[northfifeduckling]

Subject: Permaculture Design Course at Monimail Tower

Hello

We're holding a 2 week Permaculture Design course at  Monimail Tower.
Please have a good read of the info below and forward to as many people as possible.

Best Wishes

James



********************
Course dates - 2 week residential from August 17 - 30 2009

The course is being hosted by Monimail Tower Project- Full address Monimail Tower, Letham, Cupar, Fife, KY15 7RJ. 01337 810420.  (Please do not confuse our Letham with Letham in Perth or our Cupar with Cooper, Angus.)  Contact person James Chapman - 01337 810420 or 07790 265883 [email protected]_ <mailto:[email protected]>. Monimail Tower Project is a small environmental charity with horticultural education as one of it's aims.
The site comprises a 1.5 acre walled garden, a 1 acre walled orchard, 12 Acres of broad leaf woodland, a Medieval building, a self build house and some other more random structures. There is a small resident community living on site comprising 4 adults (2 of whom are doing the course) and 2 babies.
The course content will include all the core permaculture topics  but will also include other topics like natural building techniques and practical, nutrition, medicinal  herb growing and use, wine and beer making, woodland management and maybe a few others.
The price for the course is £365 with evening meals included (any special diet requirements catered for) . The price for anyone staying local enough not to camp is £326. If you are really interested in the course and genuinely can't afford it, please get in touch - any information will be strictly confidential.  We'll require a deposit of £50 (non returnable) if you are interested in booking a place, and full payment made by August 1st.
The accommodation is camping either on the lawn or in the woods if you prefer more privacy. There will be a soup/tea/coffee kitchen set up for the course. Washing is via our wood fired sauna and solar showers.
The main tutor is Jonny Barton, with guest subjects taught by myself, Lusi Alderslowe, Anna Kinross, Anne Lolly and Becky Little. It will be a smaller group than most courses -  8 to 10 people. Jonny is much more into 'talk and walk' rather than 'talk and chalk' - so lots of practical examples and more hands on than some design courses. There will be a design project included in the course which will involve a real part of the site needing help - there is a very real chance the designs will be taken on and used. This course might be more suitable to folk who enjoy learning by doing over classroom learning. The course will be accredited by the Permaculture Association, so you will be qualified to go on to do a diploma.
Directions. You can find Monimail on any OS map of North East Fife, or on any online map (like on google.com or multimap.com). The nearest train station is Ladybank or Cupar. The Closest bus is the stagecoach X54, Edinburgh to Dundee which stops at the bottom of Letham (the stop is called Letham Rd. End)
I'll send a detailed map of finding the tower if you book a place.

Please contact James if there is anything else you need to know.

[Eagledance]

Damn and botheration!!
I would love to do this - have been trying to find a Permaculture course in Scotland for a while and I can't make this on as am back at school! Can you let me know details of any other courses please?

Andrew

[northfifeduckling]

Hi Andrew,
Funny, I can't do it BECAUSE it is in the holidays...In between the dates below is a home brewing day, call them for details if interested. It's a lovely place, hope you find something! I'll probably do the seed saving and fruit tree pruning.


Sunday 6th Sept Doors Open Day 11 am – 4 pm
Tea and cake will be for sale Free
Regular Fife-wide event which encourages the public to come and explore the tower and the grounds. This year there
will be local trained guides on site to take you around points of interest in Monimail's historic landscape.
10th Oct Seed Saving 11am – 4pm
Bring pack lunch With Stephen Watts
£20
Learn how to save the seed from plants that you grow in the garden for planting next year. Get a comprehensive idea
of when and where to do what to get the best seed! Contact us for more details.
Saturday 21st Nov Fruit Tree Care 10am - 5pm
Bring pack lunch With Andrew Lear
£20
Monimail's beautiful walled orchards have a wide variety of fruit trees and bushes with some interesting varieties. This
will be your class room for a full day course on pruning and caring for fruit trees. Please contact us for more details.
(Date TBC) Basket Making 9.30 am – 5.30 pm
Bring pack lunch With Jane Wilkinson
Price £65 for the weekend (£15 deposit)
Learn how to make a basket in a traditional style. All materials and tools supplied. Take your basket away with you at
the end of the weekend. Overnight accommodation and other meals can be provided for £12.50. 8 places available.
(Date TBC) Harvest Day Cabaret 12pm - 12am
£5 entrance for adults (after 8pm)
Kids free
During the day we will be harvesting our many Bramley's and either storing or juicing them. Then in the evening an
all star cast of eccentrics from all over Scotland (contributors welcome) will entertain you to raise money for the limewashing
of the Tower.We will be holding a non-stop cabaret event with some fantastic musicians to oil the wheels!
More details to follow.
Volunteer Days – if you would like to here about our volunteer days email us and we will put you on the
contact list.
Who we are:
The Monimail Tower Project is a small environmental charity that offers opportunities in environmental and
horticultural education; carries out organic gardening and woodland work with volunteers; maintains the historic
buildings and walls on the property; and models a sustainable lifestyle. There is a small group of residents, four acres
of walled gardens, 12 acres of woodland and a renovated 15th- or 16th-century tower, once part of a summer palace
that was used by the ancient bishops of St. Andrews. The tower and exhibition and the woods and orchard are open
to the public all year round.
Directions:
By bus: There are buses from Dundee/Glenrothes to Letham road end and it is then a 10 minute walk through Letham
village and on to Monimail. There are also buses from Cupar to Letham village.
By train: Ladybank station is approximately three miles from Monimail.
By car: Turn off the A92 to Letham village (west of Cupar) and follow the road through Letham. When you reach
Monimail village, coming from Letham, turn into the first driveway on the left, and then turn right into the car park for
Monimail Tower.The tower is directly ahead of you.
Bookings and further information:
Unless otherwise stated in the programme, please e-mail
[email protected] or phone 01337 810 420.
Monimail Tower Project, Monimail, Cupar, Fife, KY15 7RJ.
E-mail Contact List:
If you would like to be kept up to date with workshops, events and volunteering opportunities, including information
about any changes or additions to the programme, please e-mail [email protected]
Monimail Tower Project SCO 01481 is a registered charity.

[Eagledance]

Cool thanks - they look really interesting.

Do you know of any other Permaculture courses in Scotland? When will there be another at Monimail?

[northfifeduckling]

You could give the Monimail folks a ring, I'm sure they can help you where else you could go. It's likely they do one each year themselves - just ask, Andrew.