Patterdale Paintaway 2024, 9th June – 13th June 2025
The annual Paintaway holiday will take place this year at the Patterdale Hotel, by Ullswater in the Lake District, staying on a dinner, bed and breakfast basis. All guests must use their own transport to get to the venue (lift sharing possible). Non-member guests are welcome to join you on the Paintaway.
Nestled between two mountain ranges, the secluded village of Patterdale lies on the edge of Ullswater. According to legend, St. Patrick traversed the area in the 5 th century, giving it the ancient name of St. Patrick’s Dale. A well dedicated to him still stands by the roadside in nearby Glenridding, and the village church, built in 1853, bears his name. Aira Force Waterfall, surrounded by woodland trails, is approximately 2.6 miles from The Patterdale Hotel. Apart from the lake, and the mountains surrounding Ullswater, painting attractions nearby include:
- Brotherswater: A mere 10-minute drive south, this small lake is surrounded by wooded slopes and open fells, providing tranquil scenes perfect for capturing on canvas.
- Kirkstone Pass: Approximately 15 minutes away, this mountain pass offers sweeping vistas of the surrounding peaks and valleys, presenting dynamic landscapes for painting.
- Windermere and Grasmere: Approximately 25- and 45-minute drives respectively, these lakes are well worth a visit.
- Castlerigg Stone Circle: Located near Keswick, about a 30-minute drive from the hotel, this ancient stone circle is set against a backdrop of rolling hills and mountains, offering a unique and dramatic subject for artwork.
We look forward to exploring and painting together in the Lake District!
Gallery Day Trip to Manchester, Saturday 29th March 2025
A day trip to Manchester is planned for Saturday 29th March 2025, to visit three exhibitions: ‘Turner: In Light and Shade,’ and ‘Women in Revolt: Art and Activism in the UK 1970-1990’ at the Whitworth Gallery, and the Lowry Collection at the Lowry Gallery. All exhibition visits are self-guided and there are cafés at both galleries. Coach travel will start from the Abbey Car Park, Abbey Foregate, Shrewsbury, leaving at 8:30 hours prompt with a pick-up stop at Oswestry on the way. We will be leaving Manchester at 16:30 hours, arriving back at Abbey Foregate around 18:30 hours. Members may book for themselves and for non-member guests. We hope you will join us!
Some recent and past day trips, weekends and Paintaways…
Ross-on-Wye Paintaway 2024
Sadly, wall to wall sunshine for the Paintaway did not materialise this time around, so we were “blessed” with cooler and wetter weather for our stay at the Royal Hotel in Ross On Wye. But, undeterred, our intrepid sketchers and painters were treated to the urban and rural landscapes of Herefordshire, Gloucestershire and across the border into Wales on their forays far and wide from base camp. Gardens, castles, river views and cathedrals were on the menu. Big thank you to Beverley Wightman for organising the trip and looking after the group including a stretching art quiz and our traditional last evening show and sharing of the sketch books. Glimpse our glorious 2024 Paintaway location above.
Skelwith Bridge Paintaway 2023
Thank you to all who made our May 2023 Paintaway to Skelwith Bridge so enjoyable. Click HERE to read our blog post and see more photos!
Gallery Weekend Newcastle-Upon-Tyne 2023
Our Gallery Weekend on the weekend of 24th to 27th March was a great success.
Click HERE to read our blog post and see more photos!
Oxford Gallery Day Trip 2022
We enjoyed a fabulous trip to the exhibition PISSARRO: Father of Impressionism in March 2022. Click HERE to read our blog post and see more photos!
Liverpool Gallery Day Trip 2021
Our Gallery Day Trip to Liverpool’s Walker Art Gallery, to see Sickert: A Life in Art, on Saturday 30th October 2021, was a great success. Click HERE to read our blog post and see more photos from the day.
Some information about our normal programme
When possible, we organise day trips to galleries as well as residential city breaks and Paintaway holidays, for our members and their guests. In recent years we’ve visited cities as far apart as Leeds, London, Bristol, Aberystwyth, Edinburgh and Wolverhampton on our gallery day and weekend excursions. And, we’ve taken our popular Paintaways to beautiful places like the Lake District, Wales and Norfolk. We design our trips to combine visits to one-off exhibitions with the established and permanent gallery collections, while offering the non-artists in our party the opportunity to explore great British cities and scenery. We always do our best to keep costs to a minimum to make these activities accessible.
Please apply promptly for all Shropshire Art Society excursions as they are extremely popular and usually sell out fast. We hope you will join us!
To give you an idea, here’s a flavour of some other places we’ve visited…
