Wildlife Discovery Retreat at The Coach House

The Wildlife Discovery retreat with Sharpham Trust is a wonderful, enriching experience. It provides an excellent balance between meditation, exploring and learning about nature and periods of silence (perfect for those of us who practice mindfulness but also love to get to know others). By the end of the five days there was a real bond among we 14 participants (I include our two fabulous volunteer co-ordinators) ; after such a joyful and rewarding experience, how could there not be? And nowhere can it be more beneficial to be mindful than in this amazing landscape overlooking the River Dart.

I’ve just completed the Wildlife Discovery Retreat at the Coach House. The accommodation, grounds, and activities with extremely knowledgeable local experts were wonderful!

The mix between mindfulness practice, learning about different aspects of nature and personal time was well balanced. The coordinators created a safe space, were patient, compassionate and used kindness and humour throughout. I would highly recommend this and the many other retreats offered at Sharpham.

I’ve just come back from the Discover Wildlife Retreat at the Coach House and it was amazing! The location, accommodation and food is so so good. And I met some brilliant and warm people to share the most relaxing, inspiring and nurturing week with. Along with friends from the animal world (seeing the bats up close was very special). You are very well fed at Sharpham, however we topped ourselves up by nibbling plants on our walks, expertly guided by the incredibly passionate Lisa.

But the coordinators really made this retreat stand out. So warm, friendly and approachable. They create such a wonderful vibe and sense of safety and I can’t thank them enough. They are so much more than coordinators, they are the heart of the retreats. I can’t thank them enough.

Thank you for such a wonderful stay. This was my second retreat and it won’t be the last. Can’t wait to return X

After lunch, always vegetarian, always fabulous – Sharpham’s organic kitchen garden provided many of the ingredients, and the menu during my week included aubergine and tofu curry, apricot and fennel tagine, cashew chocolate cheesecake and cheeses from the Sharpham Dairy – afternoons were generally free of formal activities...Nearly always, I ended up at the river, for hours, watching its tidal breath as cormorants skimmed across its whorls, their pulsing wings like heartbeats.

Other nature experiences during the week included a wildflower and foraging safari, where we ate oxeye daisies, traditionally used to treat sore throats, zingy sorrel flowers and the leaves of lemon verbena, which tasted like sherbet; and a bug safari, where we dashed around with nets in the long grass with childlike glee and rushed back to Fraser, the insect expert, to proudly show him our haul.

There were bird walks, walks focused on trees or moths, or the tiny lesser horseshoe bats that flittered out in the crepuscule from their roost in the Coach House roof, and to whose chattering echolocations we listened on bat detectors.

Sometimes, we walked just paying attention to the rhythm of our feet and our breath.

It was an amazing experience. Perfect if you need to switch off from life for a few days of peace and tranquillity.

Retreat leaders were lovely, very caring, supportive and the customers staying were also nice and like-minded people. Food great too.