"Beautiful location. Excellent instructors" - Alan (Burford, Oxfordshire)

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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: 23^rd March 2020

In response to the developing Covid-19 situation and further updates from central Government, we have made the decision to suspend our Rural Skills programme until further notice.

This decision was taken with the best interests of our instructors and participants in mind, and we would like to apologise for the disruption caused.

To ensure that this disruption is kept to a minimum, we have also suspended our cancellations policy to re-organise all courses once the wider situation permits, following conversations with instructors, course participants, and landowners.

The Rural Skills programme offers a fantastic range of opportunities to engage with the countryside and the traditional skills that have directly shaped its landscape features and character. To support this programme during the difficult situation caused by Covid-19, we ask that people who have bought places on our courses agree to rescheduling the course, rather than a refund, and we are currently contacting all participants to make the necessary arrangements

Please email ruralskills@cotswoldsaonb.org.uk or info@cotswoldsaonb.org.uk with any queries.

Many thanks for your understanding and further updates will also be added to this website.

Upcoming Courses

Grasslands and Meadow Plant Identification **COURSE CANCELLED**

3rd June 2020 - Manor Farm, Sopworth, Wiltshire

A fantastic one day course focusing on basic identification of plants in grassland and meadow habitats, involving a combination of field identification and class-room learning

Blacksmithing - Taster Day **COURSE CANCELLED**

4th June 2020 - The Old Prison, Northleach

Spend a day learning about the skill of blacksmithing through practising the use of the tools and techniques used by blacksmiths.

Dry Stone Walling - Beginners **COURSE CANCELLED**

6th June 2020 - 7th June 2020 - Estcourt Estate, Tetbury, Gloucs, GL8 8XF

Spend two days in the glorious Cotswolds landscape rebuilding a historic dry stone wall.

LANTRA Accredited Level 1 Dry-stone Walling Course **COURSE CANCELLED**

8th June 2020 - 20th June 2020 - Burford, Oxfordshire

Accredited Dry-stone walling course suitable for those who have attended a Beginners course or have some experience of dry-stone walling.

Blacksmithing - Taster Day **COURSE CANCELLED**

18th June 2020 - The Old Prison, Northleach

Spend a day learning about the skill of blacksmithing through practising the use of the tools and techniques used by blacksmiths.

Blacksmithing Improvers - Tongs forging **COURSE CANCELLED**

20th June 2020 - The Old Prison, Northleach

Spend a day learning about the skill of blacksmithing through practising the use of the tools and techniques used by blacksmiths to make a set of tongs.