At Stanwick Lakes, we offer a range of Arts & Crafts and Heritage Courses, from watercolour painting classes to blacksmithing and wood-carving workshops. Alongside offering craft courses, Stanwick Lakes is a unique 750 acre nature reserve and countryside attraction located in the heart of Northamptonshire’s Nene Valley.
"I attended the watercolour class at Stanwick Lakes hoping for a welcoming, structured introduction to painting. What I got instead was a disorganised and frankly demoralising experience that felt more like accidentally walking in on a private art group than a beginner-friendly class.
From the start, the location information was wrong, so I spent time wandering around trying to find the session. Once inside, there was no welcome, no clear structure, and absolutely no teaching. As a complete beginner, I was given zero guidance on what to expect, how to approach the activity, or even which materials to use — I wasn’t even given a pencil at first.
The tutor gave no actual instruction beyond “sketch this” and “put a wash on the background.” Everyone was working from different images, so there was no way for consistent teaching to happen. I received about two minutes of vague advice in nearly two hours, while the tutor mostly painted her own work or refilled water jars.
This was advertised as a structured, skills-based session focused on learning techniques — washes, layering, texture, tools — none of which were covered. Instead, I felt like I’d trespassed into a space I didn’t belong in, with no effort made to include or support beginners. Another attendee I saw looked just as upset and said they just wanted to leave (and for the same reasons).
As someone who teaches professionally in other fields, I found this class shockingly lacking in preparation or care. I left feeling disheartened and completely unsupported. If you're looking to actually learn how to paint, I’d suggest starting with YouTube — you'll get more guidance in five minutes than this class offered in two hours.
I did receive a refund this morning, but zero apology or feedback. "
"This week we did Still Life with Lou. Despite not being my favourite subject, I’m very glad I did it as it taught me shadows, tone and observation and I was very pleased with the result. As always the group is friendly and fun and I’ve just booked all of next terms watercolour, acrylic, and mixed media classes in one go. Roll on next term. Well done Lou - you can now have a restful summer break. 👏👏👏"
"This was a great morning. The teacher was very approachable and made learning relaxed and fun"
Stanwick Lakes Art and Craft Courses responded:
"Thank you for taking the time to leave us a review. We are pleased you enjoyed the class. Best wishes, The Stanwick Lakes team."
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