Autumn Calling Yoga and Wellbeing Retreat

The Autumn Calling Yoga and Wellbeing Retreat is a two-night yoga retreat in the woods above the Wye Valley, near Tintern. It is led by Hayley Court of Forest Retreats and suits anyone who wants a weekend of yoga, meditation, good vegetarian food and time outdoors as the season turns. Hill Farm is the base for Forest Retreats, and the weekend is built around slowing down in that setting.

What to Expect

The weekend includes daily yoga and meditation sessions, mixing flow with yin and restorative practice. Past guests describe Hayley's teaching as a balance of movement and relaxation, pitched for all abilities. Alongside the yoga there is foraging, a cacao ceremony and a wood fired eco spa. Holistic therapies are part of the offering, and the food is vegetarian.

Guests at other Forest Retreats weekends mention the eco spa, a yurt, a gong bath and massage, and the sense of being well looked after by a small team of hosts.

About Hayley Court

Hayley Court established Forest Retreats in 2015 and has been running yoga and wellbeing retreats for around ten years. She is an advanced yoga teacher and a holistic therapist. Forest Retreats has been recommended as one of The Guardian's top 10 wellbeing retreats in the UK, and the organizer notes four separate recommendations from the publication. Guests often describe her as technically skilled but kind and helpful, and many return for further weekends.

The Setting

Hill Farm, near Tintern, is a 12 acre woodland with views of the River Wye and Tintern Abbey. Forest Retreats describes it as an eco retreat centre overlooking the Wye Valley. Guests mention a well-equipped yoga studio with mats, blocks and straps and patio doors that open onto the countryside. They also mention comfortable accommodation, some with a small deck for sitting out among the trees.

Meals are a feature of the weekend. Guests speak warmly of the nourishing vegetarian cooking. One guest places the farm at about 45 minutes from Bristol on a good run.

Before You Go

You do not need to be an experienced yogi. The sessions are pitched for a mix of abilities, and the pace moves between gentle activity and rest. The weekend is vegetarian throughout. Forest Retreats says its guests leave relaxed and rejuvenated, and a good number of them come back.