New Cob Building Workshop in Bulgaria, August 2026!

New Workshop! 27 -30 August 2026 
Start time 4 pm on the 27th August
Finish 3pm on the 30th August

In this empowering three day workshop in the beautiful countryside of Bulgaria, I'll be collaborating with RisingSoul Retreat Centre in Bulgaria to teach how to build with the earth and create your own mud home.

Cob building is a total game changer and mind blowing if you've never come across it. In this course you will learn how cob outperforms concrete and how to use it as a construction material. By the end of the workshop you will understand if your soil is suitable for building, how to turn it into a cob, and how to build with it. You will learn the foundations necessary for cob buildings, how to attach roof timbers to cob walls, and basic cob house design. This is going to be a very informative and empowering course.

Who is this course for?

• Anyone considering building a natural home and wondering if cob has a place in their project.
• Anyone who wants to know what cob building entails.
• If you would like to know whether you would actually enjoy building your own mud home, this is for you.
• People who'd like to know how to build structures using the earth beneath their feet.
• Artists and creatives who'd like to know the sculpting potential of cob.
• People who want to connect with other natural builders and be part of a team.
• People with questions about their own projects. I have a Q & A in the lunch breaks

PRICES: Please note these prices are for the workshop only. Accommodation is booked separately with RisingSoul Retreat Centre:

• First off the blocks: £235
• Early Birds: £260
• Standard Ticket: £290

Important! Your accommodation is booked separately. 

• Minimum accommodation fee for the week (bring your own tent or campervan) is 152 EUROS.
• Rent a tent 182 EUROS. All RisingSoul prices include delicious and hearty breakfast and dinner for the whole workshop.
  
  Camping accommodation at Rising Soul Retreat Centre. All prices include a plentiful, delicious home cooked breakfast and dinner each day. Bear in mind this is a simple eco retreat with composting toilets, not a luxury resort. Even so, it is a beautiful cared for space, and the food is plentiful and high quality.
  
  Free Yoga and Meditation included: For the duration of the workshop, you will have the chance to join a daily meditation and yoga classes if you like. It's a free and entirely optional bonus of staying at RisingSoul Retreat Centre

RESERVE YOUR ACCOMODATION AND BOARD AT RisingSoul Retreat Centre 

For any queries regarding accommodation or food contact Rowena at EMAIL: info@risingsoulretreat.com

IMPORTANT: RisingSoul is substance free, so no drugs or alcohol during the workshop.

PLEASE NOTE: Tickets are non-refundable.
It's difficult to organise workshops which require investment from at the outset. Very sorry, but once you've bought your ticket, you've committed to join the workshop.

What they are saying about the last workshop:

"I attended Atulya’s cob workshop in Bulgaria and want to rave about it in words. I learned so much and was able to ask many questions and gain perspective that was invaluable to me. In a small group I was able to make connections to like-minded people who I will stay in touch with, not to mention the location and place who hosted us was fantastic in their own merit. Everyone worked together and we enjoyed as we learned how to make our natural living dreams come true. I would recommend to anyone wherever you are in your journey. Atulya thank you for putting up with all my questions and curiosities. It is so important to have a good teacher to truly connect with the material being taught and I am 100% happy to have had this experience and was terribly sad when it was over. If there is a plaster course coming I will be in line to go to that too!"  Sara Farooq, course participant in Bulgaria 2026

"Atulya's Workshop in Bulgaria at the end of May 2026 was my first natural building course and I absolutely loved it. From the start we were learning hands-on skills, getting practical experience. The Q&A sessions over lunch really helped to drill in the knowledge. We learned so much over just a few days! And we had a huge amount of fun. Atulya is a great teacher and made sure we were laughing and relaxed. And our small group therefore really bonded - getting to know our international team-mates was part of the fun...I whole-heartedly recommend the course. Staying at the Rising Soul centre in forest-covered hills also made it very special, with great yoga sessions and amazing food from the international team there. Thanks for all of it!" Jen Barclay, course participant in Bulgaria, 2026

For the practical hands on elements of this workshop we will be building up the cob wall of a large restoration project at RisingSoul Retreat Centre, and installing a window into that wall.

