Silent meditation retreat - people sitting in circle meditating
Practice
The Coach House for Hire
Coach House retreat
Coach House retreat
Sharpham Trust Coach House Retreat
Coach House retreat

The Peace of Wild Things: 5-night Silence & Nature-connection Retreat

Summary

2 Reviews
5 nights - Seasonal
Non-beginner
Single
Extended periods
Max. Spaces: 18

Overview

"Let silence take you to the core of life
                                  - Rumi, Islamic poet and mystic

Deepen into silence and immerse yourself in the beauty of the natural world on this 5-night Coach House Retreat. 

In an increasingly frenetic world, with so many competing demands for our time and attention, this silent retreat offers a precious opportunity for spaciousness and stillness.

You'll be cared for full-board, with plenty of time for rest, reflection and nature connection in a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Spending an extended period of time in silence with others can feel challenging and awkward at first, however participants often discover that the experience can also allow for a surprisingly rich sense of connection and fellowship.

This is a chance to experience quiet and stillness, yet still be in supportive company, with the opportunity to let go of the usual social conventions and distractions.

This retreat is for you if:

  • are inspired to spend some time in silence in supportive company
  • feel the need to slow down, rest deeply and reconnect with yourself
  • are interested in deepening or reconnecting with your practice and with nature
  • have some prior meditation experience
  • are aged 18 and above
What is Mindfulness?

What you'll experience on this retreat:

  • practice silence to develop a strong container for deepening meditation practice
  • be living in community with like-minded people, sharing experiences and tasks
  • experience guided meditations, relaxation sessions and periods of silence and quiet contemplation, amid breath-taking scenery on the banks of the River Dart
  • explore embodiment with simple mindful movement and exercises
  • have the chance to take mindfulness into the outdoors through walking, nature connection and sensing activities (weather permitting)
  • four mornings learning about and helping in our ornamental and kitchen gardens
  • 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
  • delicious, healthy, home-cooked vegetarian food that regularly receives rave reviews
Garden

Getting your hands in the earth:

This Coach House retreat features morning sessions helping in our ornamental and Walled Garden in the grounds of Sharpham House, alongside our experienced staff Frances, Bryony and Amy.

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 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.

What you'll 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

The retreat is not in total silence the whole time. Each morning there is the chance to connect with a smaller home group to share your experiences and some of the meditation sessions each day will be guided.

Other than this the rest of the retreat will be in silence, including meal times and group activities, such as silent walking, nature connection and gardening.


Typical Schedule

Day 1: Arrive between 3 - 5pm for welcome meeting and settling in

Mornings Afternoons
6.45am - wake up  1.00pm - meditation
7.00am – morning movement/meditation 1.30pm - lunch
8.00am - household tasks 3.00pm – free time or group walk
8.30am – breakfast 6.00pm – supper
9.30am – Home Group 8.00pm - meditation and deep rest
10.30am - gardening 9.00pm – Personal time 

Final day: depart by 11am

Reviews

I just spent five days in silent retreat at the Coach House: the warm sense of community fostered by our coordinators Frank and Jen, Wendy's delicious cooking, the jaw droppingly beautiful landscape... Still brimming with gratitude.

A participant on a silent retreat at The Coach House

Just home from the Peace of Wild Things 5 day silent retreat. Sharpham estate is truly beautiful. The Coach House where I stayed is lovely, having been refurbished in 2022 it is still like new. 

The staff were all so welcoming & genuine. If you are thinking of going - book it you won't be disappointed!

A participant on a silent retreat at The Coach House
See all Reviews

The Coach House nature mindfulness retreat centre at The Sharpham Trust

The Coach House

When you stay at The Coach House, you'll be in comfy, single rooms in a beautifully converted 18th century stable block, set in the stunning scenery of Sharpham's grounds. You'll experience daily meditation and movement sessions, time in our gardens and on the land and you'll eat delicious and homegrown vegetarian and vegan meals.

Coach House retreats focus on nature connection through a varied programme of retreats designed to connect you to Sharpham's flora and fauna, with plenty of time for you to rest and reflect.

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Leaders

Coach House Coordinators
Coach House Coordinators Read more +

Costs

The Sharpham Trust is committed to ensuring that retreats at The Coach House are accessible to all - regardless of income. 

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.

Participants at The Coach House can select which rate they pay according to need:

Supported Rate £495

The Sharpham Trust is committed to ensuring that retreats are accessible to all - regardless of income. The Trust therefore offers a heavily subsidised Supported Rate for those unable to pay the Standard or Benefactor Rate.

Standard Rate £545

Paying the Standard Rate means you will be contributing towards our running costs, supporting the work of The Coach House and helping retreatants on lower incomes to access our retreats.

Benefactor Rate £625

If you are able to pay the Benefactor Rate, that means that you'll be supporting others who cannot afford to benefit from a retreat on The Sharpham Estate. Your choice to pay this rate will help us with the running costs of The Coach House, enabling us to continue our charitable work connecting people to nature and fostering mindfulness and wellbeing, as well as caring for the land, wildlife and wider estate.

There will be a maximum of 18 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

Thanks to the generosity of the Hollick Family Foundation we are able to offer up to two 75% bursaries for 18-25 years olds experiencing financial hardship on this retreat. To find out more and apply please contact [email protected]

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Available dates

2025 02 Feb

The Coach House: The Peace of Wild Things - 5-night silence & nature-connection retreat