creative writing retreat uk

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The Home of Creative Writing

Festival of writing.

Arvon is a charity that runs creative writing courses, events and retreats both in-person and online. Our courses are tutored by leading authors and include a powerful mix of workshops and individual tutorials, with time and space to write, free from distractions of everyday life. Grants and concessions are available to help with course fees.

ARVON COURSES & RETREATS

Online writing week: historical fiction.

Retrieving histories

• Screenwriting

Residential Writing Week: Screenwriting

Adapting from source to screen

How I Write: Yvonne Battle-Felton

Q&A and Reading

Masterclass: Starting Your Screenwriting Journey

Bringing your ideas to life

Masterclass: The Poetry of Prose

Setting your prose alight

• Non-Fiction

Online Writing Day: Non-Fiction

Using pictures to improvise better stories

Apr 29-May 3

Online Writing Week: Poetry

Poetry and its Hinterland

Apr 29-May 4

• Totleigh Barton

Fiction , Poetry , Starting to Write

Residential Writing Week: Starting to Write

Begin the journey

“Every time I’ve taught at Arvon - going back over fifteen years now - I’ve seen how much difference just a handful of days can make in the life of writers. There’s a perfect mix of tutorials, writing time, socializing, and discussion - all those elements come together to create an atmosphere in which writing projects move in that longed-for but often unattainable direction: forward.”

— Kamila Shamsie

ARVON AT HOME

Our online programme of courses, events and writing support

Virtual versions of our famous Writing Weeks, plus Masterclasses, free How I Write events, Online Writing Weekends, Writing Days and more . . . all accessible from the comfort of your sofa.

SUPPORT ARVON NORTH

Arvon North is an ambitious capital project to adapt Lumb Bank into a beacon of creativity for the North

Help us transform Lumb Bank into an engine-house for creative writing development in the North of England, connecting the rich literary collateral of the region with a community of writers locally, regionally, nationally and globally.

CLOCKHOUSE WRITERS' RETREAT

Give your writing the time and space it deserves with Arvon’s dedicated Writers Retreat at The Clockhouse

The Clockhouse is specifically designed for writers on retreat. It has four apartments for writers, each with bedroom, study-lounge and bathroom. All food is provided for you, so you can spend your time as you please.

DONATE TO ARVON

Do you believe that everyone should have the opportunity to unlock their creative potential?

Arvon is a charity that believes everyone deserves the freedom to imagine, write and explore ideas regardless of their age or financial background.

OUR SCHOOLS & GROUPS WORK

We offer residential weeks for schools, young people and adult groups.

Our weeks for schools and groups follow the same pattern as our adult course programme – led by two professional writers, with tutorials, group workshops, and time and space to write.

ARVON BLOGS

SI Leeds Literary Prize 2024

07 Mar 2024 / General

A writing prize that helps discover exciting new talent from underrepresented groups will be accepting entries again next month. The SI…

Arvon and Creative Minds Calderdale to Develop Writing for Change Project

28 Feb 2024 / News

Arvon and Creative Minds Charity, hosted by South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, are embarking on an exciting project aimed…

My Arvon Journey: Gráinne O’Hare

27 Feb 2024 / My Arvon Journey

When I logged on to my first online Arvon workshop, it was autumn 2022 and already chilly at my writing desk;…

My Arvon Week: Debi Barry

27 Feb 2024 / My Arvon Week

Friendships are formed over food, (or a glass of wine in my case!) and cemented over shared life experiences – so…

JOIN OUR MAILING LIST

Want to know what's coming up in the next week? Arvon’s newsletter is the best way to avoid missing out on anything - from new and upcoming courses, to Arvon giveaways and writing and self-development opportunities.

FIND A COURSE OR RETREAT

• Inua Ellams' Spring Season
• Residential Writing Week
• Online Writing Week
• Masterclass
• Masterclass Recording
• How I Write
• Online Five Week Course
• Residential Tutored Retreat
• Online Writing Day
• Residential Retreat
• Children and Young People's Events
• Starting to Write
• Children & YA
• Short Story

Privacy Overview

Our Retreats

2024 schedule is open for booking .

Day courses & workshops

Academic retreats

Our all-inclusive Writers’ Retreat UK retreats take part in our lovely, quiet North Yorkshire venue. Our retreats are very different to others. We look after your every need during your stay with us, support you on group retreats with industry-specialists and offer the perfect environment to help you relax and create. Drop us an email and we’ll keep you informed with what’s going on and our specials offers.

Drop us an email  and we'll keep you up-to-date with what's going and our special offers. If you prefer the human touch, please call 0845 519 8115 for a chat about any of our retreats.

Join us for a retreat and benefit from amazing ongoing discounts! Our retreats fill quickly so don't miss out. You can check out our reviews from previous guests  here .

