This year‘s retreats are booking up fast. I’ve just announced a rare weekend ‘Just Write’ special on 23rd September. It’s the only weekend one this year – especially because one of my lovely ladies, Beliz, a fab repeat guest, has a very persuasive husband who bought her a voucher! So I have opened up a little three day retreat, Fri, Sat & Sun nights, at the end of Rosemary’s super novel writing tutored workshop (19th September.)
Why not book to go on her workshop first? It’s one of our few remaining courses with much availability, the ‘Write a Commercial Novel’ workshop week (four nights starting 17th September)? Then maybe stay on for the three day weekend and just… Write! All details on our website, go here.
Please note many of the places for the weekend have already gone tho’, so do be quick :-). And we promise we will still offer our regular afternoon tea/coffee/cake…
Have a really good think and make this the year you definitely come down to Retreats For you (see below).
Or…
Online Options
Marnie the lovely memoirs tutor, is offering a super weekend in Whitstable in Kent at the end of April, info below and on her super website. Check out the lovely video!
If you fancy France, Janie and Mickey are available at Chez Castillon, see their tweet here – I am going in September!
Or if you can’t attend a course in person how about this online one from our regular sell-out tutor, Alison May?
RWA ACADEMY SELF-PACED: Reignite Your Creativity Tickets, RWA Academy. Via ‘TryBooking Australia’. Details here.
Charlie at Urban Writers may have some options too. See here.
Storm
Did you survive intact? In case you were wondering, some of our thatch was damaged, but nowhere near as damaged as our neighbour across the road! Thank goodness for insurance. Let’s hope for some better weather this season!
Holiday Let News and Big Announcement
Holiday lets have been slower this year and according to lovely Tracey who stayed with us recently, who also runs holiday lets, larger properties never sell as well all year round, only mainly in the school holidays. So it got me to thinking. My daughter’s place, their holiday let in West Wales, is called ‘the hiveaway.’
https://www.thehiveaway.co.uk/
(Actually, do try it if you need a super secluded, beautiful but quirky, Hobbitses style self-catering cabin for one or two, with amazing views and a wood burner hot tub.) BUT if you have a look, you will see their calendar is fairly booked out. So I figured it may be time to swap my 1600s thatched grade 2 listed in deepest North Devon for something smaller and more lettable (if that’s not a word then it should be.!)…
Plus, a big birthday is coming up and my plan is to take a little break from doing retreats for much of 2023, so I’ve been having a good think. It may be time to advise you to snap up any places that are left in this year‘s calendar because this year might be a good time to put my place on the market. There may be new people running Retreats For You in the years to come, but promising the same offerings.
Or, it maybe I sell it as a guest house/B&B/tea room, with contents and website/socials, but take the Retreats business with me. I like running them, and would hopefully still be involved no matter what. But considering what Marnie is doing above (check out that video!), It’s not impossible to imagine doing the same sort of thing and hiring somewhere. That way I can arrange retreats all around the country or in some more suitable destinations people who have decided that deepest North Devon is too far to go.
So the big question is, “do you know someone who wants to take over Retreats For You and have a complete life-change?!” No seriously, the question is – if you could relocate my writing retreats, the new destination more suitable for your own needs, what would your most favourite destination be? If you could choose?
Ping me an email by pressing reply. Even if you just put one word, which is the name of the town, I will get the message!
You can always contact me on the telephone number as well. After midday though, pls (those late shifts at my weekend job mean I’m a night owl).
I’m really looking forward to my sell-out retreat in April, and I’ve got the lovely poetry gang joining me for March. Remember I only do one a month now, and not during the summer holidays as it will be hopefully fully let. And who knows what the future may hold…
Best wishes and happy writing!
Debbie