Best nature and wellbeing retreats in Britain

Immerse yourself in the outdoors, stretch your limbs, splash away in wild waters or breathe deeply at Britain’s best nature and wellbeing retreats

By Maria Hodson

Published: Friday, 05 May 2023 at 12:00 am

The great thing about retreats is that there is something for everyone. Although some people may shrink at the idea, it is rare for any individual not to benefit from a few days’ rest from the daily grind. And if sitting still for hours on end isn’t your cup of tea, there are a range of alternative activities to enjoy, from surfing and yoga retreats to wilderness weekends. Retreat life doesn’t have to revolve around monastic piety and vegan food, or crystals and kooky ideas – although it can be deeply liberating to let go of some inhibitions and give some of the more eccentric activities a whirl. Sensory portal building, anyone?

I tend to make a beeline for retreats when life feels a bit much. Or when I want to share a restful time with a friend or family member. Or when I want to try a new activity in the company of like-minded individuals. Any excuse, really. So here’s a list of retreats to enjoy – I guarantee that there’s something for everyone.

Devon appears to be the world capital of retreats, with a large number based in its lush landscape, but several organisations are mobile and offer retreats at a range of locations.

Sharpham House

Where: Totnes, Devon

Prices from: £300 for a three-night retreat

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Explore the rewilding area at The Sharpham Trust on the Coach House Rewilding Retreat

Set in a strikingly beautiful location on a hill above a curve of the River Dart near Totnes, Sharpham House offers a range of retreats in its house and grounds. I first attended a retreat at the gorgeous Grade I Georgian mansion of Sharpham House while pregnant and anxious, and left feeling refreshed and excited about the future. A few years later, following a bereavement, I attended the five-night ‘Find Your Peace’ silent retreat, and discovered solace and quiet companionship. There was no uncomfortable small talk to navigate, just gentle contemplation and great comfort. But whatever mood you are in, there are options to suit.

To absolutely get away from it all, Sharpham offers a solo stay in the cabin in the woods. For those who prefer discussion and companionship, why not join a woodland retreat, sleeping closer to nature among the trees in a single-occupancy bell tent, or explore mindfulness through singing. Walk with expert naturalists on the six-night ‘Wildlife Discovery’ retreat, staying at the beautiful Grade II Georgian Coach House. There’s even a four-day ‘Stillness and Flow’ mindful canoeing woodland retreat, which my 68-year-old mother adored. Sharpham is a truly magical place; I’d recommend it to anyone. Not to mention that the vegetarian food is fantastic.

sharphamtrust.org/mindfulness-retreats

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The Woodland Retreat at Sharpham./Credit: Vicki Couchman

Adventure Yogi

Where: Norfolk, Lake District and Peak District

Prices from: £595 for a three-night retreat

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Adventure Yogi group in Peak District

Adventure Yogi does a great line in peace and thoughtful luxury, and this year offers lovely, restorative retreats in the Peak District, the Lake District and Norfolk. Indulge in beautiful surroundings, a Japanese garden and a swimming lake in the Norfolk eco retreat, or combine yoga and hiking in the Lake District or the Peak District. My experience of the Oxfordshire retreat was of a huge, pillowy bed, deeply restorative yoga sessions and wonderful mindful walks in the grounds.

adventureyogi.com/yoga-retreats/

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Adventure Yogi holds its Lake District retreat at Yewfield Guesthouse

The Dreaming

Where: Cwmdauddwr, Rhayader

Prices from: £450 for three nights

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The dreamy dining room at The Dreaming, founded by Charlotte Church./Credit: Elliot Cooper

“The Dreaming is a place for healing through experiencing beauty and wonder. It is a place for everyone: affordable and inclusive, where anyone can learn to heal and even become the healer that their community needs,” says Charlotte Church of her passion project, a beautiful retreat tucked away in the heart of Wales. The Dreaming provides a range of wellbeing offerings, including yoga, foraging, painting, star-gazing, cold water immersion, outdoor cinema, meditation, woodwork and den building. And if you’d like to fill your boots with even more adventures, The Dreaming also offers sensory portal building, mythic storytelling, singing at dawn, dance, dreamwork, herbalism, Qi Gong, silent disco, night-time forest bathing and more.

thedreaming.co.uk/

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A campfire gathering at The Dreaming in the Elan Valley./Credit: Elliot Cooper

Yeotown Wellness Retreat

Where: North Devon

Prices from: £2,250 for five days

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Escape into nature at Yeotown in Devon

