Walking in Nature Retreat
Image credit here
Sharpham House near the River Dart
Sharpham House Rooms
Food at Sharpham House
Sharpham Retreats in Autumn

Mindful Walking on the Sharpham Estate: 4-night Retreat

Summary

5 Reviews
4 nights - Bi-Monthly
Any
Single
No
Max. Spaces: 20

Overview

Connect with yourself and nature as you walk on and develop a mindfulness practice on the beautiful Sharpham Estate.

Increasing your mindful awareness will bring added appreciation to your walking and to the landscape.

As well as a longer walk on Sharpham Estate the retreat will also offer the chance to experience practices which include slow walking and walking without an objective; increased time for nature connection and really observing the natural world around you; as well as practices which involve walking in nature as a tool for personal reflection and contemplation.

The leaders of this retreat – drawn from our wide pool of experienced leaders – help you to develop and extend your mindful experience.

This retreat is for you if:

  • Want to begin or develop your mindfulness practice through connecting to nature
  • Enjoy an active, physical retreat and have medium to good levels of fitness
  • Want to explore the Sharpham estate and the beauty of the Devon countryside
  • Are aged 18 and above
What is Mindfulness?

What you’ll experience on this retreat:

  • The longer estate walk averages 7-8 miles with some hills. The walks are suitable for people with medium to good levels of fitness. Please contact us using the details below if you are unsure whether this applies to you
  • experience guided meditations with periods of silence and quiet contemplation
  • explore walking and nature sensing as mindfulness practies, there will also be the chance to experience some solo time on the land
  • be living in safe community with like-minded people, sharing experiences and tasks
  • be able to explore our tranquil Capability Brownian parkland and our Grade 2*-listed gardens designed by Percy Cane
  • have 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. Click here to explore our rooms.
  • enjoy delicious, healthy, home-cooked vegetarian food that regularly receives rave reviews and have access to 24-hour hot teas, coffee & infusions in our Toasting Room
  • be cared for full-board in a Grade I-listed Georgian House surrounded by history and art, with staff looking after you, in a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty close to nature, amid breath-taking scenery on the banks of the River Dart
Food at Sharpham House

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
View our FAQs

Schedule

If you're coming to stay with us on retreat, it is important to make a commitment to arrive in time for the first group meeting and to attend all the days.

This ensures you experience the retreat programme from start to finish and helps your group of participants to gel.


Silence

All our retreats include periods of silence as a way of deepening into mindful awareness.

If you are new to spending time in silence in the company of other people, it can feel awkward to begin with. But we

encourage you to explore the silent periods with a spirit of openness and curiosity - people usually find it to be a positive experience. 

The retreats typically move into silence each evening from 9pm - 10am the following day

Typical retreat schedule

Day 1: Arrive between 3-5pm for welcoming talk and settling in

Morning/afternoon     Evening
7.00am - Wake up 6.00pm - Supper and tasks
7.30am - Mindful movement                8.00pm - Teaching/Meditation
8.00am - Meditation 9.00pm - House moves into silence until 10.30am, supporting individual mindfulness and reflection    
8.30am - Breakfast and tasks  
10.00am - Home Group  
11.00am - Walk   

The final day is as above with a closing meeting at 10.30am, and your departure by 12noon.

Reviews

Sharpham House is the most idyllic and tranquil places for a mindfulness retreat. It offered us the perfect conditions to facilitate a deeper connection with ourselves, with the beautiful nature and the rich wild life surrounding the area. Being under the skilful, generous and mindful guidance of our kind, open-hearted coordinators Nina and Will has created the perfect space to bring to light deep powerful insights. I am truly grateful for this life-changing experience.

Cristina Vulcan
June 2023

My experience of staying at Sharpham House for a 3-day silent meditation retreat was extremely positive... the venue and grounds are stunning but really the teachers and organisers, and all involved in making it a place that feels safe, grounding and supportive, is what makes it such a special place. As someone who has been on several meditation retreats, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Sharpham House. Thank you to everyone involved

Dan
April 2023

Wonderful haven of nature, beautiful views, lovely food, great teachers. I stayed for 5 nights for the summer retreat and left restored, invigorated and inspired. I have already recommended this to friends of mine and I will continue to do so. If you're feeling run down, overwhelmed, anxious/depressed or just in need of some 'me' time, then I highly recommend spending as long as you can at Sharpham House Trust.

Rebecca Watson
September 2023
See all Reviews

Sharpham House in Spring

Sharpham House

Sharpham House is the perfect place to experience a mindfulness retreat: a Grade I-listed Georgian mansion at the centre of the stunning Sharpham Estate, where you're nurtured with delicious vegetarian and vegan food (much of it grown organically in our Walled Garden).

The House is set in beautiful gardens, surrounded by a parkland designed originally by Capability Brown, offering calming views over the River Dart, in a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Get Directions View Venue

Leaders

Barry Thurgood
Barry Thurgood Read more +
Emma Thom
Emma Thom Read more +
Ethan Pollock
Ethan Pollock Read more +
Lynette Robinson
Lynette Robinson Read more +
Ramiro Ortega
Ramiro Ortega Read more +
Steve Banks
Steve Banks Read more +

Costs

  • £475 - Standard room, single occupancy, full-board 
  • £525 Premium room, single occupancy, full-board 
  • £645 - Heritage room, single occupancy, full-board 

There will be a maximum of 20 guests on this retreat.

All rooms are single occupancy, giving you your own space in which to relax.

If you have a medical condition that requires you to have an en-suite room, please contact the Programme Administrator on the number below as these rooms are limited and are bookable on a first-come first-serve basis.

Book easily and securely online or by phoning 01803 732542

Terms & Conditions

Please click here to see our booking and cancellations policy

Room Types

Click here for more information on our types of bedrooms and facilities.

Bursaries

Limited 50% bursaries offering reduced-price retreats are available for those experiencing financial hardship. Please contact the Programme Administrator at least 4 weeks in advance if you wish to apply.

Our bursary fund relies on donations. If you’d like to help another to go on retreat here through our bursary scheme, you can give online quickly and easily by clicking here

Available dates

2024 29 Apr

Sharpham House: Mindful Walking Retreat on the Sharpham Estate (4 nights)

With Lynette Robinson & Steve Banks
2024 26 May

Sharpham House: Mindful Walking Retreat on the Sharpham Estate (4 nights)

With Ramiro Ortega & Emma Thom
2024 07 Aug

Sharpham House: Mindful Walking Retreat on the Sharpham Estate (4 nights)

With Barry Thurgood & Emma Thom
2024 26 Aug

Sharpham House: Mindful Walking Retreat on the Sharpham Estate (4 nights)

With Ethan Pollock & Emma Thom