The Coach House retreat at Christmas
Give yourself the gift of a nature-based Christmas, on retreat in The Coach House.
You'll be cared for full-board in The Coach House, with plenty of time for rest, reflection and nature connection in the very special location of the Sharpham Estate at Yuletide.
This retreat is for you if you want to
- Spend Christmas in community on retreat
- Explore the benefits of nature-based mindfulness and meditation
- Rest and rejuvenate whilst deepening your connection with nature and your appreciation of wildlife
- Develop a wider ecological awareness and understanding of your place in the world as part of, rather than separate from, nature
What you’ll experience on this retreat
- three daily 30-minute meditations including guided meditation, sitting meditation, walking and nature-based meditation
- periods of silence and quiet contemplation, including a fully-silent Christmas Day
- full-board accommodation in a Grade II-listed Georgian Coach House set within Capability Brownian parkland, with Grade 2*-listed gardens designed by Percy Cane in a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty close to nature, amid breath-taking scenery on the banks of the River Dart
- a single-occupancy room and your own space in which to rejuvenate, with free time to deeply rest and reconnect with yourself, far from the busy-ness of daily life.
- a safe and supportive community with like-minded people, sharing experiences in the kitchen gardens and on the wider Estate
- a chance to learn about & witness our efforts to re-wild the Sharpham Estate
- delicious, healthy, home-cooked vegetarian food that regularly receives rave reviews
Facilities in The Coach House
The Grade II-listed Coach House has been sympathetically converted to create accommodation in four wings surrounding a central courtyard.
The Coach House has 18 bedrooms, 12 of which are en-suite. The 6 others share 3 bathrooms, one for each pair of rooms.
We have an accessible ground-floor bedroom with en-suite bathroom in the Western Wing of The Coach House. Please contact us to book this.
The Eastern Wing features a lounge, library, kitchen and has a contemporary timber-frame extension which serves as a dining room and meditation/meeting space.
The extension has large French doors which open out on to a patio and garden with direct access out on to the south-facing lawns.
Not all of the gardens or the estate have disabled access, so do contact us to discuss your needs and what is possible.
Mindfulness in nature at Sharpham
When you experience Sharpham's inspiring and nourishing environment, we hope you'll connect spiritually with the natural world, so you’ll:
- become aware of how we are all part of nature - not artificially separate from it
pay attention to and appreciate the natural world surrounding us
- explore nature through your senses and your natural creativity
- Tread more lightly on our finite planet, developing a respect and reverence for all living things
Click here to read our ethos and principles
What you need to know
If you decide to stay with us, we’ll send you a list of what you need to bring for this retreat in your Welcome Letter that we send out after you've booked.
You can also find out more about staying with us on our Frequently Asked Questions page, including
- accessibility information
- why we encourage you to come on your own and not with partners or friends
- what the difference is between our retreats
Our food & your dietary needs
We have a fully stocked, mostly organic and vegetarian kitchen. The main meal is at lunch time and is prepared by our Cook supported by retreatants. We try to use produce from our gardens as much as possible which retreatants help grow.
We can accommodate gluten-free and/or vegan dietary needs. However, our kitchen is not gluten, dairy nor nut-free. We do not provide gluten-free bread, but you are welcome to bring your own.
Please make sure you include dietary restrictions and any food allergies on your Booking Form. We may need to communicate further with you about specifics. The booking form is sent as a link once you have booked and paid for a retreat.
Our water is provided from our own spring, UV treated and filtered.
Your physical and mental health
This retreat is suitable for you if you have some meditation experience, or you are seeking to renew or reconnect with your practice.
Although meditation and mindfulness can be helpful in managing stress, depression and anxiety our retreats might not be suitable if you are experiencing major depression or other clinically diagnosed psychiatric illness such as bipolar disorder, psychosis or current self-harming. Click here for more information and for our booking process
I have been shown that I can be strong and I do have inner power if I get back to nature
- Sharpham Trust retreatant
Typical retreat schedule
Day 1: Arrive between 3 - 5pm for Welcome Meeting at 5pm and settling in
Mornings | Afternoons |
---|---|
6.00am - wake up | 12.30pm - meditation |
6.30am – morning movement/meditation | 1.00pm - lunch |
7.30am - household tasks | 2.00pm – free time or group walk |
8.00am – breakfast | 4.30pm - personal time |
9.00am – home Groups (silence ends) | 6.30pm – supper |
10.00am - gardening | 7.30pm - meditation |
9.00pm – Personal time (Coach House moves into silence until 9.00am the next day) | |
Final day: depart by 11am
The retreat will move into silence each evening from 9pm – 9am and on one full day in each retreat (Christmas Day)
The retreat at the Coach House was just the right balance of meditation and activities like gardening and unstructured free time. I loved the visit to the rewilding project, the freedom to be in this special beautiful place and the way the meditation was offered with such lightness and gentleness. It is amazing how a group of strangers can feel so comfortable together. Thank you! And I would love to come again.
Not only was I able to slow down, re-energise, become more mindful and rekindle my Qi Gong practice, but I thoroughly enjoyed full board, a lovely single ensuite room (great shower!) and the most stunning location overlooking the river Dart (a beautiful 2.5 mile walk from Totnes).
Beautifully refurbished with stunning grounds, luxury beds, linen, towels, en-suite rooms, daily swims in outdoor pool, organic gardening and fabulous vegetarian menu. Wendy the chef is amazing and coordinators Frank and Caroline did an amazing job of reconnecting, supporting and grounding us all with about 3 hours of meditation a day.
This retreat takes place in The Coach House, a historic Grade II-listed building behind Sharpham House set in a Capability Brownian landscape with stunning views over the steeply-wooded River Dart.
Click here for our How to Find Us page on this website.
Click here to view, print or download directions and a map to The Coach House
Click here view and download walking/cycling directions to The Coach House
If you have a medical condition that requires you to have an en-suite room, please contact our Programme Administrator on the number below as these rooms are limited and are bookable on a first-come first-served basis.
Just to let you know, we have poor mobile phone coverage – which we see as a virtue. While there is wi-fi in The Coach House, we encourage you to disconnect from ‘the network’ so you can fully retreat when you’re here.
We are 3 miles from Totnes – famous for its Transition Town movement
We are in a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
Sustainability
We take sustainability seriously.
All of the hot water and heating in The Coach House is produced by a state-of-the-art biomass woodchip boiler and we have 2 large photo-voltaic solar panel arrays on barn rooftops feeding into Sharpham energy.
Our gardens are managed organically and we only use bio-degradable cleaning products.
Price
There is a single rate of £695 for our Christmas and New Year retreats in The Coach House. There are shared rooms in our Sharpham House Christmas and New Year retreats at a lower cost.
Our rooms
All rooms are comfortable single rooms, with either an ensuite or a shared bathroom.
All meals, bedding and towels are included.
Rooms are randomly allocated, unless you have medical needs relating to your room allocation. If you have such a need, let us know on your booking form which will be sent to you once you have booked.
How to book easily and securely:
- online on this page
- by phoning 01803 731803
Ring us or email us on [email protected] if you've got any questions.
Please click here to see our booking and cancellations policy.
Do check our Calendar to see and book for our events - or join our mailing list by clicking here to be kept in touch about Sharpham Trust news, retreats & events.