and techniques of the medium. Under the guidance of your tutor you will take blank canvases and bring them to life with colour, texture and no small amount of soul. These sessions are all designed for beginners who are new to each Artistic medium and wish to re-discover the joy of art! Take a look below to see what you will be creating !
Lino Printing
with
Mark Lord
Lino Workshop
After an introduction you will begin carving a test block to get used to the tools, mark making and then print the block.
Please have a think about what you might like to carve as your main block. I would suggest keeping it a simple design for you to achieve the carving and printing during the session.
Popular subjects and ideas are flowers, plants or leaves such as a Monstera leaf, acorns and Oak leaves, an object such as an old camera or favourite old kitchen utensils, a shiny ball with festive patterns/decorations ready for your Christmas cards (2025!), a simple scene, a yacht at sea, seashells or a cat on a cushion could all work! There will also be plenty of beautiful inspiration around the woods too!
If you are bringing a photo or drawing please remember when you transfer the image it will be back to front so if you can please bring any images that are already flipped! For example a boat going from left to right in a photo will print where it is travelling right to left. This doesn't always matter unless it's somewhere very specific or if you have text in the image! We will be working on 6"x4" blocks or 8"x6" blocks.
If you prefer to draw from your photo or drawing straight onto the lino then you will just need to remember it will reproduce onto paper in reverse.
If you would like to bring an object to work from, sketch then transfer to the lino that's fine but it will take longer.
Botanical Water Colours
with
Tasha Arkell
Watercolour workshop
A mindful combination of watercolours and nature journaling. During this workshop, you’ll explore the beauty of seasonal summer flowers and learn the basics of watercolour painting.
Tasha will walk you through how to paint basic watercolour flowers and work from a real-life reference. Then, you’ll step into the surrounding woodland at Path Hill to forage your own natural inspiration—perhaps a flower, a leaf, or a sprig of greenery. Returning to the workshop space, you’ll use your findings to create a nature-inspired painting, blending the art of watercolour with the joy of nature journaling to create your own unique piece to take home with you.
Ceramics
Hand Building Pottery
Coming soon!!
Traditional Sign Writing
with
David Merns
Create an Initial or Symbol Plaque
Coming soon!
Friday evening Mixed Media
Mixed media mini session
Coming soon!
Itinerary
Day 1 - Friday Evening
Arrive between 4-5pm and be welcomed to your home for the weekend, settle into your bell tent meet the team and relax in nature. After a bit of a meet and greet with everyone you will be given your personal itinerary and shown the site and locations of our workshops. Our chefs will prepare a beautiful meal and desert for the evening, afterwards enjoy our Friday night mixed media evening session and get warmed up for the sessions the next day. Once finished around 8/9pm, all that's left to do is chat around the campfire and get ready to jump into crafts the next day!
Day 2 - Saturday
After a simple but scrumptious buffet style breakfast you will begin your first art session at 9am at one of our teaching spaces. With 7 people per group you will receive plenty of personal tuition and be guided through the 3.5 hr session under expert tuition. At 12:30 you will head back to our main field where a hot lunch will be served by our chefs giving you a chance to show off your new artworks. After an hour lunch break the next session will commence at 1.30pm where you'll be trying your creative skills at a different artistic medium until the early evening.
Dinner will be a 3 course banquet of the most sumptuous variety! A serious feast! Among new friends, afterwards you can take an evening stroll in the countryside to explore the beautiful Hardwick estate, or sit round the fire and relax.
Day 3 - Sunday
Our second day of art will begin much the same with a simple and energising breakfast before our 9am Art workshop session begins. Under the wing of another professional artist you will walk away with a finished piece to adorn the home. Lunch at 1:30pm will be our last meal together once again prepared by our chef. Your final 3.5 hr session will give you the opportunity to get you hands mucky and embrace your final activity with your new friends! We will round up for a farewell at 6pm where its over to you to discover more mediums to try for yourself or, better yet, speak to the instructors about further subject specific courses that they teach!
Accomodation
Accommodation & Facilities
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Our Accommodation for the 2 nights will be spacious bell tents with 3 people per bell tent, in same sex arrangements.
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Couples can book their own tent together (limited availability) and groups can book with up to 4 in a private tent (limited availability).
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You are expected to bring all sleeping kit you will require, roll mats, sleeping bags, blankets pillows etc.
Facilities
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Environmentally friendly compost loos are located on site.
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Hill-billy showers located onsite.
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Tea and Coffee and snack station available 24/7.
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Our outdoor kitchen is located in the 'cathedral', a cedar shingle building in our main camping field this will also be our dining and feasting space.
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All the teaching areas are under cover (although are not fully enclosed) to protect from any wet weather or intense sunshine!
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Phone signal is usually good on site although no Wi-Fi is provided.
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No power is onsite for charging devices or personal equipment - battery packs recommended.
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Parking is located onsite.
The Important Stuff
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AL is a seasoned open fire chef and will be concocting a variety of sumptuous meals for us with local produce from local farms and small businesses supporting the local area while enabling us to use the highest quality produce imaginable! Including using forged utensils and grill from Bill's Workshop to cook all your meals!
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AL will be assisted in his open fire kitchen by the rest of the team when our Saturday night feast is in preparation. All prepped in our outdoor kitchen and served in the 'cathedral'.
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The menu is a down to earth approach to open fire cooking with simple ingredients that will pack a flavoursome punch for all. The menu is subject to change due to the availability of local produce.
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Most dietary requirements can be catered for however please get in touch with any severe allergies to see if we can cater to your needs. After all, the outdoor kitchen is outdoor, and some allergens are unavoidable in this environment.
Menu
From grilled halloumi and charred peppers to beef roasting joints this menu is the real star of the weekend!
Our Saturday night feast will see a ladened table of flame roasted goodness, check the menu here!
Dietary requirements
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All dietary requirements and allergies must be stated beforehand!
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We can cater for: Veggie, Vegan, Gluten Free
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Please get in contact before hand to enquire about severe allergies including nuts, lactose, wheat.
Accomodation
What to Bring
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All sleeping kit, roll matts, sleeping bag, blankets, pillows
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A set of clothes for getting mucky during workshops - including a warm layer and shoes
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A set of clothes that aren't so mucky for the evening if you wish
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Warm layers and waterproofs are recommended
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Towels and toiletries
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Any personal medication
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Walking books recommended
More Important Stuff
Need to Knows
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Adults only due to the nature of our art workshops using sharp tools and as a place to relax away from little ones!
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You need to be reasonably healthy to be able to come to this retreat as it's a full day up and active on your feet and walking between workshop locations with you hands kept very busy crafting!
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Just the date shown is the one available this year, sign up to our newsletter for future dates when they are released.
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Unfortunately, our chefs cannot guarantee to cater to specific dietary requirements including sensitive & severe allergies due to the nature of our outdoor kitchen.
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All PPE is provided.
What's Included?
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2 Nights in a spacious bell tent
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All food, including our Saturday night feast provided by Alex Halfpenny
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5 different crafts/Arts sessions with professional artists and makers
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50 hours in the beautiful Chiltern Hills
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Car parking on site
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All PPE and safety equipment
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Tea / Coffee 24/7
Getting Here
Getting Here
Located on the edge of the Chilterns Hills on the border of Berkshire and South Oxfordshire:
Address:
Path Hill Farm, Path Hill, Goring Heath,
Reading RG8 7RE
Parking will be available on site for the duration of the weekend. This is a private estate and working farm so please do not come for a mooch before the event!