Middle Years Monday Retreats

Connect | Rest | Create

7th - 10th june 2024, lincolnshire, England

SOLD OUT

From Me to You, with Love

I can still remember how it felt that first time I took myself away on a Retreat. It must have been over three decades ago now and I’d never travelled anywhere on my own before. The setting this time was Andalucia in Spain and the clearest memory I have is of the sense of freedom, possibility and sheer awe at life as I drove myself there from the airport in my tiny hire car, letting Tracy Chapman’s I’m Ready wash right through to my very soul. It was a heady retreat experience. The food was incredible, the setting spectacular, we did morning Tai chi on the roof, I shared my twin room with a wonderful indie poet and I learned a lot about myself that week.

That was the start of making the sort of trips which take me somewhere different to my usual surroundings, away from my usual people and offer experiences which connect me to myself, to a sense of community and to the bigger world beyond my home and my day-to-day. The portals they seem to open up in me - the perspective they give me on my life and how I’m living it - are not ones that I find easily without these types of experiences. So over the years I’ve done what I can to fund them - selling my stuff, working overtime, not going out. I still miss that beautiful vintage typewriter, Turkish carpet bag and Egyptian brass lantern - but trading them in for the chance to breathe in new surroundings, people and experiences was worth it.

Sensual and Soulful - these were the qualities at the top of my wishlist when searching for our first Middle Years Monday Retreat venue and planning our retreat activities. I am thrilled to say that I have found the most magical setting for us to spend a few days together Connecting (with ourselves and each other), Resting and Creating.

Our retreat location is extraordinary and like no other that I’ve seen. Full of lovingly handcrafted details and nestled in the Lincolnshire countryside, I cannot wait to welcome you to this peaceful back-to-nature setting. It is the perfect place for connecting and inviting rejuvenation.

Woodland walks, glades, flower meadows, a sunset deck surrounded by trees and fields and a lily-pad strewn lake are the settings for our communal gathering spaces and gorgeous accommodation domes. Here we’ll be treated to sustainable luxury in the countryside where we can enjoy the natural world without abandoning modern comforts. With the entire place exclusively to ourselves we’ll be able to breathe, relax and take time out together away from the responsibilities of our daily lives.

The accommodation is very special. Nestled amongst the trees are seven sumptuous eco-domes, each with its own wood-fired hot tub, shower, loo, twin beds and lots of thoughtful touches to make your stay feel luxurious. Inside you’ll find eye masks, bath robes and slippers. And as this is England, just in case we have any chilly evenings, to help you keep your dome warm, not only is there a gorgeous log burner but you’ll also find heated blankets, cosy throws, duvets and hot water bottles.

We will enjoy nourishing vegetarian food to delight the senses, much of it grown locally and lovingly prepared for us by Holly, our private retreat chef. At least once a day we’ll sit down at a table together to eat; at other times we’ll be given individual picnics so that if we’re feeling sociable we can pick a special spot somewhere to sit down and eat with others and if we’re in need of a bit of time on our own we can take ours somewhere more private and quiet. And - unless the weather has other plans for us - on one of our evenings together we’ll eat festival-style as Holly serves us from her very cute and beautifully converted vintage food van (which you can see in one of the photos below).

We will have the whole place to ourselves and there are so many delightful spaces for us to enjoy whilst we’re there. You can see many of them in the photos - and there are others which you’ll discover when you’re there. Picture strings of lights amongst the trees; toasted marshmallows; gathering together around the fire; Botanical Printmaking and Poetry Therapy workshops; Morning Pages sessions; Bedtime Yoga Nidra; a Silent Disco; opportunities for reflection, deep conversation, belly laughs, vulnerability, companionable quietness. And cake (of course).

During our time together you can come to as many of the workshops and other activities as you are drawn to. With the exception of the Opening Circle, which I will ask everyone to attend, all other activities are optional. And - as well as enjoying the company of a group of beautiful souls - there will be time and space for you to walk, sit, read and just be.

