Wild Rose Escapes reviews

13 Jul 18'

Ros reviewed: Hand-Spinning & Natural Dyeing Retreat, Highlands, Scotland

"Highly recommended whether you are a beginner in fibre crafts or already experienced. All the activities were well organised and fascinating, with brilliant end products for the participants to share. Most importantly, Rosie organised it really well and took everyone's needs into consideration – nothing was too much trouble for her. Accommodation in the Old Stables was excellent and very comfortable. Rosie worked hard all day and all evening, not just organising the activities, but also cooking wonderful wholesome, mainly organic meals, including home-made bread every day."

13 Jul 18'

Natural Dyeing and Spinning Retreat reviewed: Hand-Spinning & Natural Dyeing Retreat, Highlands, Scotland

"This was an awesome natural wool retreat! From the foraging for plants to use for dyes, to dyeing over fires, to Eco printing on silk, to spinning, it was the most fun fiber learning experience ever. Everything was accomplished at a seamless and easy pace. The accommodations in the refurbished "Old Stables" (in the rural pastoral countryside) were comfortable, spacious, and homelike. It was next to a bird sanctuary and offered lots of places to walk. The accommodations provided for both privacy and a place for the group to visit, eat meals, and get to know each other. The meals were delicious and nutritious. Loved the day of hiking in Glen Affric too. Rosie is an amazing facilitator, instructor, and cook who pulls everything together with ease!"

8 Jun 18'

K. Imrie reviewed: Felting and natural dyeing craft holiday in the Highlands of Scotland

"Came from across the pond for the express purpose of taking the May week-long session in dyeing and needle felting and I was not disappointed. Instruction was excellent, as was the accommodation and the wonderfully delicious and nutritious meals. Even the bread was homemade. Week was packed full of activities without being in any way rushed. Very much enjoyed the opportunity to get away from the big city and savour country life. We even went for a day long hike in the ancient pinewoods in Glen Affric. Kudos to Rosie for making this week a holiday to remember!"

29 May 18'

Charlene Lundgren Frischer reviewed: Felting and natural dyeing craft holiday in the Highlands of Scotland

"Words really are insufficient to describe how grateful I am for such a lovely, funny, charming, warm, hilarious, silly, breathtaking, beautiful, meaning, creative, week. From the minute we were picked up at the station we knew we were in good hands. The house we stayed in was so comfortable, and Rosie's meals were exception - she never stops working! We met all the animals, sheared Lavender the sheep who thinks she is a dog - the beautiful goats - and Otto the dog who thinks he is a sheep. Rosie is brimming with knowledge about plants and herbs and flowers and the dyeing process. Gathering local flora, dyeing wool over open fires in their woods and then finally using all the wool in a needle felted project run by Fi Oberon was so exciting and interesting. We had a lot of good laughs too. Rosie also took us on hikes to visit the River Affriq, Plodda Falls, and admire the beautiful scenery. I highly recommend this course to anyone who wants to get away for a week into an uncluttered and more simple world, and also for those who love nature and love to create.... Rosie and Alex and their two adorable children - could not do enough for us. Rosie and Alex are an amazing couple - and so inspirational."

28 May 18'

Debbie Rossall reviewed: Felting and natural dyeing craft holiday in the Highlands of Scotland

"Excellent course informative with good instructions clear and concise handouts. Accommodation and food five stars. Excellent tutors"

27 Apr 18'

Lynn O'Neill reviewed: 2 Day felting course with naturally dyed fleece, Wild Rose Escapes, Highlands, Scotland

"This two day wet felting course was outstanding, informative and great fun in a wonderful setting. Rosie is an excellent and welcoming teacher who is very encouraging and supportive in learning new skills. I would highly recommend this and will be back for other courses soon!"

23 Apr 18'

Vivienne Mackenzie reviewed: 2 Day felting course with naturally dyed fleece, Wild Rose Escapes, Highlands, Scotland

"This is the second felting course I have done with the instructor Rosie and both have been amazing. The location is beautiful, the food provided is delicious and home-made and the teaching is superb. Rosie is very enthusiastic about felting and the natural processes (foraging for natural colours to dye the fleece) involved in the practice. Rosie made me feel relaxed and was very encouraging while I made my artwork. I came away feeling happy with my work, was given ideas about how to develop it further and felt confident I could continue wet-felting at home."

23 Jan 18'

Susie reviewed: Natural Dyeing & Eco-printing, Highlands, Scotland

"This was a thoroughly inspiring and enjoyable course. Rosie is a superb teacher and I gained the confidence to start natural dyeing myself. The lunches were excellent and the environment beautiful. I will definitely return for other courses in this little piece of fibre-y heaven!"