What's included in your Writers' Retreat UK retreat:

• For our untutored retreats, we offer mentoring with an industry professional to support you through your writing time with us.
• All meals are included (and some wine).
• Breakfast and lunch are served as a buffet. Breakfast is between 8am and 9.00am, with lunch usually around 12.30pm.
• Dinner is served as a sit-down, 2 course supper in the dining room.  Writing can be a lonely process so evening dinner is a great opportunity for all of our writers to get together and socialise.
• Tea and coffee are on the go all day, along with cake, biscuits and snacks to keep the creative juices flowing
• We also offer a home-baked cream tea around 4pm to fuel your writing until evening dinner
• Transfers included from local public transport links.
• Writing pads and pens will be available, although we understand that most writers prefer to use their own.
• We have spare laptops - just in case! If you use one of our laptops, we'll give you a memory stick to take your work home with you.
• Space to write in your room, in privacy.
• Comfortable writing room, where you can work in the company of other writers.
• Access to a number of writing resources, including a library of writing books.

Bring a writer friend to share your room (most rooms can be made into twins) for just 50% extra. Bring a non-writing partner or friend for just 30% of the room price extra.

Take in your surroundings

Sometimes our writers like to take a walk to see the local area. This is a great way to clear your mind ready for the next writing session.

After supper, if you're ready to relax, we offer optional evening activities to share with your fellow writers. Alternatively, chill and watch a bit of TV or chat with others on the retreat in one of our comfortable lounges, in front of a roaring log burner.  We host evening readings, too, for those that would like to share some of their work for discussion and feedback.

If you're taking part in one of our specialist retreats, your workshop instruction and feedback sessions are all also included in the price.

Don't worry about the little things, either. We provide an abundance of bubbles, shower gel, shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, in fact, all the essentials you will need. We also carry plenty of spares in case you forget something, like, toothbrushes, razors, deodorant, and many more, so you only need to bring any special toiletries that you just can't live without!

This is a complete package that gives you dedicated time to write, lets you relax in idyllic rural or seaside surroundings, come together with other like-minded writers and have a truly invigorating quiet time away from home.

What are you waiting for?  Reserve your place  today, with a deposit of only £100pp , for our next writer's retreat.

Corporate and Academic retreats

Think writers' retreats are just for the creatives? Think again. Do you have corporate or academic documents to produce? We can provide the perfect environment with mentoring support, if needed. Click  here  for further information.

Great British Bake Off contestant Karen Wright hosting two events at local writers retreat

Stuck for ideas, finding story ideas, the retreat – opening night, our own venue – the retreat at the kings arms, another competition success, what’s coming up with writers’ retreat uk, july retreat – an unexpected visitor, our stunning new venue, different dietary needs and our retreats.

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Friendly Expert Writing Retreats & Workshops

Inkwell creative writing courses –, beyond words.

Discover your inner writer in a beautiful setting with experienced, published tutors. Our residential and day courses offer a chance to explore your voice and build on a range of writing techniques with like-minded people.

FRIENDLY EXPERT WRITING RETREATS & WORKSHOPS

Inkwell creative writing courses – beyond words, explore your creativity and improve your writing.

Whether you are a new writer or wrestling with your work-in-progress, Inkwell courses will allow you to hone and practise your skills in drama, poetry and prose.

All tutors are successful, published writers. Residential courses are joined by another critically acclaimed guest writer. Workshops focus on developing craft and style through a variety of prompts, and are designed to appeal to writers in any genre. Emphasis is placed on the importance of critique and feedback in a supportive and safe environment.

Meals and accommodation are included on residential courses, with a complimentary glass of fizz on the first night. At whatever writing stage you happen to be, whether that is on the point of publication or at the beginning of your writing journey, allow yourself peace and space to release your creative energy. In a world that never stops strutting and fretting, take time out to find your own words.

Residential retreats, writing courses And Workshops

Writing courses and workshops.

Explore the upcoming creative writing courses and workshops. Book a place and pay online.

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Golden Glow

Skin paradise, green touch.

The Garsdale Retreat is a creative writing centre, providing courses and untutored retreats, in the remote and beautiful setting of The Yorkshire Dales.

Our courses offer opportunities for new, emerging and experienced writers. The tutors, all professional writers, lead workshops and also give one-to-one tutorials to help the individual student. In the remote and beautiful setting of The Yorkshire Dales, The Garsdale Retreat gives a wonderful opportunity to escape from the daily stresses of life and to draw inspiration from fellow students, tutors and the landscape itself.

Untutored retreats allow the time and space to develop individual writing projects.

Whether a tutored course or an untutored retreat, all meals are provided, enabling participants to focus entirely on their writing, whilst enjoying excellent locally sourced food in simple and comfortable surroundings.

