Fancy a hobby?

There must be a number of women who think having a hobby requires mountains of effort and dedication. One thinks of playing sports, which needs a team, or learning an instrument, which requires lessons – every week. But surely there's an easier way to acquire a new skill, one that doesn't interfere with the hectic schedules to which we seem to be relentlessly tied.

Dillington House offers such a way. The former home of Prime Minister Lord North, Dillington has been Somerset's residential centre for adult education since 1949. Redesigned in the early 19th century, the Jacobeanstyle structure sits in acres of parkland and offers the perfect setting for learning. What is most interesting, however, are the sheer number of courses available. In among the art, language and music programmes are some intriguing topics – The Gothic Novel And Its Legacy, Reading Eliot's The Wasteland – Modernism in Context and Latin For Beginners And Improvers, for example.

There is also the option of staying

at Dillington, too. Its B&B accommodation

allows those attending weekend

courses to stay on site, ensuring prompt arrival for morning classes. The service itself is exceptional and has earned Dillington a VisitBritain's Five Star campus scheme rating, plus acclaim from journalist Simon Jenkins, who named it among England's 1,000 best houses.

Further towards the South East of England lies West Dean in Chichester. West Dean College is home to the Edward James Foundation, which offers a number of courses including MAs and Diplomas. Like Dillington, the house itself has a fascinating history. Edward James inherited it at the age of only four in 1912, when his father died. A benefactor of the arts, James is perhaps best remembered for his patronage of such artists as Salvador Dali and René Magritte. While few of the masterpieces he amassed during his lifetime remain at West Dean, James was adamant the house would retain its splendour. In 1964 he conveyed it and the estate to the Edward James Foundation – a charitable educational trust. By 1971, it had become the West Dean College of Arts and Crafts, and has remained as such ever since.

While some courses on offer at West Dean require a year's full-time commitment – casting them out of the 'hobby' category – there are many that last a weekend. Portrait Painting In Oils, Canapés For Christmas And Winter Entertaining and Learn A Skill, Make A Gift, to name a few, span one or two days. This makes them manageable and affordable.

And once you're through the doors of West Dean, it's fairly hard to leave, for there are a number of exhilarating concerts, talks and events in the evenings to ensure you don't go anywhere. Train Your Taste Buds – British Cheeses for instance, is scheduled for October and promises to provide a delicious journey through Britain's top-quality cheeses. Likewise, The Golden Age, a poetry performance scheduled for September, will be performed by Fire Poet, Philip Wells, named 'the foremost performance poet in England' by the Evening Standard.

So, far from not finding the time for a hobby, the only question should be: which hobby should one find time for?

With so many options available perhaps this is why the one- to threeday courses at Dillington House and West Dean College are most useful. They ensure preparatory introduction into a number of subjects and activities, making the choice of what to explore further, ever clearer. u

Dillington House, Ilminster, Somerset. For courses: 01460-258613, www.dillington.com

West Dean: The Edward James Foundation, West Dean, Near Chichester, West Sussex. For courses: 0844-499 4408, www.westdean.org.uk