The Nonsuch Dulcimer Club is pleased to invite you to join us in person at our Annual Weekend & AGM 2026, which will be held at Moreton Hall School near Oswestry, Shropshire (about 20 miles North of Shrewsbury). We are again offering a full 3-day weekend, with an option for just 2 days.
The school is set in one hundred acres of beautiful parkland on the Shropshire – Welsh border. It is close to Chirk Castle, Llangollen and its canal and the famous Pontcysyllte Aqueduct. Steeped in history, parts of the original building date as far back as 1527. There are pleasant walks in the private and secluded grounds around the school and in the local area.
At the school there is a range of accommodation options in modern boarding houses, many of which have en-suite facilities. We are also able to offer a few on-site camper van spaces. Additional B&B options and further camping are available in the local area.
For those travelling a long distance there’s an option to stay a fourth night to allow leaving on the morning of Tuesday 27th October. Moreton Hall is easily reachable from many UK stations via direct lines running from North to South Wales and to Birmingham. Travel by train from Cheltenham, Cardiff, Holyhead or Manchester in under 2 1/2 hours or in around 3 hours from London, Bristol and Sheffield. Coming from further afield such as Newcastle and Edinburgh takes around 5 hours. Alternatively, as usual, the club will facilitate lift sharing.
There will be workshops for hammered and mountain dulcimer at every level of ability from complete beginner to advanced players. If you have anything that you would particularly like to learn in the workshops, please let us know. There will also be ample opportunities for sessions and catching up with friends, new and old.
We are delighted to welcome our guest tutors:
Tutors
- Ruth Smith (USA) Hammered Dulcimer
- Heidi Muller (USA) Mountain Dulcimer
- Carmen Amrein (Germany) Hammered Dulcimer
- Kara Barnard (USA) Mountain Dulcimer
- Various UK tutors – Hammered Dulcimer & Mountain Dulcimer
Programme
We are offering a full 3-day weekend (Friday evening – Monday afternoon) and a 2-day weekend (Fri-Sun) option. We also offer a non-residential option, and an option to extend the weekend by staying Monday night and travelling home on Tuesday.
We extend a warm welcome to hammered and mountain dulcimer players of all ability levels. Our weekend programme offers three separate levels of workshops (beginner, advanced beginner/intermediate and intermediate/advanced).
On Friday night, there will be a concert featuring our guest tutors.
On Saturday night, there will be an Open-Stage Concert, which is open to all weekend participants. We encourage you to take part, and not necessarily on dulcimer – other instruments, readings, performances are always fun. There’s also plenty of time for regular and slow sessions, some with leaders, and for some informal dancing!
About the school
The School offers a tranquil environment in private and secluded grounds. The key social spaces, concert hall, workshop rooms and dining hall are in a central area in several buildings all very close to each other. Two of the residential halls we are using are also in the central area and the third is a 5 minute walk. Each residential hall has a common room where you can get a cuppa and toast! Full board is included for residents (including campers) and all meals except breakfast for non-residents. The canteen has a good choice of options to suit all diets.
- The school offers a blend of en-suite and shared facility bedrooms, including single, twin, double, and multi-bedded options. Single rooms are limited so we will offer some twin rooms for single use.
- In the residential accommodation all bedding is provided but you will need to bring your own towels and toiletries.
- A limited number of on site camper spaces are offered on a first come first served basis. These will be on hardstanding with no electric hookup but will include all meals including breakfast. You will be able to use the bathroom facilities of a nearby residential hall.
- Bar – A bar will be available with reasonably priced options.
- As well as the usual set times for tea/coffee breaks you can make your own hot drinks at any time with tea/coffee provided in the same location as the bar.
- The 2 local train stations, Chirk and Gobowen are 2 miles away in each direction. They are on the main lines to Chester, Cardiff and Birmingham.
Booking
We have several booking options available. In order to facilitate the best use of the accommodation and to encourage sharing we have introduced a range of pricing options.
When booking we ask you to specify your accommodation preferences and pay a £120 deposit. After the early bird deadline of 31st July we will allocate the rooms for those booked so far and send you the final invoice based on what we can offer. If you have not been allocated your first choice and are unhappy with the allocation you can cancel the booking and we will refund the deposit in full.
Three Day Weekend Rates
| 3 day weekend (4pm Friday to 4pm Monday) | Early Bird | After 31st July |
|---|---|---|
| Ensuite single room | £430 | £445 |
| Ensuite double or twin room | £390 | £405 |
| Non ensuite single room | £350 | £365 |
| Non ensuite shared room | £310 | £320 |
| On Site Camper van – single occupancy | £279 | £294 |
| On Site Camper van – shared occupancy | £252 | £267 |
| Non residential | £225 | £235 |
| Full time student in non ensuite shared room | £250 | £250 |
| Full time student non residential | £105 | £105 |
| B&B Monday night (including Monday evening meal) | £60 | £60 |
| On Site Camper van Monday Night per person (including meals) | £18 | £18 |
Two Day Weekend Rates
| 2 day weekend (4pm Fri to 4pm Sunday) | Early Bird | After 31st July |
|---|---|---|
| Ensuite single room | £305 | £320 |
| Ensuite double or twin room | £265 | £280 |
| Non ensuite single room | £225 | £240 |
| Non ensuite shared room | £185 | £195 |
| On Site camper van – single occupancy | £186 | £201 |
| On Site camper van – shared occupancy | £168 | £183 |
| Non residential | £150 | £160 |
| Full time student in non ensuite shared room | £170 | £170 |
| Full time student non residential | £70 | £70 |
What you need to know about Booking:
- Please pay the deposit of £120 (or the full amount if you are a student non-resident) as soon as you have completed your booking and received the confirmation email.
- We will send you details of the type of accommodation you have been allocated in early to mid August or shortly after you book if you apply after 31st July. This will include an invoice for the balance, which is payable within 2 weeks of receipt.
- If you don’t like the accommodation we allocated we can change the booking e.g. to non-residential or cancel the booking and refund the deposit. Let us know as soon as possible and at the most 2 weeks after receiving your invoice.
- If you don’t pay the balance within 2 weeks without prior arrangement we reserve the right to cancel your booking.
- Regular rates apply from August 1st.
- The booking deadline is October 9th, 2026. After this time contact us in case we have late cancellations.
- Cancellation & Refunds: please read our cancellation policy here. Our early bird deadline is 31st July 2026 and our cancellation deadline is 8th September 2026.
- Payment is by bank transfer or by cheque please. Paypal is available only by exception (non-UK bookings) – please contact us.
- Please contact us in confidence if you wish to arrange to pay by instalments.
- Children under 18 must be accompanied by an adult guardian – please give guardian’s details when booking, and/or contact us for more information.
- Please note that Moreton Hall cannot provide special diets unless notified at time of booking.
- We ask for your playing level to help us plan workshop logistics. If you are unsure about your playing level, please refer to the Nonsuch Playing Guidelines.
Note: Registration closes after 9th October, 2026.
Questions?
Please contact our Bookings Team if you have questions, or would like more information. Do come and join us. You will be most welcome!