tree planting retreat

The Mindfulness of Trees: a tree-planting, forest-bathing & rewilding retreat

Summary

9 Reviews
6 nights - Seasonal
Any meditation experience
Single
Short periods of silence
Max. Spaces: 18

Overview

Spend nurturing time in Nature AND directly help to restore the ecology on this 6-night mindfulness retreat.

Switch off from your busy life and be immersed in the tranquil landscape of The Sharpham Estate, supporting Nature whilst being cared and catered for in our beautifully-converted 18th century Coach House venue.

On this retreat, you'll experience periods of meditation, forest-bathing & nourishing quietude. Plus you'll have plenty of free time to deepen into the peace and tranquillity of our designated-organic land beside the River Dart.

This retreat is for you if you'd like to:

  • Explore how you benefit from connecting to Nature mindfully
  • Enjoy physical activity and being outside, whilst absorbing knowledge about native trees, rewilding & nature restoration
  • Develop a wider awareness of your place in the world as part of - not separate from - Nature
What is Mindfulness?

What you’ll experience on this retreat:

  • mindful forest-bathing sessions, guided meditations, relaxation and periods of silence and quiet contemplation
  • trees and wildlife immersion - soaking up knowledge from nature experts in a designated National Landscape on the banks of the River Dart
  • all-inclusive accommodation in a Grade II-listed Georgian Coach House set within Capability Brownian parkland, with Grade 2*-listed gardens designed by Percy Cane 
  • delicious, healthy, home-cooked vegetarian food that regularly receives rave reviews
  • 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
handkerchief tree at Sharpham Trust
Lucy Bell

Retreat activities

Activities will vary depending on the time of year and the weather but typical sessions include:

forest bathing on the tree-planting retreat on the Sharpham Estate FOREST BATHING & MINDFULNESS-BASED NATURE CONNECTION
Connect with our native trees and be nourished by creative, mindful forest-bathing sessions
Planting trees at Sharpham

NATIVE TREE PLANTING
Spend time helping us plant trees on the historic Sharpham Estate as part of our Community Forest initiative.  

Rewilding at Sharpham REWILDING TOUR
Be introduced to our approach to rewilding and managing the land here. Learn about the burgeoning rewilding movement in the UK.
Forest bathing walk on our tree planting mindfulness retreat TREE WALK
Learn about our native and exotic trees, how to identify them and how to care for them.

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.


Sample Schedule

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

Mornings Afternoons
6.45am - wake up  1.00pm - meditation session together
7.00am – morning mindful movement & meditation 1.30pm - delicious vegetarian/vegan lunch
8.00am - house nurturing 3.00pm – group walk or your own personal time, exploring the beautiful grounds or resting
8.30am – delicious vegetarian/vegan breakfast 6.00pm – scrumptious veggie-vegan supper
9.30am – silence ends and sharing circle takes place 8.00pm - meditation session together, then a deep rest practice
10.45am - mindful forest bathing, rewilding & tree-planting on the beautiful, tranquil Sharpham Estate 9.00pm – silence begins (until 9.30am the following day) and you get to experience your own personal time

Final day: depart by 11am

The retreat will move into silence each evening from 9pm – 9/9.30am and on one full day in each retreat.


 

A word on 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. 

Our retreats typically move into silence each evening from 9pm to the next morning.

Reviews

A great spirit of co-operation and mutual helpfulness quickly developed in the group. I would recommend a retreat here to anyone feeling overladen with life's demands or who wants to spend time in a supportive community.

Coach House retreatant

I attended the nature connection and yoga retreat in June . My room and bathroom were of a high standard , clean, spacious and comfortable. The leaders of the retreat were delightful, Maite led us through yoga sequences which were soothing and comfortable, the co-ordinators Frank and Nicki were very kind and supportive which meant a lot me as I am recovering from Long Covid. I enjoyed the camaraderie of the kind members of our group and loved to watch the transformation in their wellbeing. The food was outstanding being prepared by Wendy the vegetarian chef who was kind, supportive and welcoming. A transformative experience.

Carol Dobres - yoga retreatant
July 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
Coach House Coordinators Read more +
Lisa Carnell
Lisa Carnell 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 £525

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 £575

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

2024 10 Nov

The Coach House: The Mindfulness of Trees: a tree-planting, forest-bathing & rewilding retreat (6-nights)

2025 23 Feb

The Coach House: The Mindfulness of Trees: a tree-planting, forest-bathing & rewilding retreat (6-nights)