
Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. ~Henry Ford
Check out the other levels of courses:
# | Course | Days | Prerequisite | Description |
1.10 | Introduction to Dry Stone Walling | 1 | None | Learn the fundamentals of building a structurally sound dry stone wall in a single day. |
1.11 | Women’s Intro to Dry Stone Walling | 1 | None | Learn the fundamentals of building a structurally sound dry stone wall in a single day in an all women environment. |
1.20 | Two-Day Intro to Dry Stone Walling | 2 | None | Learn the fundamentals of building a structurally sound dry stone wall with additional active building time. Get introduced to shaping stones, and other related skills and tools. |
1.21 | Two-Day Women’s Intro to Dry Stone Walling | 2 | None | Learn the fundamentals of building a structurally sound dry stone wall with additional active building time. Get introduced to shaping stones, and other related skills and tools in an all women environment. |
First Steps
Our introductory courses provide the basic tools needed to build a dry stone wall. You will learn that stone wall building is hard work but not impossible. The joy of the work, and the satisfaction of a job well done is infectious. You will learn five simple rules that enable a dry stone wall to stay in place, and much more!
An introduction to walling can be taken in a single-day or two-day format. Which format suits you depends on your level of fitness to bend over and lift stones. It also depends on your goal. To get a taste of what dry stone walling is all about, a single day will suffice. To get more working experience, two days is better. We also offer a women-only version of the single-day course.
In either format, the structure of the course is the same, beginning with an existing wall. You will be working your own section of wall, building across from and next to, other students. The first step is to dismantle the wall, sorting the stone as you go and paying attention to how it is built. The remainder of the course is spent rebuilding the wall.
All of this is done with active individual and group instruction. As with all of our workshops, each instructor will have no more than 8 students.
All workshops are taught by instructors that are certified by the Dry Stone Walling Association of Great Britain (DSWA-GB)
Upcoming Introductory Dry Stone Courses
(By date, soonest first)
1.20 2-Day Introductory Workshop – Opus 40 Sale has ended
The Stone Trust @ Opus 40, Saugerties, New York
1.20 2-Day Introductory Workshop – Barre, Vermont
Vermont Granite Museum, Vermont Granite Museum, Barre, Vermont
1.10 1-Day Introductory Workshop – New Hampshire
The Stone Trust NH, Broadview Farm, Mont Vernon, New Hampshire