"Beautiful location. Excellent instructors" - Alan (Burford, Oxfordshire)
Welcome to Cotswolds Rural Skills
The Cotswolds Rural Skills website is a one stop shop for training courses and competitions in a wide range of rural skills and crafts throughout the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. By working with local instructors, organisations, community groups and landowners we ensure that these courses are not only informative and practical but also make a noticeable and lasting contribution to the Cotswold landscape. So whether you want to try your hand at blacksmithing, stone carving, rebuild a 200 year old dry stone wall, or have a go at the ancient art of thatching, then one of these courses could be for you! Booking online is easy just click on the course you're interested in, register and pay.
Update: February 2021
We'd really like to thank everyone for bearing with us while we sailed the choppy waters of 2020. Last year threw up many challenges, and we have been grateful for the understanding and patience of our trainers, course trainees, landowners, venues and suppliers as we amended and adapted our Rural Skills programme in line with ongoing guidance about coronavirus from the Government.
Although the Rural Skills programme is currently suspended, we are very busy 'behind the scenes' setting up a new programme of courses from May 2021 onwards. As part of this new programme, expect a few fantastic surprises once we start to run courses again, as soon as we can safely do so!
As these courses are finalised with landowners and instructors, we'll be in touch with everyone who has kindly retained their booking, to find a course for you at a convenient location and date.
In the meantime, please email us with any queries or concerns that you might have: ruralskills@cotswoldsaonb.org.uk