The Acoustic Guitar Bootcamp runs from August 26th to 30th 2026 at The Asha Centre, an idyllic mansion-house retreat set in the beautiful Forest Of Dean, in Gloucestershire in the southwest of England. It's the perfect setting to learn and relax, with a library, dining hall, a perfect glass-walled teaching and performance space overlooking the gardens, the wood-built Eco Lodge perfect for jamming or recording, a stream leading to the firepit and then to the little hobbit hut beyond, and the orchards teaming with apples, pears, figs, walnuts and more.

For 2026 we'll have on-site shared cottages and rooms in the mansion house, and budget-friendly on-site camping! You can also choose to stay off-site. The bootcamp is fully catered, with produce from the centre's organic gardens. 

• Shared Accommodation at the Asha Centre
  The shared accommodation is spread across the main mansion house, and the cottages on the grounds. The main house rooms are spacious & gorgeous, with lovely antique furniture. The stone-built cottages are cute little homes from home, with kitchenettes and bathrooms. The spaces have different numbers of beds in each and we'll do our best to accommodate all requests.
   
• Camping On-site at the Asha Centre 
  Camping pitches will be available by the Eco Lodge, in The Orchard and across the top field. Campers will have access to 2 toilets and shower room in the main house, a toilet and shower at the back of the house and access to water, etc. in the food store. There's also loads of plug sockets for people to use in the Main House, Auditorium and Eco Lodge. Guitars and equipment can be kept safe in the Auditorium and living room. The Asha Centre are also happy for campers to use the fire pit. We are limiting the number of campers to 15.
   
• Off-site Accommodation 
  If you would like to arrange your own accommodation off-site, that's absolutely fine! You can just book for the tuition, or tuition plus catering if you wish to join us for meals and snacks. On request we can send you a list of local hotels, pubs with rooms, and rental homes, from budget to boutique.

• Tuition Fees
  All tuition, teachers concert, handbook and camp activities: £550 per person - a generally non-refundable deposit of £275 will be required to book your place. Tuition fees should be made by bank transfer. I'll send bank details when I receive your email.
   
• Room/Board Fees
  - Shared room (including all meals/snacks/teas/coffee) - £500 per person 
  - Camping pitch (including all meals/snacks/teas/coffee) - £180 per person
  - Catering only (all meals/snacks/teas/coffee) for those staying off-site - £180 per person
  
  Payments for room/board should be made directly to The Asha Centre. Instructions for this will follow your initial booking. 

Asha is run by vegetarians so the menus are largely plant-based (although there is milk/eggs/cheese etc), but the food is absolutely delicious, hugely varied, and freshly prepared using organic produce from the Asha gardens. It's mostly very healthy too (although the cakes are mind blowing!) But this year we will be having a BBQ on the last night, to satisfy the folks missing their meat. 

There's breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner. Plus snacks and teas/coffee/water all day. Additionally, there will be a selection of soft drinks and beers available to buy at reasonable prices.

We will ask anyway, but please do let us know any dietary requirements, especially allergies.

There will be workshops with expert teachers, and small classes with hands-on guitar instruction. There will be some one-off special classes and guitar experiences for you too - last year we had a clinic from Blackstar Amps, a surprise performance from Grammy-winning guitarist Amrit Sond, and a session from a yoga teacher to help guitarists keep our hands (and neck, back etc) healthy!

You'll get a printed handbook with tab, lessons and useful info, and there will be a secret online folder with all that and more stuff for you to work through at your own pace.

As for evenings, there will be a teacher concert from Jon and others, and also several student open mic nights you can play at, or just enjoy socially. Weather permitting we'll have a fireside sing-along / play-along one night. 

On your downtime, you can explore the beautiful grounds, find quiet spots to practice alone, or jam with others in the drawing room, or out in the Eco Lodge. Get feedback on your new song from Jon or another teacher or camper, or maybe do some recording in the living room, or grab a coffee or one of the selection of teas and chill.

The camp will be run by Jon, his manager Natasha and some helpers, but crucially, the Jon Gomm Acoustic Bootcamp is the UK sister-camp of Thomas Leeb's legendary Acoustic Bootcamp in the Austrian Alps, which has been running since 2005. So we have 20 years' experience to draw upon. 

Yes! We encourage a non-competitive, friendly atmosphere. Guitar shredding snobbery is strongly discouraged! On one end of the spectrum you’ll have someone who’s never played in an open tuning and can barely pick, while on the other end you’ll find a semi-professional on a very high level.

Everyone is made to feel welcome, and there will be a messaging group for those who want to use it, to keep in touch before, during and after bootcamp.

Due to limited spaces, on-site accommodation for non-participants will only be made available for booking once we have reached our capacity for participants. Please let us know that you'd like to bring a non-participant, and we will let you know if it's possible. We will do our best to accommodate everyone, but we want to prioritize bootcampers. If you're staying off-site then of course you can drag your other-half bring your loved one to enjoy Asha, and our music and vibe.

By Car:  There is easy road access and free parking for cars at the Asha Centre. 

By Train:  The closest station is Gloucester (map), 13 miles from the Asha Centre - about £30 in an Uber taxi at time of checking.

By Plane:  If flying into the UK, you can opt to rent a car and drive from the airport to the Bootcamp, or take a train to Gloucester Station, or it may be possible to arrange a ride with a fellow camper (there will be an online chat group available for registered Bootcampers). The Asha Centre is about 1.5 hours drive from Bristol Airport (BRS), 1.5 hours from Birmingham Airport (BHX), 2.5 hours from London Heathrow (LHR).

Lifts are often possible too: You'll be able to contact your fellow recruits before the camp to arrange it, or we can contact them for you.

That is exactly why people go to workshops. Everybody comes at their level and leaves with improvements. Anyway some people are more interested in composing, arranging or just being a part of the guitar madness!