10 of the best craft and hobby escapes for 2022

Escaping on a craft holiday in the UK is the perfect way to enjoy a new (or old) hobby while spending time in a beautiful place. If the pandemic got your creative juices flowing at home, you'll want to keep practicing your new skills.

From becoming a master baker, to quilting or learning a musical instrument, there’s a whole host of new hobbies we’ve developed in the past two years thanks to spending more time at home.

To inspire you to get away from it all on a creative break in 2022, we spoke to our friends at online booking platform, eviivo, to find out some of the best craft holidays in the UK.

These wonderful trips around Britain allow you to indulge in your favourite pastimes while soaking up a beauty spot. Whether learning the secrets of upcycling on the edge of the spectacular Trossachs, satisfying sourdough ‘kneads’ in East Yorkshire or stargazing in Scotland, there's a huge range of experiences to accommodate your interests.

Check out some of the best craft holidays in the UK for 2022.

Looking to take your knitting skills to the next level? Head for Scotland with Prima, where you can indulge in your favourite hobby while exploring the breathtaking Shetlands. Over six days, you'll learn how Shetland wool is farmed, delve into the history of the Fair Isle technique and enjoy four half-day knitting workshops with experts Hazel Tindall and Kathleen Anderson.

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Got mismatched chairs or a table you can't bear to part with? Well, Prima's upcycling retreat in the beautiful Scottish countryside could be for you. Here, you'll spend six days staying at a stunning 18th century mansion at the edge of the Trossachs National Park and learn the secrets of upcyling. You'll learn how to choose the right second hand furniture, the art of designing a piece, how to repair it, protect it and more. What's more, you'll be in the company of other lovely, like-mined Prima readers.

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Textile fans will want to escape to peaceful country mansion Gartmore House near Loch Lomond in 2022, where you can practice your patchwork quilting skills with tutor Clare Workman, who ran her own textile arts business for many years. There'll be morning and afternoon workshops to help you perfect your skills, with plenty of time to get to know fellow crafters during tea and coffee breaks and the delicious meals served each day.

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For those bitten by the bread-making bug during lockdown, Highfield Farm is a great choice, where you can ‘prove’ your skills at the Yorkshire Wolds Cookery School. Situated in the charming market town of Driffield in East Yorkshire, this B&B offers a peaceful stay in a luxury property, as well as sourdough and cookery courses for all tastes.

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These high-quality glamping pods near York offer great cycle-friendly facilities for roadies who enjoy life on two wheels. Only 1.5 miles from the Way of the Roses cycle route, York Holiday & Cycle Stop offers a great night’s sleep in the landscaped grounds, where you can take advantage of secure cycle storage and a bike wash area.

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Situated just five miles from the RSPB’s Minsmere and Dingle Marshes coastal nature reserves, Trustans Barn is a superb barn conversion in Darsham surrounded by meadows. It's a treat for wildlife watchers and birders, and you can book a stay in The Swallow or The Nest rooms.

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Love music? We think you'll like the sound of the holiday experience at Teach an Cheoil, or the 'Music House' in English. Guests at Teach an Cheoil can enjoy music courses playing traditional Irish music with the banjo, mandolin, flute, whistle and accordion at the bilingual B&B set in the scenic Glens of Antrim, close to Ballycastle.

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Located in the heart of the North Norfolk countryside, embroidery enthusiasts will be impressed by the Old Bakery B&B. This property boasts a quilt studio where visitors can sew to their heart’s content. Winners of eviivo’s ‘Bed, Breakfast and Beyond’ award in 2019, the B&B also offers a self-catering holiday cottage.

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In a quiet corner of Cornwall, this boutique B&B in Kingsand offers the perfect escape and is just 20 metres from the scenic beach. It has its own private art gallery where guests are given exclusive access and are encouraged to choose their favourite Cornish artwork to hang in their room and inspire their own seascape masterpiece during their stay.

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Located in the Scottish Borders on the edge of an International Dark Sky Park, Black Burn Lodge is a modern design boutique B&B offers guests use of their very own 200 mm telescope. Night owls can feast their eyes on up to 2,000 stars at a time and look up at the Milky Way, Andromeda Galaxy, meteor showers and Saturn’s rings.

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