Guitar Weekend Courses in the Cotswolds

Guitar Weekends has been teaching groups of hobby players since 1994, covering most styles of music, including: blues, rock, jazz, country, folk and even guitar maintenance. Farncombe ticks all the boxes for the quality of courses run and it has been the southern base since May this year.

Check out their web site to see details of courses and see for yourself what students have said about their experiences on courses and how they have inspired them to improve (see the testimonials page on the web site).

A Guitar Weekend can be a standalone course or part of a wider holiday – the area will be able to occupy any accompanying family members and Farncombe offers a wide array of other courses for partners/spouses in particular. A Guitar Weekend is a unique and rewarding experience to learn oodles of technique with like-minded individuals but also to have fun and leave feeling truly motivated to continue improving.

A Guitar Weekend makes for an ultimate gift for guitarists – treat yourself, treat someone else or get someone to treat you – vouchers available. Fantastic discounts available for 2013 bookings made this year.

For more details or to book a place on one of the Guitar Weekends e-mail: info@guitarweekends.co.uk or call 0844 272 4433

Farncombe welcomes their new CEO, Andrew Grahame

Luxury hospitality business Farncombe has signalled its intent for growth by announcing the appointment of an industry-leading Chief Executive alongside plans for a £10m investment programme.

Farncombe comprises a small number of high-end brands, including four-star hotel Dormy House, award-winning meeting venue Cotswold Conference Centre and Farncombe Courses, which offers residential leisure breaks.

In a major coup for the Cotswold business, Farncombe has secured industry expert Andrew Grahame as its new Chief Executive.

Andrew spent almost three years as General Manager of the lavish Niagara on the Lake Vintage Inns in Ontario, Canada, before moving to the Hotel L’Horizon in Jersey to oversee an £8m refurbishment programme.

He returned to the UK as General Manager of the luxury Mallory Court hotel in Leamington Spa and Lygon Arms in Broadway. Andrew was then appointed Managing Director of Venues at Goodwood Estates, where he had overall responsibility for the hotel, golf course, clubhouse and catering at the motor-racing circuit.

On leaving Goodwood to join Farncombe, Andrew said: “Dormy House Hotel and Cotswold Conference Centre both have enviable reputations for hospitality and service and I am very excited to be able to help drive their success in the future.

“The fact that Farncombe is a family-owned business was also a big attraction for me, especially as the Philip-Sørensen family is committed to sustainability and ecological responsibility, which I am also passionate about.

“The big challenge for the future will be to maximise the fantastic businesses and great location we have. It’s an exciting time for Farncombe.”

The new Chief Executive has already confirmed that around £10m will be invested to enhance Farncombe’s offer.

“We are redeveloping Dormy House Hotel and also looking to expand the Farncombe brand by utilising more of the beautiful manor houses and buildings on Farncombe Estate,” he said.

“I believe we can use these resources to create further stand-out businesses and provide even more jobs for the local community. I want more people to enjoy the Estate in the future and I’ll be working with the whole team to find some innovative ways to make that happen.”

What do you buy someone who has everything?

A Farncombe Course of course!

If you are struggling for ideas this Christmas, a farncombe course offers the perfect gift solution! With a wide range of weekend and day courses every weekend of the year there is a course to suit everyone.

If your loved one or friend would like to try something new such as bee-keeping, painting, singing or has a keen interest in history then why not book them on a farncombe course? All of our courses are inclusive of meals and our 4 star guest accomodation is modern and comfortable.

If you can't decide on a course then our farncombe gift vouchers give the recipient the power to choose. They are valid for one year from the dat of purchase and start at £5.

For more information on any of our courses or how to buy a gift voucher please visit our website or call us on 0333 456 8580.

An experience is for life: not just for Christmas!

The strictly season is here & so is Dancing at Farncombe!

Farncombe is now offering an exciting range of dance courses that would give Strictly a run for its money!

At Farncombe you will be able to Learn the Argentine Tango, Come Ballroom Dancing or Try a Taste of Latin all in the stunning Ballroom of the Grade I Listed building Foxhill Manor. We have courses to suit all levels of dance ability and a course designed especially for beginners.

If you love to move and want to wiggle your hips in a beautiful cotswolds setting the Salsarah's A Taste of Latin Course is perfect for you.

Tango beginner or seasoned lover of Latin dancing? Then the Argentine Tango course, with tutors Leo and Tracey (pictured above), is the weekend to get your toes tripping across the ballroom floor.

Farncombe offers 320-acres of private parkland & 89 ensuite bedrooms in the North Cotswolds. All you have to do is get your dancing shoes on and enjoy!

For more information on the dance courses or any other weekend leisure course please visit our website or call us on 0333 456 8580

Smiles all round for our Patchwork and Quilting Group

Crafts and Textiles tutor Sue Hazell has run yet another successful course at Farncombe. The day course saw 7 beginner quilters get together and take part in the popular Patchwork and Quilting - An Introduction for Beginners.

On this one day quilting course Sue Hazell teaches student's how to select the right fabrics, cut them out with accuracy, test your design, assemble accurately and apply quilting fabric. She then shows students how to quilt the easy way and add backing to the piece.

For more information on this quilting course or any of our crafts and textiles course click here.


If you are a memeber of a quilt group and take part in retreats then bear Farncombe in mind for your next venue. As we run quilting courses all the time we know what we are doing and will use our expertise to make sure that your needs are fully catered for.

For more information on using Farncombe as a group venue then please click here.

Is Autumn your favourite time to take photographs?

At Farncombe we certainly think Autumn is the perfect time to re-charge the batteries of your camera and capture the beauty that is the changing of seasons! In amongst a range of digital photography courses at Farncombe, Derek Forss is running 'Photograph Autumn Tints' - 2nd - 4th November 2012.

During this photography course you will learn how to capture the richness and beauty of Autumn colours just like an expert would! Techniques that will be learnt during the weekend course include depth-of-field, metering modes, exopsure compensation and adjusting white balance for full colour saturation of reds and browns. The course will take place in the grounds at Farncombe.


For more information or to book a place on this course please visit our website or call us on 0333 456 8580.

What is Pyrography?

Pyrography means 'Fire Writing' and is an ancient and very unusual art involving decorating wooden objects. The wood is burnt to various depths of brown to create a pattern or effect. Various tools are used to burn away the surface on natural materials like wood and leather.

The technique is pretty easy and can be compared to drawing or sketching with a pen or pencil.  At Farncombe we offer the perfect course for someone who would like to give Pyrography a go for the first time.

The tutor Bob Neill will guide students through making smaller items such as keyrings, small spoons and coasters to larger items including bread boards and plaques for pictures.

For more details on Bob's course at Farncombe please visit our website, where you will find all the information you need including prices.