DRYSTONE walls are one of the Dales' oldest and most distinctive man-made features.

Their integral relationship with the land, which in remoter spots might date back as far as the 13th century, affords them an iconic status across the area.

So called because they are made without mortar, simply relying on their complex structure to stay up; they can take days, weeks or even months to build depending on the length required - with a master craftsman averaging just six square metres of wall a day.

To many as they walk the Dales, the craft of the waller might look like a tempting alternative to the daily grind of the office. For others, their admiration may be for the walls themselves; a thing of beauty that they would like to re-create in their own garden.

If you are tempted by the opportunity of learning this age-old art then Grassington Festival’s Dry Stone Walling workshop, run by local farmer and master craftsman Ian Daggett, might sound like the perfect way to spend a festival Saturday.

He explained: “I’ll be teaching all the basic skills, from how to dig out and put footings in, to how to set up lines so both ends of the wall will join, to how to pick out the right stones for the right places, and bridge your courses together.

"I’ve run this workshop for a few years now, and the biggest thing people get out of it is seeing something stood there in a field that they’ve made with their own hands. People feel a huge sense of pride in what they’ve built, and so they should as chances are it will last nearly as long as them.”

It is this exact same sentiment that Malham blacksmith Annabelle Bradley echoes as she talks about the Blacksmithing for Beginners workshops that she will be running on the first Wednesday of the festival fortnight (June 12 to 27) in Malham’s 200-year-old working smithy.

“Whilst blacksmithing is physically demanding, it is also unbelievably satisfying - taking a blank piece of steel stock, striking the hot metal in the anvil, forging it into shapes while the glowing metal is as malleable as clay. This always leaves people with a great sense of achievement, as well as giving them something to take away as a lasting reminder of their hard work,” says Annabelle, who swapped her job as a tax accountant in 2007 to become part of Malham’s blacksmithing heritage.

For people who are keen to develop their skills, without entirely leaving the comfort of technology behind, award-winning local photographer Steve Garnett, who is best known for his work as chief photographer for the Craven Herald, is offering a Masterclass Workshop in Photography. The workshop will be based at Kilnsey Park, arguably one of the most photogenic locations in the Dales.

“This location with the iconic Kilnsey Crag as a backdrop, will provide a fantastic focal point for landscape photography,” explains Steve. “The park’s nature reserve will offer people an opportunity to take some strong and interesting compositional imagery of the rare grasses and flora there, as well as the park’s famous furry inhabitants, the red squirrels.”

The festival has several other masterclasses and workshops on offer too. A pre-festival workshop this Saturday, May 16, offers budding writers and arts critics the chance to learn the rudiments of writing an entertaining and balanced review. All those who attend the workshop will have the opportunity of reviewing festival events for free, and seeing their work published.

Possibly one of the most exciting workshops at this year’s festival will be your chance to work with the festival’s Artist in Residence - nationally acclaimed local artist and print-maker Helen Peyton - who has at the time of going to press been long-listed for this year’s Turner Prize.

Helen is taking her award-winning Smart Gallery on tour to Grassington. “The aim of Smart Gallery is to start with an empty room and gradually build up and create a unique collection of art, which is essentially created and curated by the public," said Helen. "Everyone is welcome to bring items to Smart Gallery - they don’t have to be old or historic, they’ve just got to engage you, and you’ve got to be prepared to share a little of their story with me.”

Smart Gallery will run from June 1 until June 27, and will be open every day for visitors and those wishing to temporarily loan their items to the Gallery. Using Smart Gallery as inspiration, Helen will also be holding a workshop on June 16 for anyone who is interested in learning more about shape, form and function - and would like the opportunity of developing their ideas to make works of art linked to one of their own objects, or one from the Smart Gallery museum which inspires them.

l Grassington Festival runs from June 12 to 27. For further information about the full festival programme, including all the featured workshops see www.grassington-festival.org.uk or call the Box Office on 01756 752691.