Wild Pottery – Level 2
2026 dates TBC
3 days, 10.30am – 5pm*
Venue: 70 acre ancient coppiced woodland on a family-run working farm: peaceful and beautiful Dernwood Farm Nr Heathfield, East Sussex.
An immersive 3 days making wild pottery using clay you dig from the woods, decorating it with earth pigments and firing in a clamp kiln, leaving no trace.
This course provides a thorough understanding of all the processes involved in making wild pottery, and gives you a hands-on appreciation of the origins of this craft. The tools, equipment and technology we’ll be using are, as far as is known, the same as those used since Neolithic times, when pottery began, and well into the Bronze age.
The making: the whole of the first day will be for prepping the clay and making your pots. You’ll dig your own clay from the woods. A range of natural earth pigments will be available for you to decorate your pots, using various natural brushes.
The firing: on the second day we’ll set up the clamp kiln together, which will burn for about 24 hours. It’s a wonderful team activity prepping and bringing together the various elements including wood, fire and earth. On day 3 we’ll uncover the pots and clean them up.
A simple but hearty vegetarian lunch is provided, we’ll have have a kettle on the camp fire, plus a huge tarp on hand for cover in case we need it. I aim to offer you a satisfying learning experience as well as an enjoyable time away from it all. To support you in getting the most from the days, we’ll connect to the woodland surroundings through a short and simple, guided mindfulness-based practice.
It was great to work together communally and use our physical bodies to dig, knead, mould, sweep, build, blow, and wait. I really loved it and felt my body just relax and feel more solid… an effect I wasn’t expecting!
You provided such a beautiful space, thank you for sharing these valuable crafts and techniques with us. VT, Sussex
Groups are kept small to allow for individual attention.
*This course includes 2.5 days of teaching spread over 3 days (to accommodate firing time). The morning of day 3 is free time for you to have a lie-in, a leisurely brunch at the onsite cafe and / or some quiet time in the beautiful woods.
Accommodation: camping is available at the farm venue, details will be sent to you when you book. The farm also has glamping options- cosy bell tents and cabins with wood-burners. The cost of staying at the farm isn’t included in the cost of the course. Read about accommodation options.
Check out all my Wild Pottery courses, and you can read FAQs here.
See you in the woods!
The clay: Native Hands has a special agreement with the farm venue to dig small amounts of clay with participants on Wild Pottery courses. This permission does not extend to people who are not part of the group on the day of the course.
Featured in the Guardian lifestyle section. National Geographic & Toyota put Native Hands in their top 125 UK adventures.
