Dry Stone Walling courses

[FamilyWiggs]

I've read the books and now Mrs W is going to buy me a weekend away learning to wall; we've got miles of the stuff to repair...

Anyone been on any courses and got any recommendations?

I'm in N Wales but don't mind travelling.

Thanks

Robin

 

[JoceAndChris]

It's come up in the past that Schoolmarm - Carole- knows quite a bit about this. She's around on FB now, she might be able to help you.
I don't think I can persuade Chris to send me on the same course as you, much as I'd love to.

 

[robgil]

Can you learn the trade in one week end?

Edit - why not approach a dry stone waller and ask if you can do some voluntary labouring in exchange for enough knowledge to see you through your repairs?

 

[FamilyWiggs]

Can you learn the trade in one week end?

Edit - why not approach a dry stone waller and ask if you can do some voluntary labouring in exchange for enough knowledge to see you through your repairs?

You mean it takes longer than a weekend and some books? :roll:

I reckon a weekend course will give me enough back-up to my reaidng to enable me to learn on the job with my own walls. There's a skill to stripping out sections and rebuilding.

Once I've done a few dozen hours on my walls, I can go back for an "improvers" weekend to learn about complex bits like slopes, corners and gates.

I think for £80 I can't go far wrong, and this is the broad cost of most of the weekend beginner courses I've looked at.

I'm looking at this course:

http://www.derbyshire-dswa.org.uk/dry_stone_walling_courses_for_beginners.htm

 

[robgil]

Sorry FW , lack of sleep is getting the better of me. I recall many years ago when i was a wee nipper my mums friend was a dry stone wall builder mostly working up in the Mourne Mountains, he would always say ''it looks easy , but it takes years of hard work to get it right'' , we would always take the mick telling him it looked as though he was just putting rocks up ontop of each other. He was an old fella but really ropey and fit as a fiddle climbing up mountain sides every day. He reckoned it was a dying trade.
How badly deteriorated are your walls?

 

[Schoolmarm]

Oooh!! Why Derbyshire? Why not the very fab Sean Adcock in North Wales? He wins all the competitions and writes loads of stuff in fact I think he wrote BTCV handbook.


http://www.dswa.org.uk/north-wales-g.asp

 

[JoceAndChris]

Schoolmarm to the rescue!

 

[FamilyWiggs]

'Marm - a wonderfully warm welcome back to these shores.

I've been emailing Sean recently, but the dates for N Wales courses this year aren't set yet, and I wanted to go in the next month or two. I can see the mountain from my window where they do some of their courses. I'll book one of his later in the year when the dates are out. The Derbyshire guys seem pretty good too.

Rob - they vary from almost complete to grass covered lumps alongside the fields.