Blacksmith & Knife Making Experiences Near Hereford

If you fancy a proper hands-on day out, Soulful Iron is an easy drive from Herefordshire, over the border in the Cotswolds near Stroud. You spend the whole day at a working forge making your own knife or hook, and while you’re over this way it pairs nicely with a wider day in the Cotswolds. It’s the kind of day you’ll remember long after the last garden centre trip.

How far is the forge from Hereford?

It’s about an hour’s drive from Hereford to the forge in Slad, near Stroud, give or take, and roughly 40 miles heading east into Gloucestershire. There’s parking on site. It’s an easy and pretty run, and if you set off after breakfast you’ll be at the anvil by late morning.

What you make on the day

On a blacksmithing day your first project is a hook, which teaches the core skills, and from there it’s pokers, handles and pendants in mild steel. On a knife making day you forge a knife from high carbon steel at 1,200 to 1,400 degrees in the gas forge. No experience needed, minimum age 11, and a maximum of six people per session so everyone gets real time at the anvil. If you can swing a hammer, you can make it.

Make a day of it (the scenic route back)

Since you’ve made the drive, it’s worth taking your time on the way home. The Stroud valleys, Painswick and the Slad valley itself are lovely, and the Woolpack in Slad is a proper Cotswolds pub for a late lunch. Plenty of Herefordshire folk turn the forge day into a wider day out in the Cotswolds.

Gifts, dates and group days

It makes a great gift for someone in the county who’s always fancied having a go, a different sort of birthday, or a small group day out. Vouchers are valid for a year, so the recipient picks a date that suits them. For groups or something a bit special, get in touch and we’ll sort it.