1-1 Drum Making retreat
Join me on a date that’s suitable for us both, at my home in West Wales (UK) – Pembrokeshire.
These one to one drum making sessions are in the comfort of my home garden, with option for a 2 day immersion staying in my cabin.
Come and immerse yourself in the birthing of your medicine drum! Optional extras include Honouring the Womb treatments, a personalised ceremony, or you could just take some time to yourself and unplug in the natural beauty here. 
*note i have a beautiful cat who shares the space!!
1 day drum birthing- Cost for tuition, all materials and veggi lunch- £333. (for a Red Moon & Ancient Stone Drum it’s £444- email me for costs of other sizes and hides) Drum bags- reduced for drum makers to £25, please let me know if you would like one. See examples here
2 day drum birthing- £555 includes- 1 nights stay in my cabin, more in-depth drum preparation not included in the 1 day, working with the plants spirits of this land and adding them to the hide soak- magical hide elixir, beautiful home cooked meals, juices, smoothies, options for a hot tub, infra red lamp sessions…
The 2 day plan- arrive around 2pm, we will do some exploring of the area, connecting with the plants to bring into the drum making, in ceremony begin preparing the hide. You will have the eve to yourself to drop into your intention for your drum.
There will be a nutritious evening meal.
Then we would start again the next morning after the hide has soaked over night, making the drum and drum beater, finishing around 2pm.
Breakfast and lunch are included.
see more about retreats and my facilities here.
See below for payment info.
Spend a soulful day (or two) nestled in the wild beauty of West Wales, where you’ll be guided through the sacred process of birthing your own 14″ or 16″ Deer drum. In this immersive retreat, you’ll work with natural materials in ceremony and reverence—offering gratitude, prayers, and your own heartfelt intent as you shape this medicine tool with your hands.
We’ll begin our day with a guided journey to connect with the spirit of Deer or Stag—inviting in its gentleness, strength, and ancestral wisdom. The day will close with a drum blessing ceremony, sealing your creation with sacredness and spirit.
You’ll be using traditionally-prepared hides and timbers. Your drum’s hoop will be made from Ash—the World Tree—symbolising connection, protection, and power. You’ll craft a beater from locally coppiced wood, filled with raw sheep’s wool.
All tools, materials, and tuition are included. No experience is necessary—this retreat is open to both complete beginners and seasoned crafters.
Additional Options
Other hides (e.g., Horse, Buffalo, Reindeer, Hair-on hides, or dyed Deer skin), larger hoops, and specialty timbers (such as Oak or Rosewood) may be available for an additional cost. Let me know upon booking if you are drawn to something specific. Read more here about hides and their energy.
Booking & Finance Policy
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Investment: £333 for 1-day / £555 for 2-day retreat
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Deposit: A 50% non-refundable deposit is required at the time of booking to secure your place.
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Balance: The remaining balance is due 14 days before the retreat date.
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Cancellations: If you need to cancel, your deposit is non-refundable. Cancellations within 7 days of the retreat are non-refundable.
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Payment: Email to book and arrange payment: info@rachaelcrow.co.uk
Come and co-create with the spirit of the land, the animal kingdom, and your own deep heart. This is more than crafting a drum—it’s a rite of passage, a reclaiming, a return to the ancient ways.
Your drum can be specially customised to your design- see drums below for examples…
Feedback from my Drum making days and retreats-
“Rachael thank you so much for such an inclusive experience, I loved how you took me on a journey to meet oak 
and deer
such a powerful experience ….that with of course making the drum, fascinating conversations, magical standing stones blessed with wild horses, a hidden cave no less and your calming yet energetic company with lots of tea and cacao
I have tentatively named my drum, I am sure she’ll be guiding me.
So exciting and what a fortuitous time if indeed she is dry by Monday evening, I hope to bring her alive under the stars if we indeed have a dry night.
Thank you again, I simply love my drum, my new cards, and your book which I will cherish as well.
I hope our paths will cross again
I will let you know how the drumming goes
Blessings to you”
“Rachael has a very gentle and relaxed approach and she gave very clear guidance throughout the drum making experience. This helped me to tap into my creativity and enjoy the process, working at my own pace. Our small group shared this experience on a very deep level, laughing, crying and calling in our personal inspirations. I feel like I’ve truly birthed a drum which is unique and aligned to my energy. I’m really looking forward to playing it and seeing what magic unfolds.”
“I have made drums before so had an idea of what might be involved – pain, complicated methods, tears, lots of undoing and redoing, man-made materials for example. It was therefore an absolute revelation to me to create the unique and beautiful drum I birthed with Rachael Crow and an intimate group of really lovely women in deepest Wales. We began by creating our beaters -each person had creating something completely unique and beautiful. The options for being creative were plentiful, allowing us all to inspire and be inspired by each other as we went along. The making of the drum was SO much simpler than any method I’ve worked with to date. No fuss, no complexities, just straightforward and logical. The possibilities for adding meaning, for filling your drum with you, are simply endless. The whole Ritual was tenderly and lovingly held from a drum journey to meet our tree, our animal, through to celebrating with cacao and taking our drums into the belly of the earth for a stone blessing. I really loved every moment and would definitely recommend anyone thinking of birthing their own drum come to Rachael’s experienced hearthside.”
“What a magical weekend birthing a wonderful drum in the safe hands of Rachael. Expertly guided and held from the moment we arrived, I am now the custodian on the most wonderful instrument. An experienced not to be missed with a master drum maker. Much gratitude x”
Hides come from mostly within the United Kingdom and are either from culled wild fallow deer/stags. The hide is a waste product so by using it we are honouring the animal. As a life long vegetarian/vegan I’ve wrestled with the ethics for a long time, in the end my calling to make drums and bring people to the heartbeat of our Mother was too strong! I source them as ethically as possible, supporting local crafts people. On occasion I may have to source hides from outside the UK, hides such as buffalo /cow are from the US. (read more here)
Spend the day in my magical home, where we will birth drums, drink local herbal brews/ ceremonial cacau (optional), create ritual, ceremony, journey with deer/stag through woodland portals….and if suitable we can take a short drive to the sacred stones (Pentre ifan) to bless the drums at the end of the day.
About Rachael Crow- I have experience of holding ceremonies for almost 30 years, I’m a Reiki Teacher, workshop facilitator and Earth keeper! I made my first drum on Dartmoor over 20 years ago and love to share this skill with others.
Please bring snacks for yourself for the day, an old towel to make your drum on and wrap your drum in.
You may wish to dream into some symbols to paint inside your drum hoop, I will bring some natural ochre for this. Some people put reiki symbols, personal symbols, healing symbols… you may also like to bring personal items such as feathers, crystals, hair, fur…which can personalise your drum and beater. I will have some things you can use for this too.
Please email info@rachaelcrow.co.uk to book
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