What's on

What kind of Gather character are you?

fforest Gather brings together a whole team of wonderful makers and doers happy to share their knowledge and skills with you. So what do you want to get out of your Gather experience?

Do you have a hunger for instant results? You can make something amazing to be enjoyed right here, right now:
• Forage for natural goodies on a botanical walk with Wild Pickings
• Learn how to smoke and cure or have a go at sausage-making with Charcutier
• Make your own sourdough bread with Evil Gordon
• Design and make a cake with Cake of Dreams
• Finish up with a beer cocktail workshop with Beerbods

Do you love to surround yourself with items that you’ve made? Create something to keep to remind you of your stay:
• Use natural dyes to make a scarf with Hazel Stark
• Join Matt Sewell to master the art of bird illustration
• Work with textiles in a sewing session with Carys Hedd of Wench
• Let Nick Hand of the Letterpress Collective teach you the ancient craft of putting ink to paper
 • Carve a beautiful tactile spoon with Wooden and Woven
 
Are you all about making memories? Try something for the first time, remember it forever:
• Climb to the top of a tree using ropes
• Take a step back in time with the ancient art of falconry
• Let the fforestchief take you on a walk to his secret bat cave
• Go in search of otters and kingfishers in a Canadian canoe
• Be part of the big noise in a drum workshop
• Wake up with a wild swim in the river Teifi
• Learn all about the night sky

Gather for Children

How are we going to keep the kids entertained at fforest Gather?

fforest Gather have a full line-up of activities to keep busy minds, fingers and limbs active all week. Here are just some of the activities they can have a go at during the day:
• Go straight to the top of the class, literally, technical tree climbing with ropes
• Learn how to make and use natural dyes
• Connect with nature and learn woodland crafts in a forest school
• Make a poster in a traditional letterpress workshop
• Join the family for a paddle along the Teifi gorge in a Canadian canoe
• Get top tips on drawing from brilliant bird illustrator, Matt Sewell
• Forage for the materials to build a woodland den
• Listen to the fforestchief’s ghost stories
• Make instruments to play in our woodland orchestra & be a part of the mass drumming workshop
  
Week 1
House of Fairy Tales will have their own HoFT kingdom offering workshops throughout the day every day. Escape to a land of costumes, characters and puppets. Make, draw, write, play and tell stories – an imaginative space just for our younger guests.

Week 2
Learn to print on a letterpress machine with Nick Hand, draw birds with Matt Sewell and join in with a massive collaborative screenprint with Lex from Feather Studios!

If this hasn’t tired our younger guests out by the end of the day, they’ll love toasting marshmallows around the giant firepit and dancing to the live music before you have to drag them off to bed.

Why Gather?

10 reasons why the fforest Gather isn't a festival

1. It’s really intimate

Only 300 people at each Gather, so it’s more like a really big party. You’ll get to know people, the kids will make friends and it doesn’t take ages to get around.

Welcome speech from the fforest chief

2. You don’t have to camp!

fforest is an established venue with fabulous flexible accommodation designed with both family holidays and large events in mind. You’re welcome to bring your own tent or camper van, but if you’d prefer, we have a whole range of permanently sited spacious and comfortable accommodation to choose from. This isn’t “boutique camping” in a tent that was erected yesterday and will be taken down when you leave. We have beautiful crog lofts with en-suite shower rooms, sofas and king size beds, 20ft diameter geodesic domes with wood-fired stoves, 12v lighting and USB charging ports and a whole range of furnished accommodation on raised wooden decks with covered dining areas and outdoor seating.  For those staying in fforest canvas accommodation, there are proper showers and access to the beauty shed with mirrors and power sockets.

Inside our iconic Domes

3. It lasts a week

7 days! That’s a holiday, not a long weekend. You’ll feel totally recharged and relaxed by the end of it.

Plenty of time to relax

4. It really is family friendly.

Everyone is welcome and there is plenty for little people to take part in and enjoy. Well behaved dogs are welcome too.

5. No food stalls

There’s plenty of delicious food to choose from if you don’t fancy preparing your own. But we make delicious dishes in our kitchen, on our barbecue and in our wood-fired ovens, using veg and salad straight from our gardens.

Dinner Service

6. No beer tent

Just a centuries old crofter's cottage converted into a cosy little pub with chandelier lights and inglenook fireplace.

The Bwthyn pub

7. We won’t keep you awake into the early hours with loud music

Every evening there’s music, low key, some acoustic and always over by midnight. The music is part of what we do, not the main event. It’s the wind down before bed and the next day of adventure that lies ahead.

Our dome beds

8. It’s interactive

You’ll be engaged from start to finish, exploring new crafts, rediscovering old talents and developing new skills. Inspirational creative workshop leaders work with small groups ensuring that everyone leaves with a feeling of achievement.

Print making with Nick Hand

9. It’s easy to come and go

No long hike to get to the car. If you want to pop to the shops you can. If you fancy a few hours at the beach then go. We’ll keep the beers chilled for when you get back.

This really is just down the road in Mwnt!

10. It doesn’t matter if it rains

We have barns and buildings, shelters and canopies. It’s an outdoor event with plenty of indoor space. Bring your wellies, just in case, but rain most certainly does not stop play.