Hear FIRST about our retreats & events

Help us nurture The Barn for the future - and get a less expensive retreat at the same time.

Join us for practising and working in community.

Have you been to at least one Barn retreat in the past, and you would like to join us in painting and home repairs? There will be a variety of work involved, including some physically strenuous work. You will need to be of or above average physical ability in order to participate. If this sounds like you, please come and join our community in work and practice. 

We will keep some of the same Barn schedule of meditating and listening to teachings, but with longer work periods to prepare The Barn for future retreats.

Read on for more details on this retreat and click the Schedules and Venue & Directions tabs above for further information.

Giving back to The Barn

This retreat is for you if you:

• Have been to The Barn on retreat before
• Have skills in painting, maintenance and home repairs
• Of average or above average physical ability
• Are prepared to live and work in community, preparing meals together and working in the gardens
• are aged 18 and above

Our work retreats

Our work retreats are similar to the usual Barn Retreat.

There will be a maximum of 8 participants on this retreat.

There are periods of silence on each of our retreats.

Our programme of standard 5-night retreats at The Barn can be viewed and booked here
 

Daily meditations

There are two 40-minute meditation sittings each day, and it's important that you commit to them to deepen your practice and connect to the community here.
 

Working on the land

It is important that you are willing to participate in working on the land as part of your mindfulness practice (we can easily find suitable tasks for people with health difficulties) and that you can commit to all the scheduled activities during the week.

What you’ll experience on this retreat

During this retreat you’ll:

• be living in community with like-minded people, sharing experiences and tasks, including the making of meals and taking care of the house
• experience guided meditations and periods of silence and quiet contemplation
• have a single-occupancy room and your own space in which to rejuvenate, with free time to deeply rest and reconnect with yourself
• have access to 24-hour hot teas, coffee & infusions in the kitchen
• be able to explore the beautiful Sharpham Estate, set within a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty close to nature, amid breath-taking scenery on the banks of the River Dart

What's the difference between retreats at The Barn and in Sharpham House?

Costs are kept lower at The Barn because gardening, cooking and household tasks are shared in community by volunteer coordinators and retreatants.  

Retreats at Sharpham House are fully catered and staff. Also, Sharpham House is a large Grade 1-listed building with far higher overheads.

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

Food & your dietary needs

We have a fully stocked organic and vegetarian kitchen. The main meal is at lunch time. 

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.

Due to the nature of the kitchens at the Barn with food being prepared by participants and no dedicated chef, we are not able to accommodate guests who have anaphylaxis. If you have anaphylaxis we recommend you book on to one of our other retreat venues - Sharpham House, The Coach House or our Woodland Retreats.

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

If you have a medical condition that requires you to have a room close to a toilet, please contact The Barn team on the number below and we'll try to help.

The Barn draws me back year after year. The experience of working and sharing in mindful work and living is very special and never fails to deepen and enhance my practice.