8 of the best getaways for craftspeople across the globe
5 August 2021
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).
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