Our time together will be a chance to gather in the flesh, be in nature and relax into a few days away which offer a mix of spaciousness and stimulation, with the intention of restoring your body, mind and soul.

The Middle Years Monday culture is warm, kind and welcoming. Me and my wonderful retreat team cannot wait to offer you nurturing and nourishment during what I know will be a truly memorable experience.

With love,

Pip x

What’s Included - an overview

• Opening Circle on the day of our arrival and Closing Circle on the day of our departure - with Pip Wilcox

• One-Day Botanical Printing workshop - with Su France

• One-Day Poetry Therapy workshop - with Jill Teague

• Daily Morning Pages sessions - with Pip Wilcox

• Daily Bedtime Nidra - with Camille Elizabeth

• Silent Disco - hosted by Pip Wilcox

• Mindful Walk - with Camille Elizabeth

• Eco-Luxe Accommodation* - In a shared eco-dome with twin beds and its own shower, loo and fresh water wood-fired hot tub. You will be asked to complete an intake form on booking, and that will give you the opportunity to tell us if there is a particular retreat participant with whom you have agreed you would like to share. Otherwise your dome mate will be allocated by us.

• Exquisite and nourishing vegetarian food prepared by our private chef - All meals are included from the time you arrive on Friday after lunch until the time you depart on Monday late afternoon. You will be asked to complete an intake form on booking, and that will give you the opportunity to tell us about any specific dietary requirements.

• Teas and coffees - Available for you to help yourself at any time

* PLEASE NOTE:

In addition to the 14 residential places on this retreat, there are also two additional places available for those who want to attend but wish to independently source their own off-site accommodation rather than staying on site in one of the eco-domes.

What’s Included - in detail

Spaciousness | stimulation | Rest

During our time together there are a rich variety of workshops, sessions and other experiences on offer, but without a sense of rush or pressure. The only event we ask that everyone attends is our Opening Circle on the afternoon of our arrival - everything else is up to you and you can decide each day which sessions to come along to, depending on your mood and energy levels at the time.

Even if you choose to come along to every single thing on offer, there will be free time each day for you to use in whatever way feels good for you. Perhaps you’ll take naps; read; jump in your hot tub; go for a proper stomp; swing in your hammock; have a good stretch - or simply sit and soak up the magic of your surroundings. And of course, every evening there’s the opportunity to truly rest during our Bedtime Nidra sessions.

Your Accommodation

Your eco-luxe accommodation is nestled amongst the trees and beautifully appointed. Each of the eco-pods is filled with thoughtful details to make your stay feel special. Even the compost loos are stylish. You’ll find twin beds, a wood-burner, your own fresh water wood-fired hot tub, private bathroom with a loo, sink and shower with hot and cold water and beautiful natural toiletries.

The Setting

The setting for our retreat is a true rural escape in the Lincolnshire countryside, known for its wide skies. There are acres of natural grounds to explore and a variety of thoughtfully created spaces to enjoy.

The tea hut is the perfect spot for a morning cup with a view. When blessed with clear skies, the sunset dais is a special place to witness the sun dipping beneath the horizon. Sitting around the fire, beanbags by the lake, cosied up by the woodburner in your accommodation dome, gently swinging in a hammock, walking through the meadows or resting on one of the many benches scattered thoughtfully around our retreat venue’s natural surroundings - there is an abundance of places to spend time soaking up the magic. And there are two beautiful, bright domes for us to gather, eat, connect and create - and plenty of outdoor spaces for us to move to if the weather calls us outside.

The Food

I’m still dreaming of Holly’s exquisite food which I had the great pleasure of sampling during my retreat research trip. Breakfast muffins had me in raptures and everything Holly prepared for me to try was joyful, sensual and nourishing. Holly studied Food and Nutrition at university and a focus on seasonal, local ingredients and plant-based eating show in her passion for what she does. We can expect special and vibrant food which is as much a feast for the eyes as the body.

