Inspired by nature
Escape the screens and reconnect with nature. Immerse yourself in the beauty of your enviroment through our off-site, art, or writing courses. City Lit offers you the chance to let nature's serenity calm your mind, reduce stress, and restore your creative spirit by using the beauty of your surroundings as inspiration. What will you create? Book your place now to be inspired by nature.
- Get to Know Common British SpeciesCourse start date: Sat 21 Mar 2026
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Chantal WoodunJoin us for this introductory course to explore some of the more commonly known species of mammals, birds, reptiles, insects and plants that we might find across the British isles.Full fee £69.00 Senior fee £55.00 Concession £45.00 - London photography walk: River Thames
Course start date: Wed 1 Apr 2026Location on this date: Off Site
Tutors: Michael HardingExplore and discover London through photography walks around locations rich in photographic potential.
The walks revolve around photographing views along the River Thames, from the Aldwych area eastwards to the City, from London Bridge to the Southbank and from Westminster to the newly developed Nine Elms area. Bring your own camera and comfortable walking shoes as you capture places, spaces, objects and people.Full fee £159.00 Senior fee £127.00 Concession £103.00 - Botany: Why plants matter Course start date: Sat 11 Apr 2026
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Letta JonesJoin us for a three week Saturday course to explore the world of botany. Why do plants matter and how do we use them in everyday life? Please note: The morning sessions will take place at City Lit. After the lunchbreak, there will be a botany walk just over the road in Lincoln's Inn Fields.Full fee £199.00 Senior fee £159.00 Concession £129.00 - Drawing from plants and flowers Course start date: Mon 20 Apr 2026 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Ro SylvesterExplore the delicacy and beauty of plants and flowers through the medium of drawing. Respond to their structural qualities and colours, using a range of media and taking inspiration from a rich and varied history of the subject. Suitable for all levels of experience.Full fee £299.00 Senior fee £239.00 Concession £194.00 - Painting from plants and flowers Course start date: Thu 23 Apr 2026 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Diane MartinExplore a variety of creative approaches for painting flowers from observation. Discover the rich history of this genre while taking inspiration from artists who use flowers as their subject matter.Full fee £299.00 Senior fee £239.00 Concession £194.00 - Garden design for beginners Course start date: Tue 28 Apr 2026
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Alison WorsterExplore the principles of planting design using form, line and texture to create dynamic planting schemes. In weekly workshops, improve the breadth of your plant knowledge whilst developing the skills and techniques of garden designers.Full fee £299.00 Senior fee £239.00 Concession £194.00 - Get Ready for the Dawn ChorusCourse start date: Wed 29 Apr 2026
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Ben ChappleInternational Dawn Chorus Day takes place annually on the first Sunday of every May. Join us for this introductory session to discover the significance of the Dawn Chorus and learn to identify different bird songs.Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £19.00 Concession £12.00 - Watercolour painting studio: nature and colour Course start date: Thu 30 Apr 2026
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Hilary RosenCelebrate the glorious colours found in nature by working from observation of natural forms. You will be encouraged to respond to the subject expressively using paint and other colour media to create a number of studies and one or more finished pieces.Full fee £389.00 Senior fee £311.00 Concession £253.00 - Tree walks in Golders Hill Park Course start date: Sat 9 May 2026
Location on this date: Off Site
Tutors: Letta JonesJoin Letta Jones for Saturday morning tree walks, meeting in Golders Hill Park in North London.
Full fee £129.00 Senior fee £103.00 Concession £84.00 - Nature writing Course start date: Sat 9 May 2026
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Julie GartonWhat greater muse could a writer ask for than the wonders of the planet that surrounds them? Learn how to capture the majesty of nature on the page with this exciting course in creative non-fiction.Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £40.00 - Walkers, Drifters, Thinkers: writings on nature and the road from Robert Louis Stevenson to Werner HerzogCourse start date: Thu 14 May 2026
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Richard NilandThis class explores a range of works that focus on the walker and drifter, examining writers who've portrayed the physical and intellectual pleasures and hardships of life on foot and on the move. From Robert Louis Stevenson, John Muir and Nan Shepherd to Woody Guthrie and Werner Herzog, we investigate the image of the drifter and the walker in celebrated texts from 19th and 20th century literature.
Full fee £179.00 Senior fee £143.00 Concession £116.00 - The Birds of London: a spring ornithology courseCourse start date: Sat 23 May 2026
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Ben ChappleLearn about London’s surprisingly diverse birdlife, including basic identification, behaviour and ecology (with a special focus on birdsong and migration), and conservation. The course will consist of 1 classroom session and 3 guided walks. The first session takes place at Keeley Street.
Full fee £159.00 Senior fee £127.00 Concession £103.00 - Design your own garden: planting design Course start date: Sat 30 May 2026
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Alison WorsterExplore the principles of planting design using form, line and texture to create dynamic planting schemes. In weekly workshops, improve the breadth of your plant knowledge whilst developing the skills and techniques of garden designers.
Full fee £189.00 Senior fee £151.00 Concession £123.00 - Foraging for Folklore: Common Urban Plants and their Stories Course start date: Sun 31 May 2026
Location on this date: Off Site
Tutors: Christopher CollierDiscover the stories and folklore of some common urban plants. Explore how these botanical neighbours have been revered as healers, feared as poisons, or woven into local myths and superstitions. This session will take place offsite.Meeting point:Hampstead Heath overground (Mildmay Line).
Full fee £29.00 Senior fee £23.00 Concession £29.00 - Exploring Regent's Park Trees Course start date: Sat 6 Jun 2026
Location on this date: Off Site
Tutors: Letta JonesDo you want to get to know some of the fabulous trees in Regent’s Park? These 3 guided Tree Walks in Regent’s Park are ideal for the tree enthusiast with an introduction to this absorbing activity.Full fee £129.00 Senior fee £103.00 Concession £84.00
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