Come and celebrate our end of summer hay cut at the historic Mellerstain House

9.00 am−3.00 pm: Scything Workshop

Learn new skills in a scything workshop with experienced scythe instructor Rob Brodie. Spaces for this workshop are limited to 8 and booking is essential.

To book a place please email all@merlindalenature.com

All other workshops are free and drop-in — no need to book

Scything workshop: Merlindale Nature Festival 2025

11.00 am−1.00 pm: Floral cyanotype workshop

Learn the beautiful art of wildflower cyanotype printing.

Open to everyone.

Wildflower cyanotype printing: Merlindale Festival 2024

12.30 pm: Horse-drawn mowing demonstration

Step back in time to watch stars of Merlindale Nature Festival Stig and Fin − along with owner Steffi Schaffler of Teamwork Horse Logging − mow some of Mellerstain’s 7.2-hectare meadow against the backdrop of this classic 18th-century Robert Adam building.

Open to everyone.

Stig and Fin from Teamwork Horse Logging at Merlindale Nature Festival 2025

1.30 pm: Butterfly walk

Join Apithanny Bourne, Borders Meadows Trust ecologist and Species-rich Grassland Officer for the charity Butterfly Conservation, to learn more about meadows and their importance to our pollinator populations.

Open to everyone.

The Courtyard Cafe at Mellerstain is open from 11.00 am to 4.00 pm