Accommodated in an attractive Edwardian house, with workshops held in its converted coach-house, students can enjoy the stunning landscape of The Yorkshire Dales and take walks directly from the house into the National Park.

The Garsdale Retreat provides an ideal place to reconnect with self and creativity in a busy and pressurised world.  We welcome all to share in our passion for writing and to enjoy a rich and revitalising experience.

2024 Courses and Retreats. Now Open for Booking

Prices range from £695 – £990. See individual course page for details.

Tutor/Guest Reader

Latest News

Residential courses and retreats to begin again, grey hen press book launch hosted by the garsdale retreat.

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• Meet the Team
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• David Lloyd George
• Courses and retreats
• Course Types
• What to Expect
• Financial Support
• Educational Testimonials
• Nant Writers’ Retreat FAQs
• Testimonials
• Success Stories
• Literature Wales

Courses and Retreats

Browse our 2024 course programme today.

Nant Writers' Retreat Cottage

Welcome to Nant; a historical Grade II* listed cottage specifically renovated for writing retreats.

Tŷ Newydd Newsletter

Keep up to date with all our courses, events and special offers by signing up to our newsletter. 

Welcome to Tŷ Newydd Writing Centre

Tŷ Newydd is the National Writing Centre of Wales. Established in 1990, thousands of aspiring and budding writers have since passed through our iconic teal front door.

With over 30 years experience, we specialise in residential creative writing courses and retreats. Every week we welcome a new group of individuals from Wales, the rest of the UK and beyond to our home. They spend time together under the tutelage of professional writers, taking part in workshops and one-to-one tutorials, enjoying readings and basking in the inspirational setting of Tŷ Newydd. For those wanting space and time away to write in isolation, or with a like minded friend, our dedicated retreat cottage offers the perfect surrounding. Tŷ Newydd Writing Centre is run by Literature Wales, the national company for the development of literature.

Explore our Courses

We have a range of courses and retreats available at Tŷ Newydd. Why not have a browse and discover what’s on offer.

Fully Booked

Cynan Jones

Cynan Jones is an acclaimed fiction writer from the west coast of Wales. His work has appeared in over twenty countries, and in journals and magazines including  Granta , Freeman’s  and  The New Yorker . He has also written a screenplay for the hit crime drama Hinterland , a collection of tales for children, and a number of stories for BBC Radio. He has been longlisted and shortlisted for numerous awards, and won, among other prizes, the Wales Book of the Year Fiction Prize, a Jerwood Fiction Uncovered Award, and the BBC National Short Story Award.

Clare Mackintosh

With over 2 million copies of her books sold worldwide, number one bestseller Clare Mackintosh is the multi-award-winning author of I Let You Go (Little Brown, 2015), which was a Sunday Times and New York Times bestseller and the fastest-selling title by a new crime writer in 2015. It also won the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year in 2016. Both Clare’s second and third novels, I See You (Little Brown, 2017) and Let Me Lie (Little Brown, 2018), were number one Sunday Times bestsellers. Her first three thrillers were selected for the Richard & Judy Book Club, and together have been translated into forty languages. After the End (Little Brown, 2019) was published in 2019 and became an instant Sunday Times bestseller, and in 2021 Hostage (Little Brown, 2022) flew straight into the top ten. Her new crime series, featuring Welsh detective DC Ffion Morgan, has been critically acclaimed, with both The Last Party (Little Brown, 2023) and A Game of Lies (Little Brown, 2023) hitting the Sunday Times top ten. Together, her books have spent more than sixty-five weeks in The Sunday Times bestseller lists. Clare lives in north Wales with her family.  

Dean Atta is an award-winning Black British author and poet whose works have received praise from Bernardine Evaristo and Malorie Blackman. His novel in verse, The Black Flamingo (Hachette, 2020), about a Black gay teen finding his voice through poetry and drag performance, won the Stonewall Book Award and was shortlisted for numerous further prestigious awards. His poetry collection, There is (still) love here (Nine Arches Press, 2022), explores acceptance, queer joy and the power of unapologetically being yourself and fully embracing who you are.  

Pragya Agarwal

Dr Pragya Agarwal is the writer of four non-fiction books including the widely acclaimed (M)otherhood and Hysterical. Pragya is a visiting professor of social inequities at Loughborough University and a visiting fellow at University of Oxford. Her writing has been published widely in The Guardian Scientific American, New Scientist, Prospect, Florida Review and Literary Hub. She also teaches creative writing courses for Irish Writers Centre and Arvon.  

