The Coach House: 4-night mindfulness, nature & eco retreats

People often ask me what one thing I would recommend to restore relationship between land and people. My answer is almost always, 'Plant a garden'

                                  - Robin Wall Kimmerer

Connect with nature on a 4-night nature-mindfulness retreat in The Coach House.

You'll be cared for full-board, with plenty of time for rest, reflection and nature connection in the very special location of the Sharpham Estate.

It didn't disappoint. Similar in style to the main house but felt more intimate and smaller. 
Many thanks to Wendy for providing the delicious vegan meals and to the
co-ordinators for support and kindness. I shall return again one day soon

This eco-retreat is for you if you want to

• Explore the benefits of nature-based mindfulness and mindfulness meditation
• Spend time in our wonderful heritage gardens
• Rest, rejuvenate and deepen your connection with nature and 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 nature & eco retreat

• three daily 30-minute meditations including guided meditation, sitting meditation, walking and nature-based meditation
• periods of silence and quiet contemplation, including spending time in nature on the wider estate
• four mornings learning about and helping in our ornamental and kitchen gardens
• a chance to learn about & witness our efforts to re-wild the Sharpham Estate 
• 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, 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 and daily tasks including working in the kitchen gardens and on the wider Estate
• delicious, healthy, home-cooked vegetarian & vegan food that regularly receives rave reviews

People often ask me what one thing I would recommend to restore relationship between land and people. My answer is almost always, 'Plant a garden.' It’s good for the health of the earth and it’s good for the health of people.

   - Robin Wall Kimmerer, author of Braiding Sweetgrass, available here in our bookstore
 

Getting your hands in the earth

Coach House mindfulness, nature and eco retreats feature morning sessions helping in our ornamental and Walled Garden in the grounds of Sharpham House, alongside our experienced garden staff Frances and Chloe.

We manage the gardens organically and the produce we grow supplies the kitchens in Sharpham House and the Coach House.

There are a mixture of tasks on our nature-mindfulness and eco-retreats, depending on the season. We invite you to bring your awareness to the land, plants and the nature surrounding you at Sharpham.

You don't need to know anything about gardening to participate - our team will support and assist you.

It is important that you are willing to participate in doing this as part of your mindfulness practice (we can find suitable tasks for people with health difficulties – let us know in advance) and that you try to commit to all the scheduled activities during the week.

NB: If you're less able to do gardening, a Sharpham House retreat may be more suitable

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

• accessiblity 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 are new to mindfulness, 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

We have an accessible en-suite bedroom in the Coach House that you can learn about here

I have been shown that I can be strong and I do have inner power if I get back to nature

                           - Sharpham Trust retreatant