21 Nov 17'

Heather Beaton reviewed: 2 Day felting course with naturally dyed fleece, Wild Rose Escapes, Highlands, Scotland

"An excellent course. Rosie is very friendly and is very good at delivering instructions and giving support. It was great to only have small group, as you were able to chat and receive the help. Everything was prepared and all equipment was available. It was good to see the processes involved to prepare the materials, I really appreciated the effort that went into setting up the course for us. Lunch was also particularly good. The B&B was also recommended by Rosie and worth staying at. I would highly recommend it to everyone. A very enjoyable weekend."

27 Oct 17'

Noreen Lillie reviewed: 2 Day felting course with naturally dyed fleece, Wild Rose Escapes, Highlands, Scotland

"My friend and I attended the weekend felting course and both really enjoyed it. Rosie is an excellent and knowledgeable teacher, with exactly the right balance of input and encouragement to go with your own creation. I learned a lot in a short time and would feel confident enough to try to do some wet felting on my own. I hadn't expected to make something so large (a wall hanging) and loved the fact that there was an unlimited amount of beautiful natural hand dyed fleece to experiment with. We had a lovely lunch both days, sitting outside at the end of October in the beautiful Cannich countryside. Thank-you Rosie, would definitely recommend this course."

27 Oct 17'

Anna Kinross reviewed: 2 Day felting course with naturally dyed fleece, Wild Rose Escapes, Highlands, Scotland

"I loved the felting weekend, I am quite an experienced felter but still learned a lot and it was great to experiment with the beautiful naturally dyed wools with Rosie's relaxed and knowledgeable guidance. I would highly recommend the course!"

18 Oct 17'

hazel mackenzie reviewed: Craft Retreat at Wild Rose Escapes, Highlands, Scotland

"what a fantastic way to spend some time! Everything about the retreat was great. The people on it, the beautiful venue and the things we did. By far the best thing about the retreat was Rosie. She just has a way of working away in the back ground to make everything so nice. She seems to do this easily but it is a huge amount of work. The activities and the walks are all available but with no pressure to do everything and that just seems to work. This is the third course that i have done with Rosie and each one has been amazing ! Definitely recommend it for anyone looking for a bit of space and relaxation"

13 Oct 17'

Kate Hutchinson reviewed: Craft Retreat at Wild Rose Escapes, Highlands, Scotland

"I would highly recommend the craft retreats Rosie runs. All aspects of the course we're really well done and excellently organised. It was a really good mix of different activities but also time left to relax. The craft tution and materials were great. Cooking delicious. The yoga and relaxation sessions with Joanie were also really enjoyable."

13 Oct 17'

Linda Whiter reviewed: Craft Retreat at Wild Rose Escapes, Highlands, Scotland

"Rosie worked really hard to provide an excellent week of crafts and walking. I thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of the holiday from collecting plant materials to use in the dyeing and felting workshops to walking in the beautiful countryside. Rosie also cooked really lovely food every day. It was a fantastic experience shared with like minded people. Also enjoyed the yoga and relaxation sessions with Joanie and the singing with Ele."

23 Sep 17'

Tina pringle reviewed: Natural Dyeing & Eco-printing, Highlands, Scotland

"Had an excellent weekend at the natural dyeing course, the location is fantastic. Rosie is a great teacher and had a great time collecting plants in her local woods, we fit so much in over the 2 days I would have loved to stay longer. It has given me a great base for starting to experiment with colours. Would definately recommend and will be back"

14 Sep 17'

Liz Williams reviewed: 2 Day felting course with naturally dyed fleece, Wild Rose Escapes, Highlands, Scotland

"I would certainly recommend this course. It was very enjoyable and Rosie enabled everyone to progress and learn new skills regardless of their ability at the start. Lovely lunch was provided as well."

6 Sep 17'

Jo Koszel reviewed: 2 Day felting course with naturally dyed fleece, Wild Rose Escapes, Highlands, Scotland

"I had never felted before and impulsively booked the 2 day felting course after seeing a tweet enthusing about another course at Wild Rose Escapes. Rosie's greeting was warm and welcoming and the small group was relaxed and friendly. Rosie gave us many ideas for felting projects but was led by our individual interests. Her teaching manner is detailed but relaxed and once I had started it never crossed my mind that I was a complete novice such was Rosie's encouragement! Using the naturally dyed wool was a joy. The weekend gave me skills, confidence and such pleasure. My wall hanging makes me smile and the winter evenings ahead will be very productive this year. I plan to return for another course next year. Thank you!"