Activities inviting Creativity, Reflection, Connection, Rest and Joy

Opening and Closing Circles - We will begin and end our retreat together. With no expectations or pressure to show up as anything other than who we are, these circles offer us the opportunity to come together to share and listen, to connect and reflect, just as women have been doing for centuries. It's hard to put into words what makes Middle Years Monday circles so special. It's something about having a space to be authentic and to be seen and heard by a group of warm, interested, and beautifully honest middle years women. Joy, gentleness, levity, intensity, tears, guffawing with laughter - it's all welcomed.

Creative Workshops - Our two one-day workshops have been thoughtfully and joyfully conceived to complement each other and to invite you to tap into different aspects of yourself and your creativity. Neither requires previous experience or a particular skill-level, yet both will speak just as invitingly to seasoned creatives and total novices. To give you the opportunity for an unhurried deep dive, each of these workshops will take place over the course of a day (one on Saturday and the other on Sunday), running from late morning to late afternoon, with a relaxed break for lunch. You can read more about what to expect below.

Morning Pages sessions - Each morning before breakfast I will be hosting Morning Pages sessions which will offer the opportunity for the early birds amongst us to tumble out of bed, grab our notebook and pen and a cup of our favourite brew and enjoy the quiet company of others whilst scribbling away in our PJs. If you don’t know anything about Morning Pages, don’t worry - they’re ever so simple. Lauded by many as being life-changing and made famous by Julia Cameron in her book ‘The Artist’s Way’ where she describes them as “three pages of longhand, stream of consciousness writing, done first thing in the morning. *There is no wrong way to do Morning Pages*– they are not high art. They are not even “writing.” They are about anything and everything that crosses your mind – and they are for your eyes only. Morning Pages provoke, clarify, comfort, cajole, prioritize and synchronize the day at hand. Do not over-think Morning Pages: just put three pages of anything on the page... and then do three more pages tomorrow.”

Bedtime Nidra - Each evening before bed Camille will be hosting these beautiful sessions which will offer a chance to wind down, relax and prepare for sleep. These sessions are for all bodies and you can read more about what to expect below.

Silent Disco - If you’ve ever experienced the joy of a silent disco you’ll know what magic and fun they bring. And that’s coming from someone who only ever used to be able to dance in public if intoxicated. I can still remember how much it hurt when a uni friend used to tease me about the way I moved during our Tuesday clubbing nights. Well, this will be nothing like that experience! Silent discos bring pleasure to both those who are confident around others and those who sometimes feel an element of social anxiety. If you’re sensitive to noise levels it’s perfect as you get to control the volume on your headset - or take it off entirely. If you’re a shy dancer you get to float off to a quieter area for a less public experience. One of the things I love about silent discos is the way that they can liberate even the most self-conscious amongst us. I’ll be inviting you to send me in advance your favourite music to move to so that I can compile the perfect eclectic retreat playlist. If the weather is fine we’ll be dancing around the meadows - and if not we’ll groove together in one of the glorious sheltered spaces. If you’re curious to learn more about how silent discos can combine joy and mental health benefits I love this Refinery 29 piece.

Mindful Walk - After lunch on our final afternoon together, Camille will lead a short, gentle and mindful walk through woodland and fields. I’ve tried out the route, which will suit most fitness levels as there are no steep inclines and we’ll be pausing partway through.

Our Guest Teachers and their Retreat Sessions

About Su and her botanical printmaking Workshop

I have had the enormous pleasure of knowing Su for a couple of years, but it was only recently that we had the opportunity to give each other a big in-person squeeze - and it was worth the wait.

Su creates beautiful botanical inspired pieces, surrounded by the constant inspiration of a rural environment, on a working farm, where her studio sits within fields, near to woodlands. She and ‘helpful Andy’ (as Su’s husband was nicknamed at her first Open Studio) have created an exquisite and welcoming home from the barn they bought and renovated (after clearing up the cowpats) - and as soon as I set foot inside I felt my shoulders drop.

