The Red Shed - A cosy woodland cabin with woodburner

We are Rob and Claire, your hosts! Our day to day business is to run all kinds of traditional and contemporary craft courses, instructed by practicing artists and crafts people.

As a brief snapshot, we both grew up on small family farms and, although neither of us became farmers, we love life in the countryside.

As a mechanic and builder, Rob is fascinated by how things work and how they are made. He loves the challenge of creating the unusual and Wernog Wood is the perfect opportunity to renovate old buildings and to build quirky new structures. He has built the Red Shed single handedly, and almost every detail within it.

Having studied furniture and product design, Claire spent 25 years working in orthopaedics and supporting the wider needs of disabled people in both UK and Africa. Feeling the pull back towards a more creative life, she followed her dream of becoming a jeweller and now works with customers to design one-off pieces, often incorporating elements from a customer’s old jewellery. Jewellery making is just one of many courses we offer in Wernog Wood.

Although we have both dabbled in making all kinds of other things, we are no experts! Instead we will find tutors who are masters of their craft, who are willing to share their skills with our students, giving them the satisfaction of making something they will be immensely proud of.

It took us four years to find the perfect peaceful spot to run our craft courses; a place where our visitors can truly escape the hustle and bustle of their daily lives. ​ After traipsing around nearly fifty properties, we finally found Wernog Wood hidden within this beautiful secluded woodland.
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When we arrived in September 2017, the house had not been lived in for 15 years and our predecessor, Dot, had lived here alone for forty years prior to that. As you can imagine, the whole place needed considerable renovation... luckily Rob is a multi-skilled builder and mechanic who is up for a challenge.

So if you are planning to pay us a visit, don’t be surprised to find some piles of rubble and a rough looking house… but the rest of the place is beautiful... please bear with us! We hope you enjoy it so much that you will come back again to see how things have progressed.

If you need to pretend the outside world doesn't exist, our cosy Red Shed is the place to be, fully equipped for self catering. The Red Shed is the perfect hideaway and every little detail has been handmade by Rob, including the stunning greenwood bed. Recent visitors told us this bed is the most comfortable they have ever slept in.

We particularly like this recent comment - "Wernog Wood and the Red Shed is just what the doctor ordered. A multi-faceted therapy of creativity, tranquil green surroundings and fresh air! To top it off, is of course the Red Shed, which I imagine is not too dissimilar to the dwellings of little red riding hood and three bears. In other words, it is like staying in a fairytale" - Charlotte & Jacob.

As mentioned earlier, your hosts Rob and Claire run a variety of traditional and contemporary craft courses, so if you like making things, there is a wide array of courses on offer throughout the year.... just ask what is on when you make your booking. There is so much else to do in the area too which is well known for hiking, mountain biking and climbing, right on our doorstep.

We are just 3 miles from the pretty market town of Ruthin. There is lots to do in the town itself with visits to Nantclwyd y Dre, the Castle grounds, the old gaol or the fabulous Ruthin Craft Centre which holds national level exhibitions, with a nice adjoining cafe. There are lots of nice places to eat nearby... just ask and we will point you in the right direction.