Our Spring 2024 Virtual Workshops

Spring 2024 workshops 

Our popular virtual workshops are back on 2nd March and 20th April 2024

Our Midsummer 2024 Residential Retreat*

14th to 17th June in Herriot Country

Deposits being taken now

We are delighted to announce our Midsummer 2024 residential retreat; based in the beautiful and historic Holy Rood House, Thirsk, North Yorkshire. Close to inspiring gardens, walks, museums and the glorious market place. 

*A non residential option is available

We guarantee to get you writing

We offer Support and encouragement

Inspiring material

Novelist Clara Challoner Walker and poet Janet Dean created Awakening the Writer Within in 2014, to share their passion for creative writing and literature with like-minded people.

Now, ten years later, a welcoming community of writers has been forged and the virtual and face to face retreats, courses and workshops in Yorkshire and in South West France have received outstanding participant feedback, from both novice and established writers......

Our Courses

Our midsummer 2024 retreat in Herriot Country, North Yorkshire

14th to 17th June 2024

Our residential retreats are  ideal for those looking to start, develop or finish a writing project with peace, quiet, inspriration and support

NOTE - a non residential option is available for those with alternative accommodation within reach of Thirsk

Residential writing retreats in glorious locations

Join us in March/April 2024

Our half-day, virtual workshops offer the inspiration and opportunity for writing, stimulated by inspiring prompts, delivered throughout the.afternoon, Zoom calls for collaboration and interaction and an...

Prices from £ 12 pp ​

Our Spring 2024 Virtual

Join our mailing list

Keep in touch and find out about new retreat dates

Our writing Community 

Our online is a platform providing monthly inspiration and prompts directly to your inbox with sharing opportunities and encouragement too. Helps you to connect with likeminded people to improve your writing...

Testimonials

"It couldn't have been better! You and Clara make a harmonious team, your preparation paid off spectacularly, and the breadth and depth of content was just what I wanted"

"The two of you as a partnership have something very special to give and I especially appreciated the extremely kind and sensitive way you made everyone feel they had something worthwhile to contribute without any pressure"

"You both helped me so much. I learned an amazing amount and walked away really inspired to do more writing"

Our first anthology 'First Awakening' was published in May 2020.

All contributions are from previous participants on our workshops including established writers and those new to writing.

Critical Appraisals

Contact us if you are looking for individual support for your writing

Write Retreat UK

A tranquil writing and thinking space by the beach

Write Retreat UK – writing and wellbeing

A tranquil writing and thinking space by the beach.

Write Retreat UK is set in a beautiful Art Deco house, 200 metres from the beach in Frinton-On-Sea, in the Essex. I offer short writing retreats to provide writers, academics, researchers, PhD students and creative writers a tranquil space to think and write.  On the retreats you can work at your own pace, without the responsibilities of daily life.

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Angela locke MA

CREATIVE WRITING RETREATS 

'If you can't find inspiration on Iona, it's time to chuck your quill into the Atlantic. This retreat at the Argyll hotel with Angela Locke, the novelist and travel writer, draws on the island's mystical rhythms and dune-fringed landscape to help writers find their muse.’ Jeremy Lazell, Travel Editor, Scottish Times.

The Universe Is Imagination Set Free...

These are the words at the heart of my organisation, where I seek to allow others to flower in their own creativity. It is a beautiful thing to see someone open like a flower, often having been crushed by circumstances for so long from expressing their true creative voice. They seem to change physically, even in a few days, particularly on special places like Iona, and it is an immense privilege to share in that process. For me, as a writer and teacher, creativity is at the heart of who we are. This may be expressed through words, through photography, painting or dance, or in so many other ways.

People say to me 'I don't have a creative bone in my body', and then go on to tell me how they have envisioned a beautiful garden or have a dream of the future by the sea, or of getting to the top of the mountain. Or sometimes they may say 'I once wrote a poem when I was a child, but I grew out of it, and I'm no good now... 'and that makes me sad. For where would the universe be without creativity? As Einstein knew when he said we should all be like children playing...

Keep scrolling to learn more about our range of courses...

"I sold military books for more than two decades and I read many. This gripping novel slow-burns its way into your heart..."

Brindley Hallam Dennis - A Penny Spitfire.

"Angela Locke takes us back in time, through one of the greatest tragedies history has ever seen, and leads her characters and the reader, gently to safe ground. Rural France is so beautifully evoked."

Kathleen Jones author and poet, Royal Literary Fellow.

"Tamarisk is magnificent. Gripping and beautifully written by an author who has a deep understanding of France and the Roma people. The perfect novel for our difficult times..."

Grevel Lindop, Professor and author of Travels on the Dancefloor, The Third Inkling, Charles Williams and others.

"This remarkable story, symbolised the miraculous recovery of the Tamarisk tree, shows how one family found renewed hope after the traumas they had faced in that most terrible of all wars..." 

Steve Matthews, Bookseller, publisher, author, reviewer and historian. 