Su’s practice is rooted and grounded in an engagement with life cycles and natural form, having sustainability at its heart. She seeks out the often-overlooked unique details, spending time to prepare and press - sometimes long before committing to print. Su employs a range of printing techniques - and debossing, to add depth. In 2022, Su gained a prestigious grant award from Arts Council England to develop her creative practice and she has exhibited nationally, most recently at the Stamford Arts Centre and a solo showcase at Ironbridge Fine Arts.

As well as being a gifted and inspirational artist and a natural teacher, Su exudes kindness, nurturing and warmth and it is thanks to her that I first became aware of our magical retreat venue. She has both attended and led workshops there herself - and lives a matter of minutes away. So the two of us got together as part of my retreat planning trip and spent a gorgeous day together finalising the shape of this special workshop.

I had the joy of being led through a similar learning experience to the one you will have during this retreat. There is so much to love about it. A special characteristic of the particular art form Su will be teaching during this retreat is that it’s thoroughly rooted in place and time. You will be connecting with, capturing and printing using summer botanicals foraged from our retreat surroundings (mindfully and gently foraged by you, with Su’s guidance, if the weather is fine!). And should you want to continue playing with this technique when you get home, you’ll know how to create prints which capture the essence of your local surroundings throughout the seasons.

As well as being a gorgeous experience in itself, this workshop will equip you with the knowledge you need to be able to continue exploring at home, if that’s something you’d like. One of the many wonderful things about this particular printmaking method is that a modest outlay, rather than a small fortune, will gain you the materials and tools needed - no big, expensive printing presses are required.

There are many ways to enjoy the fruits of this type of mono printing, such as simply selecting favourite pieces to be individually framed; combining prints together to make one framed piece; or cutting out sections of prints and creating collaged pieces - I fell in love with a set of Su’s mono printed collaged bowls which I spied in her studio.

Su and I had a lovely time building on each other’s thoughts and ideas about how best to enable you to curate and capture a selection of the prints that you will learn to make. You’ll be bringing them together into a simple concertina book - a beautifully tactile three-dimensional keepsake of this retreat.

It was a real goosebumps moment when Su showed me the exquisite book that she had been inspired to make after attending one of Jill’s Poetry Therapy workshops - and it deepened my intuitive sense of what complementary experiences these two workshops will offer.

Kind words about Su’s workshops

About Su - in her words

As an artist I’m inspired by my rural home. My work is based on an engagement with all things botanical, from first bud to the beauty in decay - as well as pebbles, feathers and found objects. Being surrounded by small seasonal changes impacts everything I do. From sowing to planting, to snipping, pressing, printing or casting and making. My work has sustainability at its heart. I position myself as an ethical choice and gained Arts Council England funding in 2022 to further engage with this and to develop my creative practice. I work with natural materials, growing many plants outside my studio window in our rewilded paddock. I explore a range of printing techniques which combine to form tangible links to places that are meaningful to me and others. My workshop is at home, nestled in the fields and close to the woods that provide me with inspiration. Throughout the year I run botanical print workshops at different venues across the UK which bring an opportunity to create unique and handmade art inspired by nature.

About Jill and their poetry therapy Workshop

If you like words, if you like poetry, if you like writing, or if you simply like being gently taken on an internal exploration then you will love this workshop.

You know those special people who have such a warm and therapeutic presence that you feel better simply for being in their company? Well, Jill Teague is one of them.

It was on a steamy, hot Summer’s day in 2022, that I had the deep pleasure of whiling away some time sitting up on the West Hill in my adopted home town of Hastings - writing, talking and listening with Jill and their partner, Linda.

Despite this being only the second time that I’d met them both, there was something about Jill’s kind, skilled, steady, gentle, encouraging - and interested but unintrustive - presence which resulted in the three of us doing something together that would usually make me cringe with self-conscious embarrassment. We sat on a bench with our notebooks and pens, did some personal writing in response to some prompts that Jill shared with us - and then read aloud (if we chose) and discussed with each other what we had written and what it might tell us about ourselves. I hold this in my memory as one of the absolute highlights of that summer - and that year - and I’m thrilled that you too will have the opportunity to spend some time in Jill’s generous and enabling company.

