Archipelago Folkschool
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Reviews 27
Cathryn Warren
Aug 04,2024We signed up for this course as our thirty year old fibreglass canoe was reaching the end of its life, with the intention of making its replacement. The beautiful Peterborough canoe we came home with is as good as we could have hoped for. What I couldn't have predicted was the huge sense of achievement I also came away with, which is still with me two months later. Credit for this has to go to Ben, who has a talent for teaching and taught us all the skills we needed, but then stood back so that we felt the finished boat was our own creation. We have now completed the finishing work at home and have taken the boat out on calm seas a few times. It handles very well, and attracts a lot of admirers. The course is hard work with full on days, it might be worth planning an extra week if you want to get to see Mull. We camped on the croft and made use of the comfortable and well equipped kitchen and dining area, and clean and spacious shower rooms, all built by Ben together with the workshop itself. If you are thinking of booking a course, go for it, you won't regret it.
Sandy Small
Jun 28,2024A fabulous week led by Ben building a 17ft prospector style Canadian canoe. This was unlike any holiday I've had before and it was hugely enjoyable, informative and rewarding - after all we came away with a canoe having started with only a few CNC cut pieces of plywood. My sister and I were given this as a joint 50th birthday present and I would highly recommend it. I had a little woodworking experience but Sheila had virtually none. Ben was a great instructor showing us what we needed to do, correcting us when we used the tools wrongly, helping out when something went wrong. There were 3 pairs of us building 3 canoes with varying experience and if one of the pairs fell behind Ben was there to give a gentle, unobtrusive helping hand to keep us on track. We all stayed on site, camping in our own tents or staying in the Yurt (which is apparently equipped with a log burner) and using the kitchen and shower rooms built into the massive workshop as a clubhouse for the week. It was a real pleasure getting to know the other 4 participants and we all helped each other out when needed. (Note: don't drop your canoe from a height - I'm very grateful to everyone for rallying round to help us complete it despite the set-back). It is an intense week of hard work - don't expect to have any time to visit Mull - but well worth it.
Mr David G
Jun 19,2024A memorable and unique experience in a truly stunning location. I would recommend it to anyone. The days, and week, flew by. Fantastic instruction by Ben. It was nice to learn some hand-tool skills. We had a great group from diverse backgrounds who got on well. My Son and I live far apart, so it was a great chance to get together and properly catch-up. I can recommend the Yurt and the fish and chips in the local pub (perhaps a mile and a half away).
Robin Bennie
Jun 04,2024It has been a splendid week. Ben's tuition was exemplary and the location brilliant. Activity based tourism at its best.
Robert Bendixen
May 19,2024Just finished building the Prospector canoe in Ben’s shop. From the first day to the last day, it was a very rewarding experience. Ben was incredibly knowledgable and patient with his boat building guidance. His facilities were clean and well organized with all the excellent tools you could need at hand. The land where his workshop is located was beautiful. Wildlife and incredible mountain scenery in the distance. The finished canoe was stunning. We drove it back to London and people all along the way wanted to ask us many questions about it. I highly recommend this experience to anyone who enjoys working with their hands and would like to have a great kayak or canoe at the end of this course.
CBS
May 16,2024We just finished the course that Ben ran from May 4–11 2024. I cannot rave loudly enough about the experience, the professionalism, and of course the outcome (a beautiful 17 foot prospector canoe). From the booking process months in advance to canoe completion and its loading onto our car, Ben never ceased to amaze us with his knowledge, anticipatory guidance, and rapier sharp wit. The school’s location on the Isle of Mull in the Scottish Highlands is breathtaking. Accommodations in his yurt and tent were first class. The workshop (recently built by Ben of course) is spacious, aesthetically gorgeous, safe, and well stocked with excellent tools, a delightful kitchen and showers/loos, and indoor/outdoor eating areas. As advertised, we arrived complete woodworking neophytes and left independent confidant boatbuilders. The phrases “bucket list” and “once in a lifetime” are horribly overused in today’s vernacular - they are perfectly appropriate to describe Archipelago Folkschool. Book a canoe or kayak build with Ben. Change your life.
MB
Dec 22,2023The kayak course was an amazing experience. Its a beautiful location and workshop, run by a dedicated, patient and helpful family who helped make the most of the whole trip not just the boat building.
Alex Cowan
Jul 02,2022I had a great week with Ben on the kayak building course. I learned a huge amount and enjoyed the entire process enormously. And at the end of it all I'm left not just with good memories and new skills but with a stunning boat as well. As well as being a good course, it's amazing value for such a beautiful kayak!
