A rare escape into the art and craft of flowers, pottery and photography in one of the most idyllic settings
in the world.

The Castle in May

The Place

On the banks of Loch Ness, surrounded by 500 acres of gardens, woodlands and wildflower meadows, is Aldourie Castle. Remote enough to feel as though you’ve escaped for a while, yet easily accessible via Inverness by road, train or plane.

Aldourie Castle will sit in the background in all of its terracotta glory as we spend two magical days and three nights exploring this vast and tranquil place. Walking the soft velvet paths of the woods, listening to the gently lapping waters of the Loch. Taking in the beauty of the formal gardens including the walled garden with the magnificent Orangery, as well as the ancient buildings in The Steadings, which have been exquisitely restored by master craftsmen. And then there’s the light…and the air. The purest air that creates its own artwork on the branches cloaked in celadon lichen.

https://aldourie.scot/events

Terracotta; celadon; light; branches……some of the things we work with all the time. The tools of our trades.The things we might find here.

A potter, a photographer and a floral designer.
Three women well known in their fields for their hard work and devotion to their crafts.
Three women who are down to earth, and connected to it by their jobs and who share
a passion for gardens and photography..

Frances Palmer

Frances is a potter, gardener and photographer. She has also recently written two books: Life in The Studio and Life With Flowers. Frances grows many flowers in her Connecticut garden, mainly because she loves the process of gardening but also because these flowers are used to fill her pots. It’s those pots that Frances is famous for. Works of art in their own right, brought to life when brimming over with her garden flowers and made into a different form of art when photographed by her. Frances loves travelling and gathering inspiration for future work from museums and galleries around the world. She takes her latest knitting projects with her and many famous Englishmen and Scotsmen own her scarves.

Éva Németh

Éva is a photographer, mainly of gardens here and abroad. She also teaches photography and has written her own book: Photography Notes From The Garden. Sometimes she photographs the people connected to the gardens too and wherever she works she will find details and places that no other eyes have noticed before. Her quiet observations of people and gardens and the way she captures the essence of a place have made her one of the most sought after photographers for many well known publications, brands and designers. Her favourite subject to photograph is a small fast-moving dog called Finn or the laundry on a sunny day. Éva has a wicked sense of humour and often tries to get away with things by claiming to be Hungarian and baking intricate loaves of bread.

Sarah Statham

After a 20 year career in the deep underworld of crime in gritty northern towns, Sarah saw the light and retrained as a florist/floral designer.

From her small corner of Yorkshire (and occasionally other inspirational places) Sarah now teaches others to appreciate the beauty of every stem and branch and to find light, space and depth within a garden, a vessel, a bouquet or a photograph. People who take classes with Sarah go on to develop their own businesses or to hone their craft and find small moments of calm through the quietness of growing and designing with flowers.

Sarah’s idea of a good day is to forage in a light-infused landscape for perfect branches which can be used to create lines of beauty within a vessel. If there’s a decent backdrop for some photography she can be kept amused for hours. She also loves tea, in a big mug.

The People

The Class

Pots, Photography, Flowers. In a place of unrivalled beauty.

Frances, Éva and Sarah would like to invite up to 10 guests to join them from the afternoon of

Monday 18th May to the morning of Thursday 21st May 2026.

Three nights; two days. Spent entirely within the magical environment of Aldourie. Cocooned in the velvety natural surroundings. A serene space in which to truly breathe.

All guests will be accommodated in the estate cottages, which are furnished to the highest standard and each have their own ‘grounds’ (https://aldourie.scot/cottages). All except for The Bothy is shared accommodation but we hope that some of you may come already as friends and we will endeavour to ensure you are sharing your cottage with someone with whom you will become long lasting friends. Bedrooms are large (and not shared) so time alone is easy to find.

We hope guests will arrive the afternoon/early evening of Monday 18th May. The castle is within easy reach of Inverness for those travelling by train or plane. The drive up by car is beautiful with lots of stopping places. That evening will be yours to settle in and explore. The same goes for the following morning. The best way to appreciate this place is to discover it alone and to wander. The right to roam is one of Scotland’s best gifts and roaming freely here is life enhancing.

We’ll meet for lunch on Tuesday 19th May, get to know each other and spend an afternoon pottering with a photography/foraging walk in the grounds. A tour of the gardens by the genius plantsman and head gardener Elliott Forsyth will be fitted in too, before an informal early supper in The Orangery. If there’s time, Frances might talk about her pottery and Sarah might demonstrate an arrangement alongside.

Wednesday 20th May will be our ‘work’ day. The day where you receive a specially made Frances Palmer vessel and, with the gentle guidance that we can offer, you make your own floral masterpiece. One that takes into consideration the surroundings, the light and anything else you feel might be needed to create something worthy of being photographed by you and of course by Éva Németh.

Time will be taken over this. As much, or as little as you feel you need. Unrushed might be our word for the day.

We’ll stop for lunch. We’ll work out which spaces offer the best light for photography and you’ll be exhausted by afternoon tea time.

After a quick spruce up, we’ll end the day with a special dinner. There will be candles. You can wear whatever makes you feel at home, because by now you’ll feel very much at home in this special place. We can’t promise bagpipes or a monster from the Loch but there can be dancing if you like. And tea. There’ll definitely be lots of tea. And, because we care more about your experience than our own, we’ll also make sure we know what your favourite drink is too.

The Cost

Booking

The cost for the whole stay, including 3 night’s accommodation is £2,795.

All flowers and equipment will be provided and each guest will take home a Frances Palmer vessel.
Memories of your time well spent will come in the days afterwards with photographs from Éva.
Not included is transportation to and from Aldourie.

We suggest that for your first evening, the one where you settle in, that you might bring with you something for an easy dinner. Perhaps a picnic to eat by the Loch or in your garden.The cottages will all have a very good ‘welcome pack’ of food which will include breakfast items as well as tea, coffee, milk, cheese etc. Lunches and dinners on the following days are included. For anyone flying, we can arrange extra provisions if needed.

We would love you to join us.

We ask that to secure your place an initial deposit of £295 is paid upon booking. An invoice will be provided for your records with payment details.

The remaining balance of £2500 falls to be paid no later than 1st April 2026.

The booking deposit is not refundable and we suggest that anyone travelling from abroad makes travel insurance arrangements.

We will formally advertise the class at the end of June to a wider audience but, if you would like to join us then please email Sarah to reserve your place: sarah@simplybyarrangement.co.uk