Be a blacksmith or knife maker for the day at a real working forge in Stroud, in the heart of the Cotswolds, one of the most popular and beautiful short-break destinations for Londoners. It’s an easy train journey from Paddington, or a simple drive with parking at the forge. Spend the day forging with fire and steel and take home a knife or ironwork you made yourself.
The Cotswolds has been one of London’s favourite escapes for generations: rolling hills, honey-coloured villages, proper country pubs and a pace a world away from the city. It is also home to Soulful Iron, my working forge in Slad, just outside Stroud. That makes a day at the forge the perfect centre for a Cotswolds break from London, whether you come for the day or stay for a long weekend.
You can spend the day on a blacksmithing experience day or a knife making course, both led by me at the anvil in small groups (up to six for blacksmithing, four for knife making). Buying for someone else? A gift voucher lets them choose their own date. And if you are planning a longer trip, see more things to do in the Cotswolds.
The easiest way is the direct train from London Paddington to Stroud, (around 1 hour 20 to 1 hour 30 minutes), then a short taxi to the forge in Slad. Pick-up from Stroud station is also possible, just let me know when you book. If you’d rather drive, it’s a straightforward run and there’s parking on site. Days start at 10:30am. Blacksmithing days finish around 4:30pm and knife making days usually between 5pm and 6:30pm, so a day trip works well, though plenty of people make a weekend of it.
If you’ve come this far, it’s worth staying over. There are lovely cottages and small hotels all around Stroud, Painswick and the wider Cotswolds. Do the forge one day, walk the Slad valley and eat at the Woolpack the next, and you’ve had a proper weekend away with none of the faff of going abroad.
On a blacksmithing day you start with a hook, which teaches you the core skills, then move on to pokers, handles and pendants in mild steel. On a knife making day you forge a blade from high carbon steel at 1,200 to 1,400 degrees in the gas forge. No experience needed, and there’s a maximum of six people per session, so you’re never left standing around. If you can swing a hammer, you can make it.
If you’re buying for a Londoner who has done every restaurant and every show, a day at a Cotswolds forge is the kind of gift that actually surprises people. Gift vouchers are valid for a year, so they can pick a date that suits and build their own little escape around it.
Dates often sell out in advance. See every upcoming knife making and blacksmithing day, and how many spaces are left, on the Course Calendar.
Both are full days at the forge near Stroud, an easy trip from London. Small groups (up to six for blacksmithing, four for knife making), all levels welcome, and you take home what you make.
A full introduction to traditional blacksmithing. Learn the fundamentals, work with real tools, and leave with 1 or 2 pieces you forged yourself.
A knife making course (experience day) at my forge in Stroud. Come get hands-on with fire and steel, enjoy the day, and walk away with a hand-forged knife made by YOU.
Soulful Iron is a working forge in the Cotswolds, near Stroud, an easy trip from London. It runs both blacksmithing and knife making days, so it works as a day out or a short break.
Yes. Knife making days are one of the two experiences, forging a blade from 1084 high carbon steel. It’s an easy train journey from Paddington to Stroud, or a simple drive with parking on site.
Direct train from London Paddington to Stroud, then a short taxi to Slad. If you’d rather drive, it’s a straightforward run and there’s parking at the forge.
Yes, valid for a year and usable on any available date, for either the blacksmithing or the knife making day.
Small groups, all levels, and you take home what you made. Book your date, or send it as a gift.