Solitary retreats in The Kuti

Hear FIRST about our retreats & events

For people who have participated in a Barn retreat, or a silent retreat elsewhere, and who are experienced meditators, we offer the opportunity for a solitary, silent, and self-sufficient retreat.

Silence is not a deprivation, an empty void.
The more space we make for stillness and silence, the more we have to give both to ourselves and to others"

- Thich Nhat Hanh

You will stay in a little hermitage, or 'Kuti', in a quiet, secluded and relatively remote part of the Barn's woodland. Kuti is the Thai word for meditation hut.

Situated in your own private acre of secluded grounds, the kuti contains a bed, meditation mat, wood burning stove, calor cooking stove and cooking equipment, table and chair. There is no electricity - just candles - and no running water. There is a compost loo in the kuti grounds, and you can use a shower in The Barn when arranged in advance.

I truly recommend this for anyone looking for some space, being it inside space or outside. I left the place feeling much more at ease"

- Kuti retreatant

 

Lunch, prepared by Barn coordinators, can be discreetly collected from outside the main building daily (Monday to Thursday). All other food is provided in the Kuti and a list of additional food which can be requested from a coordinator can be found in the Kuti.

You will be expected to create your own personal daily structure which includes meditation and 1-2 hours (or optionally more) work meditation on the land. Support is given with this on your arrival. 

During our Covid physical-distancing period, the Kuti can only be booked from Sundays to Fridays until 3 April. We will then go back to 6 nights, from Sundays to Saturdays. If you want to stay shorter than this, you will have to pay the same rate as staying for the five nights/6nights (depending on when you book). If you want to stay longer, you can book for two weeks. The cost is £216/£165 for the five nights and £259.20/£198 for the six nights.

I had a wonderful 5 days of solitude at the kuti. Immersed in nature, eating food straight from the land and being offered a place of peacefulness and tranquility was just what I needed after a really busy period"

- Kuti retreatant

Please contact us about further availability and booking via email on [email protected] or on 01803 732661. A booking form and details for payment will be provided once we've discussed whether the solitary retreat is appropriate for you and your practice.

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
• what the difference is between our retreats

See our Solitary Retreat Covid-19 measures here

Read a blog post on a participant's experience in The Kuti here