EDITORIAL LISTING: This listing was prepared by the AtelierBound editorial team using publicly available information. Dates, availability, final pricing, and any options such as occupancy or materials should be confirmed directly with the host before making any plans. If you run this retreat, contact us at hosts@atelierbound.com to claim your listing and take full control of your page, add your own photographs, and respond to guest enquiries. May 17 to 25 2026, at Windermere in the Lake District of England. Gillian Lee Smith brings her deep love of gardens, nature and place to this botanical journal making retreat in one of England's most storied landscapes. The retreat weaves together visits to historic gardens including Beatrix Potter's Hilltop Home, Holker Hall's 200 acres of elliptical and sunken gardens, and the Lakeland Arts & Crafts Blackwell House with studio sessions creating mixed media botanical journals. You will learn embroidery techniques, botanical printing, hand-drawn elements, and hand-binding methods to capture the textures, details and beauty of the Lake District in May, when its luscious green lawns and vibrant flower beds are at their peak. This is a rare chance to slow down and gather inspiration in a landscape that has nurtured poets, artists and dreamers for centuries, creating handmade artist books filled with pockets for natural collections and pages celebrating nature, memory, and a moment in time.

Website Link

https://www.bellissimaartescapes.com/new-events-2/gillianlakeside26?utm_source=atelierbound&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=listing

What's Included

Accommodation for 8 nights, all meals except one dinner, studio instruction, visits to Holker Hall gardens, Beatrix Potter's Hilltop Home, Blackwell House, Windermere Lake tour

What to Bring

Gelli plate (approx 8x10 inches), metallic ink (C. Roberson & Co Liquid metal acrylic inks recommended), colour pencils (Derwent Drawing Pencils recommended), minimum 40 papers no less than A5 of all kinds and thicknesses, fragments from own work​/​scrap box

Leader Bio

Gillian Lee Smith is a Scottish artist living in Northumberland on England's northeast coast, whose work draws deeply from history, heritage and the landscapes that surround her. Gillian teaches online courses and leads workshops internationally, inspiring students to explore connections with people, place and the land through mixed media, sketching and bookmaking.