With Jill’s expert help you will feel the illumination and connectedness that comes with being in a trusted circle of beautiful souls whilst we explore alongside each other.

Kind words about Jill’s workshops

About Poetry Therapy

This session - and Poetry Therapy in general - is not primarily about writing for the sake of producing a ‘good’, well-crafted piece of writing, although that may be something which happens for you. Jill tells us:

“Poetry Therapy is the interactive use of literature - including poetry, prose, non-fiction, as well as visual art, film, and photography - to stimulate writing or other creative responses with a view to promoting self expression, self-awareness and well being.

I believe that poetry therapy works by providing us with opportunities to access and also process issues and areas of challenge in our lives in a supportive and creative environment. It is a place where individuals are listened to and heard and so it allows us to speak our truth without fear of judgement or reproach. Poetry is a powerful tool for cracking open the silences that often shroud the uncertainty, fear and doubts that are sometimes part of our lives. Through reading and discussing other people’s responses to life we can be brought to a clearer understanding of our own position and, through a creative response, begin the process of our own resolution.”

The Six Steps of Poetry Therapy

• Reading a poem and identifying with its issues, themes, sentiment

• Exploring one's own feelings 

• Creating - in response to the above through writing and/or other creative processes

• Juxtaposing – considering the responses and views of others and perhaps rethinking one’s own

• Reframing – in the light of new ideas, thoughts, insights, realisations

• Acting – putting positive change into action.

About Jill - in their words

I am a Welsh writer, writing facilitator and Poetry Therapy Practitioner based in Snowdonia, North Wales. Writing and spending time in the natural environment are two sources of immense pleasure and personal inspiration in my life. Living and working in a place of outstanding natural beauty has played a huge part in my healing and well-being, and has helped sustain my own creative process.

I founded Out of the Blue Writing, where I facilitate writing groups, work with individuals and provide online courses. I have developed a branch of my work called “Treading Softly” which combines walking and writing in the natural landscape.

I am an Executive Director of iaPOETRY (the International Academy for Poetry Therapy), and a Master Mentor for the academy – mentoring and training potential Poetry Therapy Practitioners and those wishing to become mentors. I have received awards and scholarships from NAPT (National Association for Poetry Therapy) and Wales Arts International, for pioneering work in the field of poetry therapy, as well as scholarships from Bridgexngs Poetry Center, NYC. 

About Camille and her bedtime nidra sessions

I’m a huge fan of Camille and her approach. She is someone who lives what she teaches - without being at all pious and joyless about it. You are as likely to share some belly laughter with her as you are to talk about how to welcome more calm into your life. It is clear from spending time in her company that her restful practices work, as being around her (and her beautifully regulated nervous system!) is a calming experience.

I have attended dozens of her online sessions and have had the huge joy of experiencing an in-person one-to-one session with her too. I cannot tell you how nourishing it was. Truth be told I was a little nervous in the lead up to it as feared it might feel a bit intense and overly intimate. But Camille has a gift for putting you at ease - I enjoyed every moment of her warm attention, expert guidance and soothing voice and I left that experience feeling incredible. You are in for such a treat with these nightly sessions.

Camille specialises in offering deep relaxation and rest based experiences. She sees relaxation as a delicious state of non-doing, where the body is mostly still, the nervous system is at rest, and the mind is quiet. She believes that this is the perfect antidote to a busy, anxious world, in which we are finding it increasingly difficult to slow down and be still.

The experiences Camille creates offer “a direct path into deep rest: the kind of rest that can finally break the cycle of stress and overwhelm we often find ourselves in: the kind of rest that is soothing, restorative and healing.”

The sessions she runs for us during our retreat will combine Yoga Nidra and Restorative Yoga.

Of Yoga Nidra, Camille says “This blissful practice takes place in lying down Savasana pose, where I will guide you on a journey into deep relaxation. Yoga Nidra has been proven to slow brainwaves, so you’ll find yourself resting in a state of consciousness close to sleep (sometimes slipping into full sleep if that’s what your body needs). It’s deeply restorative, expansive and insightful.”