"You might want to fasten your seat belt as you are drawn into Pierre's story, from the moment his parachute opens until the very last page of Angela Locke's Tamarisk..."

Rebekah Spivey, Author of Marigold's in Boxes, Flight Plan, and Rugburns; Editor, writing coach and certified facilitator for Women Writing For Change.

The Latest review of Tamarisk: 

This novel is a romance between the Anglo-French Pierre, an SOA agent sent into occupied Northern France in the months leading up to D-Day, and the courageous farmer’s daughter, Rebecca. However, this is no Mills and Boon love tryst with the war as a backdrop. With painstaking detail, based on much research, a believable, compelling and harrowing adventure unfolds. It is at times a painful read, informed by the knowledge that while the story is the creation of the author, it is grounded in the terrible reality experienced by millions. Those darkest times are described in unflinching detail, from the fate of captured French Resistance fighters to revealing the dystopian aftermath of the war in Europe.

Yet despite the depravity and bleakness portrayed, this story is ultimately uplifting, of good triumphing over intolerance and prejudice, of the resurrection of civilised life, and of love and reconciliation between people and peoples.

While awareness of both the extraordinary bravery of the French Resistance, and the depths of carnage resulting from war, is fading fast from the collective consciousness as the last protagonists pass away, this book is a timely reminder of the danger that the rise to power of populist demagogues bring to us all.

John Lloyd Thomas

Pre-order your copy on Amazon...

Photograph by Malcolm McGregor.

The Dream of Iona

The dream of Iona….A magical, sacred island set in a turquoise sea. An island where generations of Scottish kings are buried, where Druids and Celts and early Christians shaped the landscape of myth and dream. An island made up of the oldest rocks on the planet, where crystal clear waters lap the white sands of empty beaches, a nature sanctuary where dolphins leap in the Iona Sound and sea otters run among the rocks. This inspirational island is the setting for a series of unique residential Writers Retreats, where beginners and published authors alike are welcomed, based at the Argyll Hotel on Iona, and led by one of the U.K.’s leading innovative Creative Writing tutors, international author and poet Angela Locke MA. Angela co-led the first British/American Writing Retreat on Iona in June 2000, and has now been teaching her very successful and inspirational series of  Writers Retreats on the island for more than 20 years. IONA Writing Retreat with Angela Locke AND Writing and Photography with Malcolm Macgregor and Angela Locke, are now running simultaneously between the dates listed below. For the Writing and Photography Retreat please refer direct to the Argyll Hotel Iona. For Writing Retreat alone please refer to Angela Locke.'

Iona Writing Retreat 27nd May - 1st June,2023

Iona writing retreat 2nd - 7th sept,2023..

Lake District

I have just said regretful goodbyes to a talented group of writers who took part in my annual Writers' Retreat 2022 at beautiful Rydal Hall this weekend. It is really an amazing and inspiring place, full of ancient trees, impressive formal and informal gardens and an OM chapel overlooking a waterfall which Wordsworth and Coleridge loved. Wordsworth lived at Rydal Mount just up the lane and raised his family there. The de Flemings at Rydal Hall were his landlords. Many people only know Dove Cottage in Grasmere but Rydal Hall was the family home for Wordsworth and his family ( including Dorothy) for many years and Wordsworth designed the magical gardens in tune with his theories about the flow of Nature. We usually use Rydal Mount too for inspiration.

It is only a weekend course but is always popular and this time was voted the best ever, which was wonderful feedback for me to hear. The weather was mixed but we are always assured of a warm welcome and a great atmosphere and excellent food. We were able to get outside despite cloudy days and a few spots of rain. The trees, including one sweet chestnut which is 600 years old, were a particular inspiration, as was the magnificent view down the Vale of Ambleside with the glory of the Lake District fells framing trees and meadows full of sheep.

On the last night, as one of my writers was playing Debussy's Clair de Lune on the grand piano, an almost full moon shone in the great picture windows illuminating the circular fountain below with its sparkling silver light. Wow! What a very special spot in which to write. I feel very lucky to have that lovely Retreat centre as well as Iona, where I can bring writers for peace and, I hope, inspiration!

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Weekend Retreats

Join the awaken creatrix retreat.

Join the Creatrix Journey for a three-night women-only walking and writer’s retreat in the hills of Tintern in Wales on June 20-23 2024.

Walk in nature, connect back to the source and write the words that need to be written.

Celebrate the Summer Solstice in the ancient woods  of Tintern, Wales.

Immerse yourself in Nature and Unlock your Inner Writer

Explore the woods and surrounding countryside with daily walking and writing creative sessions. 

Practice yoga every morning overlooking a beautiful view from a purpose-built studio. 

Stay in a cosy yurt and eat delicious plant-based food.

