Unfortunately, we have had to cancel this event but there are still spaces on the art journalling workshop on Friday 9th June.
Draw, notice, stroll, write, relax, learn! This art journalling workshop and walk will enable you to explore some of the fascinating history and nature of the Ridgeway National Trail with Jo Beal, Wiltshire-based artist, and Sarah Wright, Ridgeway Officer.
We will spend the morning indoors at Tom Brown’s School Museum in Uffington (built in 1617), our base for the day. Sarah will introduce you to some of the Trail’s history and artefacts, and Jo will help you to capture your thoughts and observations in your journals with easy and accessible drawing techniques that will help build your confidence. Some of the Trail’s myths and legends will also provide inspiration for your journals, and you’ll learn some creative lettering techniques to use in them.
In the afternoon, we will take a gentle stroll from the National Trust car park to White Horse Hill to view the internationally renowned Bronze Age chalk figure of the White Horse. We’ll have time to wander around the site, taking in Dragon Hill, the Manger and Giant’s Steps, and Uffington Castle, an Iron Age rampart and ditch hillfort. We will spend time looking, listening and journalling our experience of this ancient place, before heading back along The Ridgeway.
We will walk at a gentle pace and there is a route option avoiding stiles. However, the museum entrance doorway width is 74cm (minimum), slopes cannot be avoided, and the surfaces are not suitable for wheelchairs. Off-road mobility vehicles are welcome, but some parts of the White Horse Hill site may not be accessible due to slopes, so please contact us to discuss before booking: ridgeway@oxfordshire.gov.uk.
A full materials list will be provided on booking, but you are encouraged to use what you have to hand at home!
Walk leader/organisation: Jo Beal, Artist
Walk Information
- Booking: £50 per person – Booking essential – 12 places
- Distance & approximate duration: 1.7 miles (2.7 km) – 6 hours
- Difficulty: Fairly easy (some gentle inclines, steps/stiles).
- Accessibility: Suitable for older children (13+). Under 18s must be accompanied by an adult (see useful information). Suitable for off-road mobility vehicles.
- Dogs: No dogs
- Refreshments: Tea, coffee, squash and cake provided. Please bring a packed lunch.
- Toilets: There are no toilets in the museum, but there are toilets available nearby.
- Meeting point: Tom Brown’s School House Museum, Broad Street, Uffington, Oxfordshire, SN7 7RA. What3Words: mountains.closets.popped. OS grid reference: SU 302 892.
- Public transport: None available.
- Parking: Free parking on local roads within a short distance of the museum.
For general booking information, health and safety advice, terms and conditions please see our useful information page.
Further Information
This workshop is on Saturday 10th June 2023. We are running another art journalling workshop on Friday 9th June 2023 at Ashbury. This workshop explores the atmospheric barrow at Wayland’s Smithy along the Ridgeway. If you wish to do both workshops and stay locally, you can find details of accommodation and places to eat on the Ridgeway website.
2023 is the year to discover The Ridgeway’s famous people and places and influence its future as it celebrates its 50th anniversary as a National Trail. There’s a Ridgeway Top 50 and other special events planned. For more information, see Ridgeway Anniversary and National Trails.
Purchasing a ticket for this event will help support work to protect, restore and promote the ancient Ridgeway National Trail.
Jo Beal is a Wiltshire-based artist inspired by the countryside, people and places. She loves to draw from observation and to reflect on and capture her daily life through her Drawing Diaries. Jo runs workshops to help others to draw through building confidence, teaching new skills, and encouraging a personal exploration and enjoyment of drawing. Jo trained at Chelsea School of Art. Find out more about Jo Beal.
This walk is brought to you by our partner:
