MAY GARDENS IN THE LAKE DISTRICT OF THE UK
What do May gardens in the Lake District of the UK, Beatrix Potter, Williams Wordsworth, and Derwent have in common? Our annual workshop with Gillian Lee Smith. We are so excited to share that we are going to the beautiful Lake District, not far from where Gillian lives in Northumberland.
The inception of this trip was cooked up at our workshop in Belfast this year. Some of us are avid gardeners and we were talking about some day seeing UK gardens in season. Then Gillian told us about the Lake District……..
We will stay at a beautiful hotel in the Lake District’s most famous lake —Windermere. It blends classic Lake District charm with modern comforts. Here you will experience the best of the past and present in one unforgettable stay. The in-house horticulturist tends to the luscious green lawns, vibrant flower beds and peaceful spots to relax.
Gillian’s wild and chaotic garden is her sanctuary, and she spends hours just sitting, absorbing the textures, details and beauty. To slow down, absorb, notice and gather is an act of rebellion in a world that says ‘go faster.’ But nature knows the score. We will gather inspiration and create something that encapsulates nature, memory, and a moment in time in the beautiful landscape of the Lake District in Cumbria.
Gillian’s garden pictured below
Our mixed-media botanical journals will feature beautiful botanical prints, hand-drawn and hand-embroidered elements, pockets and pages for natural collections, and envelopes for tiny, precious fragments that we find along the way.
We will use Gelli-plate printing in various ways to capture the intriguing textures and fine details of plants and flowers. Metallic inks will highlight shapes and details, and embroidery will enhance and embellish, creating spaces to gather the natural forms we find. Finally, the book will be beautifully bound and finished with fabrics and any other elements you choose. You will finish the week with a book to treasure and one that you can continue to add to over time, according to the seasons.
We will gather and sketch on our exploration days and work from our studio base to create our books.
Rose Garden at Dove Cottage
Itinerary
Day One– Sunday – Everybody arrives and we will meet for our first dinner together this evening.
Day Two - Monday – Gillian will share her handmade artist books and sketchbooks in the morning, offering some easy ways to sketch and gather inspiration on our travel days. We then depart for Holker Hall with its more than 200 acres that include elliptical, summer, and sunken gardens, the meadows, a labyrinth and a sundial. We will have lunch here and dinner will be provided at the hotel.
Holker Hall
The estate has dramatic formal gardens that welcome you with displays of color and interest throughout the year. From there, winding paths take you through the collection of rare and exotic plants and trees that thrive in the extraordinary micro-climate of the Cartmel Peninsula. Highlights along the way are the Cascade and Burlington Fountain, the Sunken Garden, Pagen Grove, and the 400-year-old veteran Lime tree, the Holker Great Lime, voted one of Britain’s grandest trees with its girth at over 8 meters Here you can gather ideas for your own gardens and where we will take inspiration for our project with Gillian.
Day Three Tuesday. Today is printing day! Using the Gelli plate, Gillian will share various ways of printing, create backgrounds and use our botanical collections to create gorgeous multilayered prints. All meals provided.
Day Four - Wednesday. We will be further inspired by a Windermere Lake tour that will bring us to a delightful visit at the National Trust’s Beatrix Potter’s Hilltop Home and gardens. It is a time capsule of Potter’s life full of her favorite things. The house appears as if Beatrix had just stepped out for a walk. We will have lunch in the nearby village and tonight dinner is on your own.
Beatrix Potter’s Farmhouse Retreat
Day Five Thursday. Gillian will share some embroidery techniques to create elements for our covers and to incorporate into our pages. All meals provided.
Day Six Friday - It’s going to be an awesome travel day through the Lake District National Park. First we will travel to the Lakeland Arts & Crafts Blackwell House designed by Ballie Scott, one of the foremost designers in the Arts and Crafts movement, and built between 1889-1900. It is a stunning example of the design movement.
Blackwell House
We are off to visit Grasmere where we will wander through the poet William Worsdworth’s Dove cottage, gardens and museum.
“This plot of orchard-ground is ours; My trees they are, my Sister’s flowers; Here rest your wings when they are weary; Here lodge as in a sanctuary!”
Dove Cottage garden
Nearby is Grasmere Gather that brings together a unique range of artisan products, echoing the legacy of traditional heritage industries in Cumbria: farming and food, weaving and textile mills, mining and minerals, and tourism. We will have lunch here and then after we are done perusing (and buying), we will travel 30 minutes to the Derwent Pencil Museum where we will learn the history of these famous pencils. On our way home, we will stop for dinner in the quaint village of Ambleside.
Derwent Museum
This Escape Includes
8 nights at the Lakeside Hotel and Spa
Classes with Gillian Lee Smith
Gardens —Holker House, Beatrix Potter, Blackwell, Dodge Cottage
Windermere Lake Tour
Visit to Beatrix Potter’s House
Visit to the Derwent Factory
All breakfasts, six lunches and seven dinners (one lunch and one dinner on your own)
Free time to explore
A farewell dinner
Price: $5,100, limited to 12 people based on double occupancy, limited single rooms are available for an additional $1000.
A $1,000 non-refundable deposit is due upon registration. The balance is due January 8, 2026.
Price does not include transportation to/from the UK,, alcohol, country visa, and travel insurance (mandatory).
Hotel: Lakeside Hotel
Newby Bridge, Cumbria, UK LA12 8AT
Telephone. 015395 30001
Materials List
We will provide
Paper for book pages and book board for covers
Waxed bookbinding thread, curved needles, and sewing needles
Acrylic paint
Dip pens
Deli paper, tissue paper and vellum paper
Typewriter/carbon paper
Book glue
Cutting mats
Awls
Students Please Bring
Camera or phone camera
A Gelli plate – approx. 8 x 10 inches (There are various brands, Gillian will provide options upon booking)
A brayer
A few sheets of handmade paper or fabric to cover your book with
A sketchbook (around 8 x 8 inches or so)
Drawing pencils, sharpener, eraser
A bone folder
Small embroidery scissors
A small portable palette of watercolors with a mixing palette
A water container and a glue pot (yogurt pot, for example)
A small selection of watercolor brushes
A small spray bottle
A small ½ inch Glue brush
An Exacto knife and a scalpel knife with spare blades
A metal edge ruler
Ribbon for books, buttons for closures, and embroidery threads to decorate
A couple of bottles of acrylicink (Gillian likes Liquitex transparent inks)
Metallic ink – Gillian likes C. Roberson & Co Liquid metal acrylic inks
A small tub of Dorlands wax
Optional Extras
Hand-dyed or vintage fabric scraps
White pen
Color pencils – Gillian likes Derwent Drawing Pencils (natural colors which go well with inks and paint)
Day 7 Saturday - Our books will be hand-bound today, with fastenings added, and we will have more time to continue working on our book pages. All meals included.
Day Eight - Sunday. We will work for half the day, making any last minute additions to our journals. We will share our creations and then the rest of the day is on your own, including lunch. You have time to hike, explore, rest, or get a massage before we meet this evening for our final meal together.
Day Nine - Monday. The Trip is over and you are free to continue exploring more of the District, or to return home.
The famous Grasmere Gingerbread
Garden - Gillian above, Holker Gardens below
This itinerary may change due to weather, new opportunities or the whim of the group.
Gillian Lee Smith is a Scottish artist living in the beautiful, historic North-East coast of England that daily influences her work. As a teacher, Gillian is inspired to bring her love of people and place to each workshop using a wealth of techniques to make new discoveries along with her students. She has several very successful online courses and a mentoring program.