5 Sep 17'

Brittany Rachin reviewed: 2 Day felting course with naturally dyed fleece, Wild Rose Escapes, Highlands, Scotland

"My friend and I went up for a weekend to the beautiful Highlands to take Wild Rose Escapes' 2 Day Felting course. Rosie is a fabulous host and teacher. We enjoyed learning about felting and the process of both wet felting and needle felting. The course is kept small so we have space to create! Every person on the course can choose what they would like to make and Rosie taught us and helped us along the way. We are so happy with our finished products and are looking forward to trying more felting projects on our own. Last year we attended the Natural Dyeing Course and loved that as well! Thanks Rosie!!!"

23 Aug 17'

Wild Rose Escapes reviewed: Hand-Spinning & Natural Dyeing Retreat, Highlands, Scotland

"Rosie, so friendly and knowledgeable, full of energy and fun! Good, simple, wholesome food and plenty of it! The dyeing was really good, but the spinning defeated me (but not the others), I probably gave up too quickly. Lovely tutors for the knitting and spinning. Good accommodation. Well organised. All really good. I'd love to go back."

22 Aug 17'

Rosemary reviewed: Hand-Spinning & Natural Dyeing Retreat, Highlands, Scotland

"Had a marvellous time very friendly group and the instructions where spot on. Would recommend to anyone who likes something different"

21 Aug 17'

Jennifer Cawdron reviewed: Hand-Spinning & Natural Dyeing Retreat, Highlands, Scotland

"Relaxed and informative. Great food and scenery. Thoroughly enjoyable experience."

25 Jul 17'

jodi buckley reviewed: Hand-Spinning & Natural Dyeing Retreat, Highlands, Scotland

"I don't even know where to start! Rosie's Dye to Spin adventure in the beautiful highlands was a dream come true. Rosie and Alex are welcoming hosts and their farm is beautiful, filled with sheep, chickens, goats, a rabbit, Otto the dog, Lavendar the lamb, and two adorable children. The house accommodations were nice and comfortable. There was plenty of space to spread out and knit until the wee hours. The woods and pastures surrounding the property were breathtaking. During our week on the farm, we learned the techniques of the process to turn a newly shorn fleece into eco dyed yarn. It was fascinating to see what colors we could create from the local flora around us. Bridie is a wonderfully patient spinning instructor. We were taught the basic skills to allow us to pursue spinning, should we desire. We also had a needle felting tutorial, we got to participate in a "waulking wool" song tradition with Ele, and had a nice introduction to fair isle knitting by Catherine. What I didn't expect, were the amazing meals cooked for us daily! What a treat. The food was healthy, delicious and plentiful. I can't say enough about my week in highlands. It was everything I had hoped it would be, and more!!"

2 Jul 17'

Deb King reviewed: Craft Retreat at Wild Rose Escapes, Highlands, Scotland

"This was an amazing retreat. Rosie put together a perfect blend of all the things I love - eco textile crafts, hiking in the glorious Scottish countryside, yoga and learning some of the history of the crafts and area. The accommodation was lovely, very quiet and comfortable. The food was delicious and mostly local. There were opportunities to do our own thing if we wanted and there was no pressure to join in or achieve a particular outcome (lots of freeform crafting happened). Rosie is very knowledgeable about the environment and her craft and generous in sharing with us. The retreat was a real highlight of my trip to Scotland (from Australia) and I would definitely do it again if I am in the area!!"

15 Jun 17'

Susan McPhee reviewed: Craft Retreat at Wild Rose Escapes, Highlands, Scotland

"I had the most fantastic week, learning new skills, exploring the surrounding beautiful area, meeting lovely people and living in a nice house with great fresh local food Rosie made this all possible with her hard work and lots of energy. I would love to return some day."

13 Jun 17'

Sheila March reviewed: Craft Retreat at Wild Rose Escapes, Highlands, Scotland

"Rosie had organized the retreat perfectly! The blend of constructive "work" - gathering dye materials, learning how they work, brewing on the outdoor fires - and seeing the fascinating range of colours produced, combined with completing felted objects. That was enhanced with walks exploring the beautiful area and relaxing and interesting talks or activities in the evenings. The friends who came to help in the evenings added to the lovely atmosphere in a beautiful house with comfortable rooms and the meals were very thoughtfully prepared with great attention to my dietary needs. There was no feeling of pressure to achieve and if you wished to go and do your own thing - that was ok too. Altogether a wonderful week!"