Deep in the heart of Wordsworth country, this write retreat is designed to connect you back to the source, your creativity, and spirituality. It will create space to be creative, walk, write, relax and restore!

There will also be a 3-hour forest bathing experience and a Saturday night spa night with an outdoor hot tub sauna and spa with pizza!

“”I actually didn’t want to leave The Creatrix Journey Retreat. It was a joy from start to finish. Claire is organised, supportive, friendly, welcoming and is passionate about inviting women to walk and write in nature. What comes with this sacred space is a unique, warm, and nurturing energy she has created for clients attending, and I was able to push myself out of my comfort zone safely and gently.” – Sarah Kerr, Life Coach

Make Your Words Come Alive

Walking & Writing

The guided WALKING & WRITING will connect you back to the source, so you unplug and roam the ancient woodlands and forests of Tintern in Monmouthshire, Wales. Making space for you to journal, write poetry, work on business blogs or start (or finish) the book you’ve always wanted to write.

The YOGA will be taught at an open level, making it accessible for all levels. You’ll practice yoga every morning including breathwork and meditation. Yoga will help us access to the deep places of our psyche and consciousness that inspire creative ideas to emerge.

The FOOD is delicious, healthy, and plant-based or vegetarian- with gluten-free options and any other dietary needs catered for.. A healthy diet will help to boost your energy and creativity levels.

Outdoor Spa

The OUTDOOR SPA will relax and reinvigorate you on Saturday night and help ignite your inner writer.

Forest Bathing

The FOREST BATHING will create a new mindful practice for you to enjoy when out in nature and allow the nature to recharge your creative spirit.

Fire Ceremony

Celebrate the Solstice with a ceremonial FIRE and dance in the woods. Connect to the elements and enjoy the midsummer magic.

What’s Included in the Writer Retreat Wales

The investment is £600  Per Person 

Price includes:

Walk & Write Sessions with our writing and nordic walking expert Claire Winter

Daily Yoga Sessions

Outdoor Spa Evening

Forest Bathing Session

Food and drinks

Shared Accommodation in a Yurt, or room with a view, 2 people per Yurt or room.

There will be time to rest, reflect, write, and just be, so you can connect with yourself and nature again.

Camping options, single supplement and payment plans are available.

Just email [email protected] for more details.

Who is This Walk & Write Retreat For?

This powerful circle is for soul-led leaders, changemakers, coaches, healers  and individuals who want to make a difference in the world by tuning into nature and their inner power and words.

This is for you:

– If nature and its energy calls you

– If you want to be part of a collective where writing is our combined superpower

– If you have words that need to be written

– If you want to re-ignite your creativity

– If you want a creative outlet to get clear on your next steps

– If you seek soul sisters to share your creative dreams with

Meet your host

Hi I’m Claire; I am a creative writing coach, nordic walking instructor, journalist, content creator, and lover of words. I use a blended coaching and mentoring approach to ignite my client’s creativity so they can share their authentic voice and story.  I started my career at ITN in radio and television, and then went on to be the editor of Families magazine for eight years.  I’m on a mission to help soul-led entrepreneurs, change makers, creatives and coaches to ignite their creativity, write the words that need to be written and spread their gifts like wildfire.

I decided to host this writing retreat because connection and sharing our wisdom and words is important. The retreat will help activate your inner creatrix so that you can be share your truth and vision with the world or simply relax and spend time to nurture your creativity.

Testimonials

Most frequent questions and answers.

Clothes for walking, walking boots, shoes, waterproofs, warm clothes even in the summer it gets chilly in Wales, towel, swimming costume, dressing gown for the spa, flipflops or similar. You will be sent a detailed itinerary and list when you book.

Daily Walk & Write Sessions with writing expert Claire Winter

Plant-based or Vegetarian Food

Non-alcoholic Drinks

Shared Accommodation in a Yurt, 3 or 2 people sharing.

Follow up WhatsApp or Telegram check-ins with everyone after the retreat.

Maximum twelve people, so you all get the attention you need.

Not a problem, we will create the time and space for you to explore writing and creativity at your own pace.

To check out our other workshops  click here .

Get in touch by emailing  [email protected]

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Arts & Creativity Retreats

The Knoydart Retreat: Painting In The Wilderness Of Scotland With Ellis O'Connor

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Skyros Holidays

Coaching retreat - sound, art, dance therapy - coaching - mindfulness - wellness

Yoga and Art Retreat

Mindfulness with Flowers; a 1-day Holistic Relaxation Retreat

L'Heritier Gite and Retreat

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Charney Manor Retreat Centre

My monthly workshops are designed as a ‘writing gym’. They’ll help you flex your writing muscles, pick up some creative writing skills, and enjoy the company of fellow writing enthusiasts. There’s a different theme each time and all you need is a pen and paper. Whether you’re a complete beginner or a regular writer looking for inspiration, I promise you’ll get words down on the page and have fun in the process.

