If all the courses below are fully booked or the dates don’t suit you, please email us and we will let you know if/when any others are arranged.
Due to the popularity of Lee & Kathy’s pottery courses, in addition to our normal courses, we are also now offering week courses on:
A Beginners’ Guide to Pottery Throwing
This will cover predominantly throwing (bowls, cylinders, enclosed shapes) but also turning, decorating and applying handles/lids, The throwing techniques include centreing, opening up and pulling up. The emphasis is on learning rather than creating lots of finished pots.
It is suitable for beginners who have a keen interest and those who’ve done a little in the past but not had time to focus or practice sufficiently to acquire confidence/expertise.
Throwing can be tiring and requires good body mobility/flexibility to operate the wheel and being able to get on & off the wheel easily. The wheel height/seat position is fixed so favours people of an average-ish height. If you are in doubt about your suitability, email me with your concern – you would be welcome to arrange to come in and try operating one of our wheels.
If you are not sure if a 5 day course is suitable for you, you may prefer to attend a half day course with me first and/or email me with any questions.
If you want to see if our techniques may suit you, check out our Instagram account.
The format will be 5 mornings of tuition & practice from 9:30 till 1pm Monday to Friday. Lee, the main tutor, has 40 years of production craft pottery throwing and teaching – see some recent reviews & videos of our throwing techniques). His is often aided by his mum, Kathy, who has been ‘at the wheel’ even longer! The number of attendees will be kept to a maximum of 4 to ensure plenty of time for individual tuition.
See what previous students have said:
Have just completed a five day pottery course with Lee and his lovely mum; a fabulous experience. Lee shared his knowledge in a very professional way whilst managing to add a lot of humour into the mix . Truly inspirational! Can’t wait to collect my pots .
As a complete beginner in throwing I had no idea what to expect or how much I would learn. It was a great experience. Lee and his mum Kathy are so welcoming and the experience and skill level they have as potters between them is incredible. Lee keeps the class to small numbers which means he is able to teach on a very one to one basis and see where you need help to progress forward. His skills and patience are amazing. It was amazing how quickly we picked up new techniques and by the end of the week were all producing pots of different types. Everyone on the course was super friendly, I cannot recommend this course enough or even a visit to the pottery and browse in the shop. I can’t wait to return .
We have just returned from a five day pottery throwing course with Lee, it was really good, informative and great fun too. Lee is a great teacher and we have learnt significantly from his efforts.
It’s been a week since we have returned from the week’s course and we are still telling our friends and family how great it was. You have tremendous skill and patience and are an excellent tutor. We found it challenging, interesting and fun.
My partner and I have just finished a week’s course at the pottery. Whilst we are not absolute beginners having attended a couple of courses elsewhere, Lee’s approach to teaching has been a revelation. Both Lee and his mother Cathy were very welcoming and set us at ease straightaway. By the end of the week we now have the confidence to take our new hobby to the next step…buy a wheel and kiln! We can’t wait to pick up our finished pots. If you want to try your hand at throwing pots their courses are highly recommended!
Long experience has taught us that learning to throw for 5 full days rather than 5 half days is too exhausting for most so we hope you’ll be pleased to hear that the pottery is located in beautiful countryside and in between the market towns of Kirkby Lonsdale, Hawes & Settle.
The cost is £340 and this also includes :
– 4 to 6 pots (dependent on weight) to be glazed & fired after the course – can be collected at a later date (or packed & posted for an additional charge).
– morning tea/coffee & biscuits
There is a variety of cottages and B&Bs available locally including Acorn Cottage (managed by Lee’s wife).
Email or ring us with any questions. A £50 deposit is required to reserve your place. (The balance is due 6 weeks before the course start date.)
2026 courses
5 Day Beginners Courses
9/3/26 – 0 places left
20/4/26 – 1 place left
8/6/26 – 1 place left
6/7/26 – 0 places left
3/8/26 – 1 place left
5 day Intermediate Course
In 2026, we are also offering a 5 day intermediate course starting on:
18/5/26 –0 places left
In order to attend the intermediate course, it is recommended that, as a minimum, you can confidently throw simple cylinders and cereal bowls. Again, if not sure on your suitability, email us for advice.
The intermediate content will be tailored depending on the attendees but is likely to focus on more advanced techniques including internal/external galleries, lids, and
improved opening out/re-centreing methods.
Cancellation Policy
In the event of cancellation less than 6 weeks prior to the course, the full balance remains payable. We will make every attempt to re-book the course. If successful, all monies (except the deposit) will be refunded.
In the event of cancellation more than 6 weeks prior to the course, we will happily try to fit you on a different future course. If this is not convenient, no further payment is due but the deposit will be forfeited.