Of Restorative Yoga, Camille says “Otherwise known as ‘lying down in comfortable positions on lots of cushions’, restorative yoga is different to more familiar, active forms of yoga. Props (like bolsters and cushions) are used to support you in comfortable yoga poses so the body can deeply relax. There is a quality of nurture and self care to this practice, which is why it has a directly soothing effect on the nervous system.”

Kind words about Camille’s Sessions

About Camille - in her words

It seems to me that I’ve always been on a quest for a gentler way of life.

But my journey really began 20 years ago during a difficult period as a newly divorced parent of two young children. After decades of struggle and absolutely no self care, feeling utterly overwhelmed and exhausted, I attended a meeting at the local Buddhist centre and found my lifeline. I began to meditate daily, attended silent retreats twice a year, and through the study and practice of mindfulness, slowly found my way back to stability.

Years later, after waving my kids off to college, I travelled to Bali to complete my 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training certification, followed by an extended stay at Gedong Gandhi Ashram where I taught yoga and meditation. It was there that I fully connected with the art of living gently, learning how to move through my days with ease.

It opened my eyes to the possibility of how life could be, and I returned to the UK determined to bring that slow, gentle pace into my life back at home.

For the past 10 years I’ve hosted classes and retreats for individuals and businesses wanting to explore and cultivate the practice of meditation and mindful living. More recently my work has centred on helping people find relaxation and calm by connecting to sources of tranquility in their lives. My offerings now focus fully on restful practices.

Retreat FAQs

We’d like you to have all the information you need to decide whether you’d like to join us at the Retreat. If your question isn't listed below, please get in touch and Pip will be happy to answer any questions you might have.

How many of us will be there?

Including Guests and Facilitators we will be a group of around 20 - assuming all places are filled.

CAN I COME TO THE RETREAT BY MYSELF?

Absolutely! We expect that the majority - if not all - of our guests will arrive at the retreat as solo travellers. We encourage a spirit of warm, welcoming, inclusivity, and will do everything we can to help you connect with your fellow retreat guests.

Where is the retreat?

Our Retreat is in Lincolnshire, England and the nearest village is Wellingore. If you’re travelling by public transport the nearest mainline train stations are Lincoln and Newark Northgate. From there, it’ll take around 25-minutes in a taxi straight to the Retreat (at a cost of around £25 at the time of writing). If you’d like to be connected with fellow travellers, Pip can set up a WhatsApp group so that you can liaise with each other about sharing taxis etc.

If you’re travelling to this Retreat from overseas (which we’re delighted that some of you are), once you arrive in England you might want to break up your journey and wrap some sightseeing (or resting!) around this Retreat. Perhaps you’ll choose to spend a night or two somewhere like London, Lincoln or Cambridge. If you’d like to travel straight to the Retreat from the airport then the quickest train route from either Heathrow or Gatwick airport is usually to Newark Northgate and takes around 2 hours.

The full Retreat address details will be sent to you closer to the time.

WHAT LEVEL OF FITNESS and physical ability DO I NEED TO HAVE TO ATTEND THE RETREAT?

We encourage you to retreat exactly as you want to and to skip any activity that doesn’t suit you. However, none of our activities require a high level of fitness, and with the exception of our Opening Circle all activities are optional.

Our communal seating will be a mixture of upright wooden chairs, beanbags and benches. And in your accommodation dome there are comfy twin beds with a backrest, a big floor cushion and an upright chair. It may reassure you to know that Pip has fibromyalgia and experiences frequent musculoskeletal pain, but during the two days and nights that she spent staying at and checking out our retreat venue, she was very comfortable.  

DO YOU CATER TO DIETARY REQUIREMENTS AND ALLERGIES?

We will ask each guest at the time of booking if they have any dietary requirements or allergies and our chef will happily do their best to accommodate them. However, they do handle all allergens in their kitchen so cannot guarantee traces won’t be in the food they provide us with.