Very much one of the luxe offerings in this list, Yeotown bills itself as “the definitive home of complete wellbeing” and the awards and endorsements it has received suggest it may have a point. Based in North Devon, Yeotown is just 15 minutes from the vivacious Atlantic coast and 15 minutes from the wonderfully wooded hills and valleys of Exmoor National Park. Over 13 years, the team have tried and tested various therapies such as cold-water immersion, forest bathing, fermented foods, strength work and mindful breathing, developing a fine-tuned programme designed to uplift wellbeing and bring calm to stressed minds and spirits. Prices are high, starting at £2,250 for their classic five-day programme, which is not likely to be something that I could ever afford, but if you can, why not? A friend who splashed out there said “I LOVED it. It was the best week ever.”

devon.yeotown.com/

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Explore the splendour of the North Devon coastline

Yoga with Chris

Where: Pershore, Worcestershire /  Hartington, Derbyshire

Prices from: £295 for a weekend

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A relaxing yoga session on the lawn, Holland House, Vale of Evesham

Chris is a kind and patient teacher, who guides supportive, gentle yoga classes that ease stiff backs and creaking joint. The Autumn Yoga Retreat offers a richly peaceful weekend retreat at the historic, half-timbered Holland House in the Vale of Evasham, with beautiful gardens that roll down to the River Avon. I’ve attended twice with my mum; we especially enjoy the mindful morning walks, absorbing the detail of spring wildflowers and soft grass underfoot. The Yoga and Walking Weekend in the Peak District combines gentle yoga with exhilarating hikes over the hills, while based at historic Hartington Hall. After a good stomp, it’s worth dropping into Hartington itself for an ice cream or to browse the Old Cheese Shop by the duck pond. These retreats are not geared towards luxury, but rather recuperation and restoration.

yogawithchris.co.uk/product-category/retreats/

Dartington Hall

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Dartington Gardens./Credit: Josh Pratt

Where: Totnes, Devon

Prices from: £695 for four nights

Another South Devon contender, Dartington Hall runs short courses throughout the year, with longer courses also providing accommodation. This beautiful 1,200 acre estate sits on the edge of Dartmoor, with wild woodlands and the River Dart running through it. Wander the landscape or wild swim in the winding river. In May, Dartington hosts Nature’s Alchemy, “a guided journey into a deeper relationship with plants, led by three wise women”, which promises five days of restorative nature-based practices, such as foraging and forest therapy, as well as time spent crafting tonics and balms and sampling delicious wild food by the fire.

dartington.org/

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Wild swim in the green-fringed waters of the River Dart./Credit: David Pearson

Tara Fraser at Ashley Court

Where: Tiverton, Devon

Price from: £300 for a weekend

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Enjoy yoga and garden vegetables at Ashley Court in Devon./Credit: Tara Fraser

Certified ‘rolfer’ and yoga teacher Tara holds a retreat at her home in Tiverton, Devon. Set amid 19 acres of green, wooded Devon countryside, Ashley Court is a Regency manor house with stables and outbuildings, a lodge cottage and walled kitchen garden. You can book a room for a private stay, a mini personal retreat, a yoga retreat or the ‘Art of Slow’ weekends, which are dedicated to slowing the pace of life to that of 1805, when the house was built. “The food is all vegan and the yoga is amazing, but not in annoying way at all. It’s like going back in time. Hippie in the best way,” a contented guest tells me.

tarafraser.co.uk/retreats/

Gaia House

Where: West Ogwell, Devon

Price from: Pay what you can

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Chi Kung practice outside Gaia House in Devon

Fancy something a bit more spiritual, more intense and less – er – indulgent? Then Buddhist meditation retreat Gaia House could be for you. Located in West Ogwell in Devon, Gaia House was once an old nunnery, with a cemetery in the garden, and is set amid a beautiful landscape, so possesses mysticism and spirituality in spades.

The vipassana is a 10-day silent retreat. A regular attendee praises the teachers, who guide participants though the practice. “It’s like opening your mind and having an operation, so you need to be held and feel safe, and the teachers are brilliant at doing that.”

This is rehab for the 21st century, carefully designed to reduce your stimulation. Hand in your phone and go inward. This entire course is designed to go deep quickly, which can be daunting for some. Wake up at 6am, to follow a rather demanding, rotating schedule split between sitting, standing and walking meditations. Bedrooms are shared, sometimes with just one other, but it can be up to six people. Silence continues in your rooms and throughout the whole retreat. Breakfast is at 7.30am, the main meal is lunch, while supper is just a bowl of soup and slice of bread. The retreat is run on dana principles, ie on generosity, so you pay what you can afford.

