Pete and I may have found a solution to the holiday conundrum – the one where everyone says we have to have holidays, but we hate them with a passion. Seriously.

The latest plan is that, instead of swanning off to somewhere exotic and looking at old things, we will stay in good old Blighty and learn something. By doing.

Top of the list so far are courses run at the Sustainability Centre in Hampshire, which range from a day to a week or more. There is a hostel, and a camp site*, and the people there are lovely. Courses include camp craft, soap making, willow weaving and everything up to the full two week permaculture design course.

Another site I found this morning that looks good is Schumacher College in Devon. There courses appear to be a bit longer, with the shortest being 4 days, and include helping out with the gardening/ food preparation as well as attending the talks and lectures. I quite fancy this one on building an earthship.

I also fancy spending a day making my own shoes, and seeing Martin Crawford’s forest garden.

We’re still at the planning stage, so other suggestions will be considered!

*There is still the issue of the Jinxed Tent, but we’re working on it.