Life At The Retreat

A new column about life at Writers Retreat, a North Yorkshire haven of peace and creativity for writers, academics and businesses.

The Retreat has been just how we like it for the past few weeks: full! There's been a real buzz since our academic guests arrived, with lots of creative energy, inspiration, and friendships that will endure way beyond departure day. There are individual retreat guests staying too – one a former actor who is now on his third novel; the other a professor and blogger who travelled from Australia and chose us over all the writers retreats in Europe (to say we’re flattered is an understatement)!

Our academic guests spend long, often isolated days working on their postdoctoral projects and have told us they want evenings to be light-hearted, fun and social. They were delighted when we offered them a karaoke and quiz night! Our individual retreat guests were warmly welcomed into the proceedings too (although we reckon Andrew was at an advantage as he's in a blues band!)

Don't let anyone tell you writing retreats are boring. Some days you might want peace and quiet; others you might just want to make friends with other writers over I Will Survive. It's a matter of personal preference.

Retirement Rebel weekend, 2 and 3 September 2023

We’re excitedly planning for the arrival of a forthcoming guest. Author and positive ageing influencer Siobhan Daniels has journeyed from being broken by life events such as bereavement, bullying and menopause, to rebuilding herself and living a life she truly loves.
Siobhan’s released her debut novel, Retirement Rebel, in her 60s. She’ll be hosting our Retirement Rebel weekend on 2 and 3 September to share her unique perspective on surviving, thriving and ageing positively, and of course how she combines her writing career with her retirement adventures.

Guests will get to hear Siobhan’s story, including a reading from her novel, sample a gentle writing exercise centred around the process of getting your thoughts down on paper, and enjoy afternoon tea.
We reckon guests of all ages will leave feeling that anything is possible! You can book here.
A warm Yorkshire welcome

Our ultimate aim is to give everyone a warm Yorkshire welcome and ensure everything is perfect, which means all our guests need to think about is their writing. Our food and drink menu is a vital element of that, and most days our chef Shane is up with the lark prepping scones for our daily afternoon tea. I’m sure you’ll agree they look very inviting; if you're reading this Shane, please lock them away somewhere or the temptation might be too much!

We wouldn’t be in Yorkshire if we didn’t talk about the weather, which has been pretty wet this last few weeks, to put it mildly. While it may not be living up to the summer we’d all hoped for, few of us would dispute the beauty of this shot, which shows its effect on the River Aire. It was taken just yards from our venue and we feel proud that our guests have this landscape on tap to keep those creative sparks flying.