1. Dust Will Fly
Get your own image carved in stone. The O'Learys - Lottie and Will - both trained in stone work and have worked on major project such as Hampton Court and the Palace of Westminster. Now they run courses providing all the tools and the stone - mainly soft limestone. They guarantee after a bit of hammering you'll be returning home with a finished piece for your home or garden. The courses run once a month (Friday-Sunday) from April to October. Cost is £170pp, including lunch and refreshments. Accommodation isn't included, but there is plenty available locally.
Stonecarving, Upper House, Knucklas, Knighton, Powys LD7 1PN. Tel 01547 528792 or visit www.stonecarving.co.uk.
2. Wet and Slippery
If you don't mind the feeling of slippery seaweed between your toes and fingers, a shoreline safari will suit you nicely. It's a bit wet but it's fun. An instructor from 3D Family Active will show you, and expect you to handle, all the beasts that live in the sea, from crabs and star fish to lobsters and limpets.
And if that's not mucky enough for you, the company boasts over 40 mud-raking activities, including orienteering and raft building. All the activities can be pre-booked or chosen on the day, and are included in the price. Three nights' stay costs from £119, children from £79.
Barton Hall, Kingskerswell Road, Torquay, Devon. Tel 0800 169 9783 or visit www.3d-activefamilies.co.uk.
3. Pigtastic
There is nothing to test your mettle as much as living with pigs. Well, this might not quite be co-habiting, but at Caecrwn Farmhouse in Brecon, you can definitely find out how to rear and market them.
This introductory pig-keeping course, with the Caecrwn herd of Oxford Sandy and Blacks is set on a five-acre smallholding with views of the Brecon Beacons and Pen-y-fan. Weekends are filled with the fun of the farm and appetites satisfied with delicious hand cooked local food.
Accommodation is in a converted hayloft and for added charm the smallholding also supports a range of animals including chickens, ducks, geese, sheep and milking goats to keep any mini pig farmer happy. Residential weekends start from £175pp, including meals. Held throughout the year.
Tel 01874 625 397 or visit www.caecrwn.co.uk.
4. There's Magic in Muck
Bung in a few weeds along with some eggs boxes, tea bags and old flowers, then stir in hamster bedding and a couple of mouldy apples. And what have you got? The start of your own fabulous compost patch. However, if you'd like some expert advice, Yalding Organic Gardens in Kent runs seasonal workshops on composting techniques, containers, and organic gardening. The workshops are generally free, provided you've paid the £3 entrance to the gardens.
Tel 01622 814650 or visit www.hdra.org.uk.
5. Take a Battering
Get up to your elbows in flour and eggs, and cook with some of the finest ingredients France has to offer. Visits to France Et Fuchsias in Normandy also include a trip to the local delicatessen and an oyster farm to find out about the harvesting of these molluscs. Then it's back to the kitchens to be taken through, and participate in, the cooking. The accent is on fish dishes with chef Jean-Pierre Lelettier. Prices start from £188 for three nights' dinner and breakfast, and include cross channel travel.
Tel 01653 629010 or visit www.inntravel.co.uk.
Explosive mix
Don't wear white if you go on the Sicilian volcano hike weekend. You'll hike up three living volcanoes (including the 3,323m Mount Etna), look into crater rims and see spectacular scenery. You have to be reasonably fit, and be prepared to be surrounded by sulphurous lava fields, black volcanic ash and rumbling noises, but it is a truly awesome experience. Prices start from £645 and include flights, hydrofoil, hotel accommodation and vehicle hire.
Tel 01252 760 144 or visit www.exploreworldwide.com.
7. Hair of the dog
Take your mucky pup and teach him a new trick or two. Set in rural Gloucestershire, this is a hands-on way to train man's best friend. Before you know it, Fido will be fetching his stick from the water - and shaking his shaggy coat all over you. For courses throughout June and July, overnight prices start at £155 and include farmhouse accommodation (your dog is welcome to stay in your room) with all meals, and tuition.
Leadon View Cottage, Buttersend Lane, Hartpury, Gloucester. Tel 01452 700023 or visit www.dogsworldwide.com.
8. Crackers and crumbling
In the heart of Barcelona's gothic quarter, not far from the famous Ramblas, you can take part in a farmhouse cheesemaking course on the site of one of the city's first butter-making factories. The course runs twice a month and never caters for more than 12 people.
You will be instructed on how to produce fresh cheese and analyse what makes a good one. Finish off with a meal of fruit, wine and - of course - cheese. The course costs around 40 euros.
Formatgeria le seu, Carrer Dagueria, 16, 08002 Barcelona. Tel 93 412 65 48 or email formatgeslaseu@jazzfree.com.
9. Oil of a mess
A little bit of elbow grease, plenty of oil and a spot of nous: this cycle maintenance course is the equivalent of getting a degree in bicycle mechanics. The Edinburgh-based Bike Co-op runs courses most weekends, and you can choose between an intensive course on the complete bike for around £40 or, if you prefer, learn how to lace, build and true a wheel, which you can take away at the end. Alternatively, if you want to go it alone, one-on-one tuition is available for £35 an hour.
8 Alvanley Terrace, Whitehouse Loan, Bruntsfield, Edinburgh. Tel 0131 228 1368 (fax 0131 229 4447), or visit www.edinburgh-bicycles.co.uk.
10. Mud on your hands
Ancient emperors loved it, even Mozart took a fancy to it. And what better way to experience the thrill of being caked in mud then when it's helping you to lose weight while detoxifying, toning and revitalising the skin on your face and body? It might look ridiculous, but hey - it's all in a good cause.
The Italian resort of Abano Terme, near Mottegrotto, specialises in such delights, and combines it with soothing thermal bathing - to wash all the mud away.
Many of the mud therapy sessions are held in special rooms where guests must arrive with an empty stomach. The mud therapy cycle lasts an average of one to two weeks, with six to 12 mud packs, applied daily.
Visit www.royal-spas.com.