Believe it or not, the schedule isn’t as onerous as other vipassana retreats, where they wake you at 3am, but it’s tougher than the Sharpham House silent retreat, where you can talk and read.

gaiahouse.co.uk/

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Walk in the grounds of Gaia House

Dhanakosa

Where: Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park

Prices from: Pay what you can (deposit £100 for week-long retreat; £75 for weekend retreat)

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Set on the shore of Loch Voil, Dhanakosa is surrounded by magnificent mountains and forests

Beautifully situated in the southern part of the Scottish highlands in the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park, Dhanakosa Buddhist Retreat Centre sits on the shores of Loch Voil in the Balquidder valley and offers a wide range of retreats including yoga, hillwalking, Tai Chi, arts and alternative health, all complementing a programme of introductory meditation teaching. Additionally, there are meditation and Buddhist study retreats designed for those with a more regular practice.

dhanakosa.com/

Thera-Sea Rewilding

Where: Cornwall

Prices from: £550 for three nights

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Dive into a wild adventure with Thera-Sea

“Wild, creative and peaceful” is the scene at Thera-sea, where guests can immerse themselves in nature on the Helford River, within 20 hectares of magical meadow gardens and woodland with idyllic private beaches. Founder Katy Griffin, a former mental health nurse, believes passionately in the power of nature to improve mental health. Learn bushcraft skills such as building shelters and fires, go wild swimming in the river, forage and relax. There are accommodation option to suits all budgets, ranging from communal single beds to a deluxe king room with ensuite and sea views.

thera-sea.co.uk/

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Enjoy communal meals and gatherings in Cornwall./Credit: Thera-Sea

Rewilding Surf Retreats

Where: Cornwall

Prices from: £499 for a three-night retreat

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Surf, rest and play at Rewilding Surf Retreat

With retreats run primarily from Newquay, Cornwall, Rewilding Surf Retreats combines surf, yoga and breathwork to ‘rewild’ people, aiming to connect attendees to their playful side and to each other over the course of a week. The three-day May Rewild Retreat provides glamping accommodation in yurts set within 24 hectares of historic forest, while the July Rewild Retreat features a four-night stay at Seaview Tipis at Bedruthen Steps.

rewildingsurfretreats.com/

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Combine yoga and surfing at Rewilding Surf Retreats./Credit: Bella Bunce

Middle Piccadilly Rural Retreat

Where: Dorset

Prices from: £500 for three nights

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Middle Piccadilly Rural Retreat in Dorset

Situated in the heart of Dorset, Middle Piccadilly is centred around a charming 17th-century thatched farmhouse surrounded by courtyard buildings converted into contemporary cottage accommodation. The retreat presents a peaceful, restorative rural environment, outstanding freshly prepared food and holistic therapists offering a range of treatments.

middlepiccadilly.com/

The Resilience Retreat

Where: Lake District

Prices from: £1,100 for three nights

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Unwind and release stress at the Resilience Retreat in the Lake District

The Resilience Retreat is aimed at women suffering from stress and burn out. Through a combination of open-water swimming, psychology, yoga and fell walking, alongside stress and resilience workshops, the retreat seeks to restore frazzled bodies and minds to wellness and relaxation over four days in the spectacular lakeside setting of Silverhorne Manor on Lake Windermere.

theresilienceretreat.co.uk/

Wandering Wild

Where: Devon

Prices from: £330 for two nights

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Absorb the mystical atmosphere on Dartmoor with Wandering Wild

Walking in a slow tempo, with meditations and breaks along the way, participants hike in silence with heavy backpacks through Dartmoor National Park, carrying all gear and food, walking on pathless ground with river crossings to navigate. Wandering Wild is physically challenging and a good standard level of fitness is required – but the challenge is rewarding and has been met by many wanderers of various ages. Travelling on foot into isolated and wilder areas of Dartmoor, far from villages and roads, wanderers can spot wild horses, myriad streams and rivers, vast open horizons, ancient stone circles, fairytale oak forests and granite tors. It is a precious time to walk in silence, exploring inner nature and relationship with outer nature.

wanderingwild.co.uk/

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Wandering Wild participants carry all their camping gear in backpacks across Dartmoor