FAQs - Quirky Workshops - Craft Workshops and Courses in Cumbria

How do I book?

All of our workshops can be booked online, either as a group or an individual. Follow the process using the Booking buttons on each course.

PLEASE CHECK YOUR SPAM ....You should receive an automated email immediately after booking, if it does not appear you should find it in spam. At this stage please make us a trusted sender, otherwise you will miss other emails too.

If you have a Quirky Workshops VOUCHER you wish to use, simply select the Pay Offline option at the bottom of the booking page. Your space will then have been reserved and you can then simply contact us by email with your voucher code. If necessary, you can pay any balance due by BACS, once we send you our bank details.

There are a few collaborative courses, for example Expressive Watercolours with sarah Stokes, or Calligraphy where paying by voucher may not be possible. Please enquire.

Please contact us if you have any further questions.

What sort of food is served – I have special dietary requirements?

Full day courses include refreshments, a tasty lunch and later, in the afternoon, a cream tea to close the day.

Post Covid, we have moved to serving lunch in brown paper bags, allowing students to remain at their desks over the lunch period or if they choose, take a break outside. In the summer lunch is always served on the lawn overlooking Greystoke Castle Estate.

FOOD: A Lunch selection list will be waiting on your desk to be completed on your arrival. We offer meat, vegetarian and vegan options of sandwiches and wraps. Gluten free bread/ choices are also available.

DRINKS We have fresh coffee, tea, hot water and a variety of fruit and herbal teas, If you would like special milk for your coffee/ tea you are welcome to bring it along.

We do operate out of a domestic kitchen however and therefore are unable to guarantee avoiding cross contamination, if for example you have a serious nut allergy or similar.

If you prefer to bring your own food, that’s fine too.

Who teaches the courses?

Our tutors are all hand-picked experts and many are professional craftsmen and women. They travel from all over the country to take courses here in Greystoke. All are experienced in teaching mixed ability groups and many are considered nationally as leaders in their own discipline.

Are the courses suitable for beginners?

Absolutely!
Our tutors are very skilled at teaching classes of mixed ability and experience and unless otherwise stated, beginners are always welcome and often make up the majority of the group.

Can children do the courses?

Generally speaking, our courses are designed for adults and several of our course tutors stipulate a minimum age of 16 or 17 for insurance purposes. We can sometimes take children over 14 by arrangement. However, both under 16s and any vulnerable adults should be accompanied by an adult. It is unlikely that a reduced fee is applicable, but by all means ask as each course is different.

Will I complete my craft in one day?

We know how satisfying it is to take away a completed item so most of our courses are designed to make this happen. Sometimes the tutor will over-run in order to ensure you reach completion, and some courses even allow you to make multiple items. Inevitably though this is not always the case. On a few classes the workshop will equip you with skills to get well underway and you will leave with the techniques needed to complete your craft at home; it depends on the course.

Where do courses take place?

Since May 2020 two indoor workshop studios have been in use.

The first floor Swallow Barn was converted from an old hayloft during the 2020 Lockdown. Details can be found on the home page. Most of our workshops take place in this studio

The ground floor Squirrel Barn was upgraded in the Summer of 2021 and enjoys French doors leading to a private patio area. The Raku Pottery, Ceramics, Needlefelting and Silver Jewellery usually take placein this smaller studio.

Cob Pizza oven, Spoon Carving and Wood Carving days are held outside in different parts of the garden, hopefully in the sunshine. Gazebos and screens are erected if needed during wet inclement weather.

Are there any additional costs?

Your course fee includes all your tuition, a delicious home made lunch, fresh coffee, hot drinks and a home baked cream tea (full day courses only) to close the day. In order to keep front end costs to a minimum, any additional material charges are payable directly to the tutor, usually in cash, on the day. This materials charge may include other costs the tutor has incurred. We list these costs on the course page and remind you in your joining email in the weeks before your workshop. It helps if you can bring cash for this. This information is also available within each course description on the website.

How can I pay?

Payment can either be taken online during the booking process, using credit or debit cards, or later, after completion of booking, by BACS online transfer, Cheque or Vouchers.

