Self-Compassion Retreats at Sharpham Trust
Young peoples retreat
Coach House retreat
Coach House retreat
Sharpham Trust Coach House Retreat
Sharpham Trust Coach House Retreat

Connecting with the qualities of the heart: 4-night Self-compassion & Nature-connection Retreat

Summary

9 Reviews
4 nights - Seasonal
Any
Single
Short Periods
Max. Spaces: 16

Overview

"When our hearts expand...we have a lot of understanding and compassion and can embrace others
                                        - Thich Nhat Hanh, peace activist and mindfulness pioneer

Explore how heart-based practices like self-compassion and loving kindness along with our nature-based approach to mindfulness can help to restore and nourish you in your daily life.

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.

Many people can be kind and supportive of others, whilst struggling to apply this same attitude to themselves. All too often we slip into patterns of judging and criticising ourselves harshly, a habitual yet unhelpful strategy, making the challenges that we face even more difficult.

In recent years, there has been a growing interest in practices that cultivate self-compassion and kindness. There's an expanding body of research showing the positive effect such practices have on emotional well-being, physical health, personal relationships and avoiding burn-out.

These retreats, involving skilled and trained leaders, draw on recently-developed and evidence-backed approaches such as Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC), Mindfulness-based Compassionate Living (MBCL) and the work of Paul Gilbert, founder of Compassion Focused
Therapy (CFT).

This retreat is for you if:

  • would like to connect more with the qualities of the heart, such as compassion, kindness, gratitude and sympathetic joy
  • want to deepen your mindfulness practice and learn a new set of practices within this approach
  • find yourself criticising or judging yourself harshly
  • want to learn wiser and more helpful ways to relate to difficulties
  • would like to spend some time in a peaceful and beautiful setting surrounded by nature
  • are interested in understanding yourself better and learning about how and why we get into unhelpful patterns
  • Are aged 18 or above
What is Mindfulness?

What you'll experience on this retreat:

  • experience guided meditations and periods of silence and quiet contemplation
  • learn self-compassion and nature-based mindfulness practices that can support you in your daily life
  • have the chance to take mindfulness and compassion based practices into the outdoors through walking, nature connection and sensing activities (weather permitting)
  • 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 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

Rewilding:

This retreat includes the opportunity to explore our rewilding efforts on the Sharpham Estate.

About 50 acres of farmland are being rewilded (with our partners/tenants Ambios Ltd) and you'll have the chance to visit and practice on the lands, experiencing how we all are a part of - not apart from - nature.

Find Out More

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

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 - 10.45am the following day


Typical Schedule

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

Mornings Afternoons
7.00am - wake up  12.20pm - meditation
7.30am – morning movement 1.00pm - lunch & tasks
8.00am - meditation 3.30pm – free time or group walk
8.30am – house nurturing 5.00pm - afternoon session
9.00am – breakfast & tasks 6.00pm – supper & tasks
10.45am - home groups 8.00pm - evening session
  9.00pm – Personal time (Coach House moves into silence until 10.45am the next day)

Final day: depart by 11am

The retreat will move into silence each evening from 9pm – 10.45am and on one full day in each retreat.

Reviews

The Coach House retreat was a very welcome pause in my life. Not only was the accommodation very clean and comfortable, the food was superb too. The structure of the days is really helpful with plenty of time to explore the local landscape and views which are inspirational. The team are also amazing with a genuine skill in looking after everyone, as well as providing a really supportive environment to practice meditation. I will return and would highly recommend this glorious place. Thank you.

Clive Everist
April 2023

I don't ordinarily leave reviews, but my 6 days at Sharpham last week changed my life.

Having been sliding down darker mental slopes for months now, battling feelings of low self esteem, stress, feeling lost, but crucially not really realising it, a week's detox at Sharpham helped me come to a measure of acceptance about who I am, reignite my purpose and worth, calm me and rejuvenate me. Not to mention the beautiful scenery, wonderful tasting and nourishing vegan food and ever helpful, loving and supportive staff.

Would HIGHLY recommend to ANYONE, especially if you've become trapped in the 21st century all-rush-no-play. 100% worth the money.

James Graham
May 2023

A very well facilitated retreat with two skilled and empathic coordinators in a glorious setting on the Sharpham estate. Comfortable Coach House accommodation with most rooms ensuite. An opportunity to begin meditating or deepen existing practice and learn new ways of being in the world. Excellent, plentiful vegetarian food. Free time in the afternoon provides an opporltunity to chill out or explore the many wonderful nature walks around the estate. A calming and enjoyable experience.

Pat MacDonald
May 2023
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
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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]

Hollick Family Foundation logo

Available dates

2025 18 Feb

The Coach House: Connecting with the qualities of the heart - 4-night self-compassion & nature-connection retreat

With Lindsay Alderton & Ollie Frame