Forest Retreats — Barbadoes, UK
Eco-retreat centre in 12 acres of woodland above the Wye Valley, Tintern
Hill Farm sits in twelve acres of woodland above Tintern, with views of the Wye Valley river and Tintern Abbey. It is the base of Forest Retreats, an eco-retreat centre about twenty minutes' drive from the M4, close enough to reach and, in the centre's own words, remote enough to feel like a retreat from everyday life.
The company dates to 2015, when Hayley Court established it. She is a yoga teacher and holistic therapist who has run retreats for ten years, and The Guardian has recommended her work on four separate occasions. She began practising during pregnancy, thirteen years ago, and says yoga helped her recover, mentally and physically, after the birth of her second daughter. She completed 200 hours of teacher training in 2019, then 300 hours of advanced training at The Shala Yoga Centre in London. Her co-owner, Tom, leads forest bathing (Shinrin Yoku) in the woodland.
Guests stay in yurts or rooms, each with its own facilities. There are two studios, Wye Studio and the Shala. The wood-fired Eco Spa has a spring-water-fed hot tub overlooking the valley and a sauna with a plunge pool. Catering is done in-house, from the kitchen or the wood-fired pizza oven, with sustainable, local, seasonal food.
The calendar is varied. Weekly Simply Yoga classes run at the farm, on Zoom and as recordings. Monthly Soul Sundays offer yin and restorative sessions, and yin and sound evenings are held with Sam of Her Peaceful Place, using Tibetan and crystal bowls, gongs and chimes. The women-only Gathering is timed close to Samhain. Weekend retreats include foraging and a cacao ceremony. Walking, writing and well woman retreats, and Shinrin Yoku training, have also been hosted here, and the company runs retreats in Spain, Devon and Pembrokeshire.
Traditions: Yin Yoga, Restorative Yoga, Shinrin Yoku (Forest Bathing), Sound Healing, Reiki, Cacao Ceremony
Programs: Simply Yoga weekly classes, Soul Sundays, Yin and Sound, The Gathering at Hill Farm, Witchy Sisterhood Supper Club, Spring Awakening Yoga and Wellbeing Retreat, Group Forest Bathing, Corporate Wellness Days