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Crafts CouncilStories

8 of the best getaways for craftspeople across the globe


5 August 2021

Upskill on your downtime


5 August 2021

  • Textiles
  • Weaving
  • Architecture
  • Craft education
  • Travel

Featuring-Featuring collaborated with Avantika Agarwal to produce a waxed cotton tent during their stay at Designers On Holiday

Build a boat in the Alaskan wilderness, learn Japanese glaze firing in Croatia between dips in the ocean, and brush up on your basketry techniques by the sea in Spain. Here are our picks of the most alluring craft holidays in Europe and beyond (though be sure to check the latest coronavirus travel guidance before you book your stay abroad).

Designers On Holiday

Location: Gotland, Sweden
Craft: Architecture
Prices: Contact for details

This permanent campsite in the Swedish countryside offers designers of various disciplines the opportunity to come together and share their skills and ideas. Over the six years it has been running, guests have built the site’s amenities, so if you visit now you’ll be living it up with beautifully designed tents and cabins – as well as a hot tub, plunge pool, sauna, wood-fired oven, kiln, woodland cinema, herbal distillery, and a sailing boat, as well as a plethora of handmade pottery and hand-carved spoons. Now it’s up to you to leave your mark.


  • Courtesy: Weaving by the Sea. Photo: Tim Johnson

  • Courtesy: Weaving by the Sea. Photo: Tim Johnson

Weaving by the Sea

Location: Catalonia, Spain
Craft: Basketry
Price: €285 for three days, excluding accommodation

Now in its ninth year, this series of basket-weaving workshops takes place in Vilanova i la Geltr, a coastal town near Barcelona. Traditional Catalan methods, such as the ‘nansa’ fishtrap and knotting techniques, are taught, as are those from the wider Mediterranean and Africa – including ‘camel looping' from the Saharan region and unusual knotted methods from Turkey. Contemporary, experimental classes with a range of materials are also offered, with courses taught in English, Danish, Norwegian and Catalan.


The island of Brač, Croatia, in the Adriatic Sea. Photo: Saman Bahmani

The Raku Garden

Location: Brač, Croatia
Craft: Raku pottery
Prices: €1380 per person for six days/seven nights

Learn the ancient Japanese firing technique between dips in the Adriatic sea. Practice your hand-building before exploring raku glazes and experimenting with layering, masking, surface texture and different decorating techniques, alongside a range of firing methods. The team behind The Raku Garden can help sort your accommodation in the surrounding village of Povlja.


Courtesy: Knitting in Iceland

Knitting in Iceland

Location: Various
Craft: Knitting
Prices: Contact for details

Get inside Iceland's knitting tradition with these tours by Icelandic designer Hélène Magnússon and tour operator Iceland Rovers. Hike across glaciers, see the Northern Lights, and meet local craftspeople, dyers and spinners – all with wool and needles in hand. Accommodation, such as in local guesthouses, comes as part of the package.


Chichicastenango textile market in Antigua, Guatemala. Photo: José Barrios

Art Workshops in Guatemala

Location: Antigua, Guatemala
Craft: Weaving
Prices: From $2250 to $2695, including tuition and accommodation

One-on-one classes in centuries-old backstrap weaving take place in the homes of experienced Guatemalan instructors and are aimed at both experienced and novice weavers. The organisers also offer trips to the nearby Chichicastenango textile market, as well as to remote locations to meet the women involved in small weaving cooperatives. All tours include tuition, lodging, some food and ground transportation.


The Loom Room is close to Nérac in the historic Gascony region of southwest France

The Loom Room

Location: Nérac, France
Craft: Weaving
Prices: From €130 per day per person to €500 for a four-day workshop or €1,300 for a family

Enjoy weaving for beginners and intensive classes on the Jacquard loom, as well as themed courses on honeycomb structures and creating texture at La Tuilerie in Gascony, south-west France. The residential itinerary also leaves space for you to sample the local food, wine and scenery.


  • Courtesy: The Folk School Fairbanks

  • Courtesy: The Folk School Fairbanks

The Folk School Fairbanks

Location: Fairbanks, Alaska
Craft: Woodwork, ceramics and more
Prices: From $250 for a weekend or $900 for a week

Spend a week in the woods or a weekend on the river, camping, exploring and making with the Alaska-based folk school, which says its mission is to ‘perpetuate the joy of hands-on learning’. Lessons in playing the ukulele are also on offer.


Sunset over Stilbaai Beach, South Africa. Courtesy: South African Tourism

Stilbaai Art Retreat

Craft: Printmaking, jewellery making and painting
Location: Cape Province, South Africa
Prices: From R2500 (£125) for three days to R5000 (£250) for six days, excluding travel and accommodation

Soak up the beaches and nature of the seaside village of Stilbaai, while picking up screenprinting, monoprinting, painting and jewellery making skills. Materials, lunch and teaching are included.

Discover creative retreats for craftspeople in the UK

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