What will you learn in this workshop?

• Where to find clayey soil on your land, and how to turn it into a usable building material.
• How to test your cob mixture for strength.
• The function of each ingredient in the cob mixture, and how to tweak it for your own land/project.
• How to build a cob wall. The dos and don'ts.
• How to keep the wall plumb.
• The correct foundation method for cob buildings.
• Stem walls, their purpose and design.
• How to install windows and doors into cob walls.
• How to install plumbing and wiring into cob buildings.
• How to lay roof timbers onto a cob wall.
• What is thermal mass, and how to use it to your advantage.
• Constructing cob homes in different climates.
• How to repair and maintain cob.
• Sculpting cob, tips and tricks.

Travelling to RisingSoul Retreat Centre

RisingSoul Retreat Centre is in a small village called Belitsa, about 20 mins drive from the town of Tryavna (or Trjavna).

How to get there:
1. Fly to Sofia or Plovdiv
2. Get to Tryavna (usually about a 4 hour journey from Sofia or Plovdiv)
3. Grab a taxi (about 12 Euros) to RisingSoul Retreat centre.

Flying into Sofia or Plovdiv
We say it every time, and every time someone misses the memo. Don't leave your travel arrangements until the last minute as flights and buses fill up.

From Sofia

• Bus from Sofia to Tryavna can be booked here: https://union-ivkoni.com/en

The bus is direct and takes approx 4 hours. It needs to be booked well in advance as it can sell out.

• Train from Sofia to Trjavna can be booked at Bulgarian Railways (BDZ) https://www.bdz.bg/en .

Be aware, the BDZ website doesn't work well on mobile phone. The train is slower and can sometimes run a bit late. It takes a good 5 hours but is scenic, reasonably comfortable, has toilets (though not romantic ones) and offers an authentic Bulgarian experience. Train tickets rarely sell out unless it's a public holiday and you can buy in the station if you prefer. If you buy on the BDZ website, the spelling of the town is Trjavna. You don't need to print the ticket, just show the electronic version on your phone.

• Taxi from Sofia to Tryavna costs about 180 Euro (though prices are hard to pin down and can change, so this is a rough figure only).
• Car hire. Alternatively, you can hire a car from the usual suspects.

From Plovdiv
If you get a chance to fly into Plovdiv, it’s a bit closer to the workshop venue, and very worthwhile. Plovdiv is a fascinating ancient town full of great eateries and a boho vibe. Ryanair runs regular flights from London Stansted, Milan and a few other destinations.

• The train from Plovdiv can be booked here: Bulgarian Railways (BDZ) https://www.bdz.bg/en​

Be aware, the BDZ website doesn't work well on mobile phone. The train can sometimes run late. It takes about 4 hours to get to Trjavna, but the journey is very scenic. The train has toilets (though not romantic ones) but not air con, and offers an authentic Bulgarian experience.

Please be aware, Bulgaria isn’t Germany. Trains plod. Buses meander. That’s just how it is. Leave decent margins for flights and connections.

RISINGSOUL RETREAT CENTRE ON GOOGLE MAPS: https://maps.app.goo.gl/CZjyuvmEP2yG8Rtx7​

CONTACT: 
All questions regarding the course material to Atulya, EMAIL: atulyakbingham@themudhome.com

All questions regarding accommodation, food or transport to Rowena, EMAIL: info@risingsoulretreat.com

Your Instructor:

Atulya has been building with natural materials for fifteen years. She is founder and author of The Mud Home natural building website. She also writes about natural building for publications such as Mother Earth News and the Owner Builder Magazine, and has been featured on Podcasts such as All that We Are, and Regenerative Skills.

You can read her story, see her work, and find out plenty of natural building information from her website: www.themudhome.com.

If you have any questions, or need more information, just email Atulya at: atulyakbingham@themudhome.com