If you’re local to Falmouth, join us for the monthly Saturday morning sessions in Mylor Bridge. If you’re further afield, or can’t get to Mylor, you can join the monthly Zoom session on Wednesday evenings. Dates for 2024 are here . 

Contact me if you’d like to know more before deciding whether to attend. The cost for these two hour sessions is just £8.00 and new faces are always welcome.

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10 of the best creative retreats in the UK and Europe

Want to sit quietly with your paints or handicrafts, burst into song, or use kung fu or dance to get moving? We pick holidays for nourishing your inner maker

• More retreat top 10s: yoga | meditation | by readers

Dancing, Paros, Greece

Tao’s, a meditation centre on a hill overlooking the sea on the island of Paros, hosts a dance retreat each September. The style of dance is “open floor movement”, which is said to boost creativity and help people “refresh, recuperate, recharge and rejoice”. It is suitable for anyone who wants to move, regardless of age or experience. The schedule includes three hours of dancing before lunch and two hours after, optional morning meditation and time to explore the island – car hire (shared between three people) is included in the price. Guests stay at the Christiana, a simple hotel by the sea with a pool and a restaurant specialising in seafoodfish soup and lobster spaghetti. From €725 for five nights, 11-15 September, including vegetarian breakfast, lunch and car hire, taos-greece.com

Making and mending, Hampshire

A Nest of Gentle Makers is a new twice-yearly weekend retreat in Minstead in the New Forest, with a focus on gentle creativity in a relaxing environment. There are sessions with an artist and illustrator, producing drawings, collages, rubbings and prints inspired by nature; a stitching workshop, based on a Japanese patchwork technique; a guided walk in the forest; and three yoga sessions. Guests stay in heated tipis or shepherd’s huts; food is largely vegetarian and includes a barbecue and a dinner around the campfire. £370 full-board , 10-12 May and 11-13 October, anestofgentlemakers.co.uk

Photography, Sierra Nevada, Spain

Cortijo Romero has been running creative and wellness holidays in Andalucía since 1986. Courses include mindful photography, improv theatre, singing and writing; each includes 18-20 hours of teaching and learning plus morning tai chi or yoga, Spanish lessons, evening dance sessions and a full day’s excursion to the mountains for a picnic and wild swimming. Optional extras include massages, counselling and life coaching (£36 an hour). The retreat centre is in an olive grove not far from Granada. From £685 for a week’s mindful photography, 27 April to 4 May and 26 October to 2 November, including vegetarian meals, cortijo-romero.co.uk

Writing, Donegal, Ireland

The twice-yearly Ireland Writing Retreat in Gweedore, two miles inland from the stunning west Donegal coastline, offers practical, hands-on writing and editing workshops, plus talks by authors about publishing and marketing. The week includes a boat trip to the island of Gola (pictured), walks and a tour of Glenveagh national park and castle, Irish language and dance classes, and traditional music concerts. It also offers a retreat focusing on travel writing (16-22 March), and two further afield: one on the Black Sea near Mangalia, Romania (27 May-2 June), and a new retreat in Paris (14-20 October). Week from €990 B&B, 24-30 June and 23-29 September, irelandwritingretreat.com

Boatbuilding, and other crafts, Scotland

Archipelago Folkschool runs short residential craft courses in beautiful areas of Scotland. They range from a weekend spoon-carving course (£200, 10-12 May) to a week learning blacksmithing (£950, 6-13 April), both on a farm in Lochgoilhead, Argyll & Bute. Boatbuilding is the main focus, though: this year there is a “build your own sea kayak” course and a women’s boatbuilding week, both on a croft on the Isle of Mull. Accommodation ranges from tents and hostels to homestays. As well as teaching practical skills, these retreats promote participation in communities and connection with the environment. Boatbuilding from £750 , women’s course 8-15 June, sea kayaks 3-11 August, archipelagofolkschool.org

Sculpture & kung fu, the Netherlands

The Athanor Centre in Lochem, close to the German border, holds regular retreats, covering interests such as handicrafts (26-29 January) and yoga and voice (25 February to 1 March). One of the most intriguing is a “sculpting in wood and kung fu flow” retreat, designed to improve connection and imagination. The days start with kung fu flow, a kind of moving meditation, and are then spent outdoors, working with wood under sculptor Anna Hakvoort. No experience of either discipline is necessary and all tools are provided. The centre is a converted 1930s farmhouse in large grounds with features such as a modern stone circle, a labyrinth and fire pits. From £740 for five days, 20 April to 3 May, centrumathanor.nl