Neil Marchant
Jun 29,2022A fantastic 8 days learning new skills with great people. The process requires hard work and sometimes longer days but the end product and the time spent with like minded people was worth every minute. Doing this on the wonderful Isle of Mull was the icing on the cake.
matt phillips
Sep 16,2021Fantastic week with Ben and Daisy building a sea kayak. They were super helpful, and knew how to fix any mistake I made with a saw or dodgy measuring! Can't recommend them highly enough. The boat we made is great, light weigh and glides beautifully in the water. Stunning location too
Michael
Sep 14,2021The kayak building course run by Ben and Daisy at the Archipelago Folkschool on the island of Mull is about as good as it gets! The course I was on was not a residential so you are responsible for your own accommodation and meals but tea/coffee/biscuits are provided daily. In a perfect world arrange convenient local accommodation. The necessary tools are all provided and they are high quality and start off, and are maintained, razor sharp. I have done courses like this before where the tools are less than up to the job - not here!! You do not need any prior boat building experience or wood working skills, but clearly if you possess either or both matters will progress more easily. Ben and Daisy keep a watchful eye on things but don't interfere (unless you are about to destroy your boat, yourself, or someone else!) when they (very tactfully) step in to rectify matters. We started on a Saturday afternoon with a pile of plywood panels and some strange looking bits of wood and plastic hatches and the following Saturday morning we launched our kayaks off a stunning beach and went to sea!! The intervening seven days were not a cake walk! This is a serious undertaking that needs to be taken seriously for the optimum result. Daily input is always at least a full days work with some days running into the early evening and commitment is essential but the reward is a beautiful hand built wooden kayak that turns heads all the way home and every time you get out onto the water. I cannot recommend this enterprise highly enough, go for it and you will have an absolute blast!!
Tobias Hartmann
Sep 13,20212 weeks since finishing our kayak building course with Ben and Daisy, which will be a lasting memory of being in a special place with special people building beautiful boats, which will be most appreciated water companions for years to come. And apart from Archipelago Folk School delivering an outstanding workshop, Scotland and the Isle of Mull delivered incredible weather and conditions including clear full moon nights as well as even some surfable swell mid week. Camping on Ardalanish Beach as a perfect place to come to after busy days. Feeling happy and grateful how this played out and can only recommend to others :) and the setting is likely to be even more spectacular once Ben has his croft and new place set up and running :)
kevin fitzgerald
Aug 19,2021Thank you so much Ben and Daisy for all your hard work, patience and expertise given so freely over a wonderful week. I cannot recommend this course highly enough, an incredibly satisfying week with the bonus of bringing home a kayak which is beyond my wildest expectations. The only regret is that we had to leave. I’ll be back to build a paddle board when the course starts.
John Hunnibell
Aug 05,2021This was without doubt the most personally fulfilling course I’ve done. A real tonic. Beautiful setting, superb tutelage, awesome food.. and a floating ‘work of art’ to take home at the end. It was hard to leave when it ended! Great value too. Thanks to Ben and Daisy.
Ian Kilby
Aug 05,2021Just back from Ben's week-long intensive kayak building course and can sum it up as "good tired"--I'm exhausted but very happy, feeling like I've learned a lot, and am now the proud owner of a glorious sea-faring craft:-) This particular course is demanding from a physical point of view. The course is as much about using exciting new technologies like stitching panels with fast dry adhesive and doing clever things with various mixes of epoxy compounds, as it is about traditional boat building skills using many hand-tools for the first time. So you should expect to get physical with your Shinto saw rasps and your spokeshaves. As you learn these new techniques Ben is ever watchful and steps in to guide and assist. At regular intervals during the day, delicious, healthy meals are prepared by Ben's Colleague Daisy, so we never missed all the fuel we needed to keep going! I'd do it again tomorrow and must thank Ben for setting up something truly wonderful:-)
Andrew McConnell
Jul 14,2020Recent mask and glove wearing (July 2020) has brought back very happy memories of last summer's kayak building trip, led by Ben and Hannah, on Mull. The course was great fun and Ben does an excellent job of keeping everyone busy and engaged, no matter what pace or ability - likewise mixing up solo and team working. Nothing was too much trouble and we seemed incapable of causing a panic, despite many attempts! For a kayak, it is excellent value. For a holiday, its excellent value. For the happy memories - its priceless. Thank you!
Craig Bunyan
Mar 13,2020I was a little nervous about heading along to the 2 day paddle making course with Ben at the Folkschool. With little very little woodworking experience since high-school craft and design (a long time ago!) I wondered what level would be like. Figuring that they would want us to leave with a complete paddle, I guessed that either we'd be making something relatively simple and 'rustic' or that there would be a lot of intervention from the tutors. I was pleased to be wrong on both counts, the paddle design we made (the proportions and silhouette were up to us) was elegant and well contoured (a spine back design) and it was up to each student to do all their own shaping. Ben's friendly and approachable teaching style had us all feeling comfortably and confident. I was really pleased with the finished article and definitely plan to make another at home now - I feel like I've caught the bug! Thanks. Craig.
Lesley
Feb 13,2020Had a great experience with Ben and the neon workshop team. Very welcoming environment and great hospitality. A good day all round.
Jen “PigsticksP” Kilgour
Jan 30,2020I had a great experience with Rachel Millar on the signwriting weekend. Really relaxed atmosphere and good direction from Rachel. Interesting and informative and I’m really proud of my sign I produced. Thank you for a lovely weekend and new skills!
Scotnish Lodge, PA318PG, Tayvallich, Lochgilphead, GB
http://archipelagofolkschool.org
Gordon Smith
Dec 28,2024Ben, the owner who runs this course, is a skilled and patient craftsman, who helped us take pieces of plywood and fashion them into beautiful seaworthy canoes. On top of this we carried this out in a beautiful place with really good facilities. If you are up for a really interesting, fun filled, hard working week that ends up with a brilliant canoe, than I totally recommend this course