I know I snore/talk in my sleep and don’t want to disturb anyone, but would like to come to this Retreat - what should I do?

Someone who very much wants to come to the Retreat has been in touch because she knows that she is not a quiet sleeper and is concerned that she might disturb anyone she was sharing with. So if she comes, which we dearly hope she will, she'll be staying at a self-catering place nearby - of which there are several within a 10-ish minute drive. We so appreciate this level of integrity and consideration. If you are in a similar situation and would like to come to the Retreat but want to stay off-site so as not to cause any nocturnal disturbance to a dome mate with your restlessness, sleep-talking, snoring etc, please know that even if all of the non-residential places are showing as sold out on the Retreat sales page - just get in touch with Pip and we will try and find a way forward.

Are your retreats inclusive to non-binary folk and trans women?

Yes - with some modifications. Our intention here is to be clear about what we offer and to answer this question fully. Middle Years Monday is women-centred and doesn’t offer services to cis-gendered men but is inclusive of non-binary folk and trans women. During our gatherings, many of our discussions focus on the biological and hormonal experience of womanhood and/or the social experience of being socialised and raised as female. However, we are committed to treating all people with warmth, dignity and respect. Our experience tells us that there is a high probability that each of our retreats will be attended by females who have been subject to sexual assault and who may experience discomfort or trauma in sharing their accommodation with a person who was assigned male at birth. So we will liaise with any non-binary folk and trans women who wish to attend our retreats and were assigned male at birth, so that they might attend either in on-site single accommodation if that is available, or as non-residential retreat guests if it is not.

Who is this Retreat for?

THIS IS FOR YOU IF

• What you have read so far about this Retreat is making you happy!

• You relish the idea of stepping away from your daily life for a little while to connect with nature, yourself, your creativity and other beautiful souls.

• You enjoy deep, wholehearted, meaningful conversation as well as quiet time and laughter.

• You’re comfortable being in a non-smoking and alcohol-free environment.

• You are committed to co-creating a welcoming, open-hearted, considerate and inclusive space during this retreat, regardless of how different to you the people you come into contact with may seem and whether or not you have easy simpatico with them, including - but not limited to - those who have characteristics, histories and stories different to your own, no matter ethnicity; creed; domestic set-up; economic situation; relationship status; family set-up; size; sexual orientation; disability; neurodiversity; communication style; health; gender identity; or gender assigned at birth.

THIS IS NOT FOR YOU IF

• You don’t enjoy being close to nature.

• It is important to you to be able to keep tight control over exactly what you eat and when. The vegetarian food we will enjoy is nourishing, exquisite and of a high standard - and will be beautifully presented. And of course our retreat chef will do their best to work around food allergies or intolerances of which they are made aware and will happily accommodate anyone who requires a vegan diet. However, the menu we will enjoy will be decided in advance of our Retreat, we will be eating at set times and - as our retreat location is blissfully rural - there is no nearby convenience store for you to pop to!

• You require hotel-style service. Our venue - albeit close to nature - is high-end, comfortable and pleasing. However, this Retreat comes with an element of do-it-yourself - for example, although your accommodation dome and our communal spaces will be beautifully made up ready for your arrival, during the Retreat you’ll be making your own bed and keeping your accommodation tidy yourself, you will be responsible for tending to any fires, woodburners or wood-fired hot tubs you use and you’ll be helping yourself to the range of hot drinks on offer.

• You can’t live without your machine-brewed cafe-style frappuccino! There is a gorgeous selection of fresh coffees and teas available at all times, which you can help yourself to and prepare using the strainers and coffee filters available.

Your Retreat Investment

• Residential Retreat placeS - in a shared eco-dome with twin beds AND PRIVATE LOO AND SHOWER

  £890pp - SOLD OUT
  
  

• Non-residential Retreat placeS - for those who wish to independently source their own off-site accommodation rather than staying on site in one of the eco-domes

  £650pp - SOLD OUT
  

PLEASE NOTE:

There are payment plans available: If you book and make your first payment by 31st August 2023, rather than paying the full amount upfront, payment can be made in 5 monthly instalments of £178 per month for a residential place, or £130 per month for a non-residential place. And if your circumstances mean that spreading the cost over a longer period would make things easier for you then please drop Pip an email here.