Arts and crafts, West Sussex

West Dean College of Arts and Conservation near Chichester holds week-long creative retreats over the summer. There are almost 30 subjects on offer, from drawing, painting and sculpting to jewellery making and photography. Each includes intensive teaching, visits to local arts venues, an optional trip to the Chichester Festival Theatre and an end-of-week party. Accommodation is in the Grade II-listed manor house, the old vicarage or an annexe in the college’s parkland. Year-round, there are also one-day workshops (such as silversmithing, £125) and three-day courses (garden design, say, £372). Summer schools from £771 (50% off for teachers), half-board accommodation from £3 78pp, 26 July-18 August, westdean.org.uk

Painting, Haute Pyrénées, France

Built in the 19th-century, L’Ancienne Poste, a luxury lodge in the lush Louron valley, is a great base for mountain biking in summer and skiing in winter. It is also the perfect setting for art retreats – the wooded valleys and soaring peaks will bring out anyone’s inner Cézanne. Tutored by Jacqueline Williams, a member of the New English Art Club , guests go walking in the mountains and painting en plein air . There are also trips to the local Balnéa Spa , drinks in front of the fire and four-course dinners with wine. From €999pp half-board for a week including art materials, courses start 31 August and 7 September, ancienneposteavajan.com

Songwriting, Cascais, Portugal

Budding songwriters can find their voice on a retreat in Charneca do Guincho, a small village near the coast west of Lisbon. Three tutors – two singer-songwriters and a producer – give workshops on writing, arranging and performing, and the retreat concludes with an evening performance for an invited audience. Morning yoga sessions are included; free time can be spent walking, surfing or horse-riding; and guests can join an optional visit to Cascais town or Sintra. The retreat is based at Guincho Wayra House, an arty hostel sleeping 14 in two private rooms and two shared rooms, a 15-minute walk from the beach. From €385 for four nights in a shared room, 6-10 February, with breakfast, lunch and two dinners, livesoundtravels.com

Woodwork, Gloucestershire

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  Health & Wellbeing, Mindfulness and Creative Sessions, Workshops and Retreats in Lanark & UK

Unwind, relax and give yourself the space to reset, grow and learn. Sometimes, the world can weigh you down and you need a place to escape. All of our   retreats   will allow you to invest time in yourself. They are more than a holiday – they're an experience. Each retreat takes place in an idyllic setting, either on the coast or in the country. As well as benefiting from the retreat itself, you'll be immersed in the beauty of nature, escaping your daily role in life and returning to your true self. You'll rediscover that child-like sense of wonder and live, fully, in the moment.

Start your journey here...

Take a look at the different kinds of retreats & workshops that we have on offer. We're happy to assist you, answering any questions you may have. We welcome non-participating partners. Bespoke service available. 

  Email us at [email protected] or call 07834 529 187 to invest in yourself.

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Retreat With Us

Have you longed to try something new? Or revisit long forgotten hobbies? That's why we integrate mindfulness meditation, yoga and therapies such as massage, reiki etc. into our retreats. Whether the retreat you're on focuses around art, creative writing, mindfulness or health and wellbeing, you can be sure you'll be participating in a holistic, transformative experience.

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Make the time for yourself and retreat with us today.

“Had a wonderful drawing retreat on the Isle of Mull – fabulous tutor, accommodation, food, company and surprising weather! Thoroughly recommended!”

Janine from Norfolk, UK (June 2021)

“I was totally inspired by the surroundings in Mull. Fantastic venue, art tutor (John), host, food and company! What more can I say, delighted with my stay and I am looking forward to going back next year.”

Sue from Lanarkshire, UK (June 2021)

Comfortable

“Thanks so much for my tailor-made retreat, with its friendly welcome, comfortable venue, delicious food and excellent tuition. I rediscovered my childhood love of drawing and learnt new skills for seeing, while oiling the rusty, forgotten ones in the dusty corners of my brain.”

Kate from Pembrokeshire, UK (Sept 2021)

“The Mindfulness of Drawing helped me recalibrate and I've learned loads through John (Threlfall) and the other artists. The massage was a lovely addition for me.”

Shirley from Norfolk, UK (June 2021)

Recalibrate

What's Included with Peace Lily Retreats

Our art, creative writing, health and wellbeing and mindfulness retreats around the UK, feature these valuable elements as standard:

Accommodation

(Dietary requirements should be disclosed at the time of booking)

Tutored Workshops

* Individual treatments and trips may be available upon request, at additional cost.

Get in touch today to discuss what we can put together for you, to make your experience truly special.

Find Peace and Harmony Within Yourself

Ensure your place on our next retreat today by calling us on 07834 529 187 or emailing [email protected] to learn more about our upcoming mindfulness retreats across the UK.

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