Time and space to enjoy your hobby and work at your own pace. Relaxed, informal course structures give you every incentive to make good progress and create a model or progress a project you can be proud of. All of our courses can be booked on a residential or non-residential basis.
The Weekend courses typically in March and October begin on Friday evening when you book in from 4.00pm. As soon as work rooms are available, around 5.00pm, you can set up your modelling equipment and meet your tutor.
The bar will open at 6.00pm and we hold a brief meeting just after that for all first time attendees to pass on some important points about the weekend and the organisation. This also allows the people who are new to the course to meet the organisers and ask any questions they have.
Dinner is at 6.45, after the dinner you go to your room with your tutor to start modelling. Tutors advise and help you develop your modelling skills so draw on their expertise throughout the weekend.
Most people have stopped modelling by 10.00pm, adjourning to the bar or bed.
Breakfast is served from 7am and you can get down to work as soon as the tutor unlocks your room. To safeguard valuable equipment, rooms are always locked when left at meal times and overnight.
Coffee is at 10.45, lunch at 12.45, tea at 3.45 and dinner at 6.45. Optional demonstrations are timetabled during each day but all remaining time is available for modelling. If you want a walk, nap or look in on what the other groups are up to, you are free to do so. Again, most people return to modelling for some of the time between dinner and then either retire to the bar or to bed.
Sunday follows the same pattern although packing up has to be done by 4.00pm.
Those that are not staying at the Abbey follow the same timetable, excluding breakfast that can be optionally booked via the main reception in the Abbey.
The Summer Retreat is a unique opportunity to model uninterrupted for a week. You book in from 4.00 pm then get in to your work room to set out your stall before the evening meal and an evening getting in to modelling mood (which could be in the bar if you prefer).
The rest of the week follows a similar timetable to the weekend courses with regular modelling sessions periodically interrupted for coffee and meal breaks. Tutors are on hand to answer your queries and help you resolve any problems you have.
Even the keenest modeller needs some respite and the midweek ‘outing’ or guest speaker has become an integral and hugely pleasurable feature of the Summer Retreat. We have enjoyed an exclusive ‘behind the scenes’ visit to Pendon Museum, visited the High Wycombe MRC, spent time at Quainton Road and Bucks Hill. In other years we have had a speaker come into the Abbey and talk on a particular topic. These have included David Townend from the McKinley Railway, Giles Favell talking on the subject of radio control and Jerry Clifford on the Somerset & Dorset Railway.
The Retreat concludes on Saturday afternoon by 4.00pm.