If you have a VOUCHER you wish to use (either Quirky Workshops or Craft Courses) simply select the Pay Offline option at the bottom of the booking page. Your space will then have been reserved and you can then simply contact us by email with your voucher code. If necessary, you can pay any balance due by BACS, once we send you our bank details.

There are a few courses, for example Silver Jewellery making and Traditional English Longbow making, where the booking process is shared between Quirky Workshops and the course provider. In these cases you simply pay a deposit to secure your place and either ourselves or the course provider will contact you regarding the balancing payment. By working through the Booking process and agreeing to pay the deposit you will atleast have secured your place, even if you select the pay offline option.

Please contact us if you have any further questions.

Do you offer discounts or special offers?

Occasionally we have last minute spaces at discounted prices so do please sign up here to join our mailing list – you'll then be informed of any late availability offers, as well as being among the first to receive our new programme for the following year.

I’d like to give a place on a course as a gift - can I buy gift vouchers?

Yes – you can either buy an open voucher for a range of values that can be used towards any of our courses, or you can buy a place on an actual specified course for someone. Click here for more information.

What do I need to bring with me?

We will email you a ‘what to bring’ list in the weeks preceeding your workshop.

Most importantly, you need to bring yourself, enthusiasm and a smile! :)

And possibly any reference material you may have gathered (depending on the workshop).

Is there parking on site?

We have very limited parking at the venue. We gratefully request that those who are able, to park in the FREE Greystoke village and walk the few hundred yards along our flat country lanes (perhaps alongside the racehorses!) or a path by a stream, to their workshop. We will send you maps just before your course; these can also be found here. If you are bringing heavy equipment eg a sewing machine, you are welcome to park here temporarily while you drop it off before dropping your car off towards the village - or perhaps, depending on the day, for such courses, parking on the driveway might be possible. It may be a tight squeeze though. All persons park at their own risk. We cannot be held responsible for damage to vehicles parked on our driveway.

Is the venue accessible for everyone e.g. wheelchairs?

Greystoke Craft Garden (formerly the Cycle Café Tea Garden) is an old 17th Century farmhouse which as well as being a listed building, is also our family home and admittedly there are some challenges to making it fully accessible. The workshops, lunch and toilet are all at ground floor level but space in the workshop barn, and particularly the toilet, is limited. We have a gravel driveway. The two parking spaces are available right outside the workshop.

Is there disabled parking available?

If you are unable to walk a couple of hundred yards from the village then we can reserve one of our two parking spaces here in the driveway. Please let us know at the time of booking if you'll need a space reserved for you.

Can you get there by public transport?

The nearest train station is Penrith, 6 miles away. We are confident that a bus service will be available between Penrith railway station and Greystoke village in 2025, several times a day. The best up to date information can be found on the greystokevillage.co.uk website.

It’s a very straight forward bike ride from the station of around 6 - 8 miles slightly uphill! A taxi from the station will cost around £15-20. Often students share lifts back towards Penrith (station) at the end of the day. We can, of course, always order a taxi for you if a lift is not forthcoming.

Is there mobile phone reception?

Mobile phone reception is variable and occasionally non-existent. Factors such as your phone, your provider and even the weather make a difference! It’s best not to rely on it during your workshop. If you need to make an urgent call or be contactable, texts get through more often than calls. A message (which we do our best to relay) can always be left with the Quirky Workshops office on 017684 83984. We do however have WIFI throughout the workshop, therefore Whatsapp might be a better mode of contact.

Is there free Wi-Fi?

Yes there is free Wi-Fi throughout the venue.

Will other people be using the venue during my workshop?

Quite often we run two or more workshops at the same time, sometimes three even if an outdoor course is scheduled. Over lunchtimes it's nice for students to explore the other studio and have a look at another course taking place.

Are dogs allowed on the premises?

Well behaved dogs can be left outside the workshop barn, either tied up under a sheltered area in the summer, or even in your car if one of the disabled parking spaces is available. There are ‘quietish’ lanes surrounding the venue so a quick walk at lunchtime is quite possible. Please do ask as it will depend on what else is happening at the venue on any particular day.

For those students who require the presence of their trained dog for medical reasons, it is no problem to bring the dog to sit under your desk. However, please ask each time you book as room layout might be a factor. Thank you.

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