Cumbria, Acorn Bank, Spring Foraging Course

We will meet at the Acorn Bank, National Trust car park at 11 am. 

Please note that there is a donation box for parking. NT members are entitled to free parking.

All our courses start with a short talk on our foraging guidelines. We’ll then set off for roughly a 2.5 hour, slow-paced walk around the Acorn Bank estate, identifying the edible plants and mushrooms that we find, and picking some for the meal later on. We’ll also identify the poisonous species and learn what to avoid when foraging. Along the way, we’ll stop for some wild food treats. At the end, we’ll create a tasty seasonal meal based on what has been found – at this time of year, we will be concentrating on the lovely fresh Spring greens.

After the course we will email you a list of everything we talk about on the day, to help you remember what you have learnt. (This may take a few days).

For your day, we recommend you bring:

• Comfortable, weather appropriate clothing and sturdy footwear
• Cup to try our drinks/soup during the walk
• Plate and cutlery for the meal at the end of the course
• Water / drink to stay hydrated
• Camera, note pad & pen

Where numbers allow, children, (eleven and under), may attend for free, but please contact us to request this and confirm in advance, so that we can balance numbers and make catering arrangements.

2:30pm is only an approximate finish time and depending on circumstances, the course could run until 3pm. 

Toilets are available at the venue.

There is a cafe in the courtyard. Open Thursday-Monday. 10:30-4pm.

Well-behaved dogs are allowed in the courtyard area and on the estate, but must be kept on a lead at all times. Please note that actually inside their gardens and cafe, the Trust allows only assistance dogs.

The walk mainly takes place out on the estate, where there are some steep hills and banks, therefore unfortunately, this course is not suitable for pushchairs or wheelchairs. Across the estate, paths can be muddy, uneven and slippery.

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