All payments are non-refundable and non-transferable: We are unable to make any exceptions to this, even for personal emergencies, so please make a mindful purchase. When booking a Middle Years Monday Retreat it is a requirement that you obtain appropriate travel insurance to cover you for the activities you plan to undertake and which additionally includes adequate cover for Covid-19 or other illness, changes in your circumstances, travel delay, cancellation and/or curtailment, medical expenses and your personal belongings whilst traveling and during this Retreat. Your policy should include cover for repatriation due to Covid-19 or other illness and trip cancellation or curtailment due to you falling ill with Covid-19 or other illness.

Transfers: You are responsible for arranging your own travel to and from our retreat venue. If you’d like to liaise with other retreat guests to share taxis from the nearest train stations then let Pip know and she can connect you with each other.

Documentation: It is your responsibility to arrange any necessary visas or travel documentation if travelling from outside the UK.

Out of respect and care for each other: To help provide peace of mind for Retreat Guests or Teachers/Facilitators who are affected by medical vulnerabilities, we require that you do a Covid-19 rapid test, on the morning of the retreat, before you arrive at the retreat venue - and that you do not attend the retreat if the test result is positive.

Pricing Transparency

I’ve been thinking lately about capitalism; about integrity and transparency in business; about the Buddhist concept of ‘right livelihood’; about how financial enoughness might be more important than abundance; and about living by what author bell hooks calls a ‘love ethic’ - and what that might look like for me in relation to my work. The upshot of all of this is that I’d like to be transparent about the numbers when it comes to Middle Years Monday’s costs and profitability. So below I’m happy to share a broad brush overview of the approximate costs and expenses involved in the main elements of offering this retreat. The maximum profit that Middle Years Monday will generate from this retreat will be whatever the final difference is between the direct retreat costs and retreat income. And likewise, Middle Years Monday will absorb any negative difference between the direct costs and income if not all retreat spaces are filled.

Any profits generated will be put towards the cost of providing Middle Years Monday’s ongoing free and subsidised offerings (such as our monthly Deep Relaxation sessions, annual Vision Board evening, membership Scholarships), plus the time and other costs incurred by me in planning, marketing, travelling to and leading this and future MYM retreats.

Pip x

Direct RETREAT Costs**

£8,420 - Exclusive hire of entire retreat site and accommodation over 4 days/3 nights + Catering for Guests + Facilitators

£1,500 - Co-Facilitators fees + Workshop materials

£1,000 - Event Insurance, Hire of Silent Disco equipment, First Aid training for Pip + First Aid Kit purchase

£275 - Retreat planning trip to research accommodation, the wider Retreat site, the catering - and to carry out an onsite Health & Safety risk assessment

>> £11,195 - APPROXIMATE TOTAL COSTS*

(* if not all retreat spaces are filled the catering costs will slightly reduce, but all other costs are fixed)

RETREAT Income

£12,460 - 14 x Residential Retreat Guests

£1,300 - 2 x Non-Residential Retreat Guests

>> £13,760 - MAXIMUM TOTAL INCOME*

(* if all retreat spaces are filled)

(** these are the direct costs that I’ve foreseen, but I’m sure there will be others that I have not)

Subsidised Places on Future Retreats

If you’ve known Middle Years Monday for any length of time you will know that making what we offer financially accessible is something I hold dear. Although this retreat is priced significantly lower than most comparable offerings and I have kept our margins tight, we appreciate that there will be women who would like to come to a retreat like this but don’t currently have the funds. Once this new area of what Middle Years Monday offers has become fully established, our intention is to offer a small number of heavily subsidised retreat places - so don’t give up hope of joining us at a later date. To be kept in the loop with this and other MYM news you can sign up to receive our newsletter here.

With love,

Pip x