Within the enchanting landscapes of Anglesey, The Retreat offers a unique opportunity for transformative self-discovery and renewal, set against the backdrop of breathtaking natural beauty and the serene embrace of a historic estate.
A new Anglesey Retreat venue is set to launch in 2025. Those visiting can expect a relaxing, healing and nourishing experience in the midst of Anglesey’s dramatic and stunning landscapes.
By Lady Candida Meyrick
Anglesey is all about the light. Travelling up here from the south, it’s what we notice first – the gorgeous sense of having more time in the day - those few extra hours as the sun sinks into the west. And maybe it’s the light, added to the sense of being protected by the massive natural fortress of the mountains, which makes Anglesey such a natural place to come to on retreat. It is the ideal location for when you need to dive deep into your life, check in on yourself and re-align. Which is why we are super excited to be launching The Retreat, Anglesey next year - sister to the flourishing The Retreat, New Forest, which I founded five years ago.
I have always loved the idea of disaster being the same character as the symbol for opportunity in the Chinese language. I founded The Retreat, New Forest, after having cancer nine years ago because it struck me powerfully that many diseases could be seen off before becoming acute, simply by dialling into a more conscious way of living. Moving more, being kinder to our bodies, nurturing them with food rather than simply taking on fuel to get through the day and, importantly, listening when they give us information - ‘I’m burnt out’, ‘I’m sick of this,’ ‘I’m starving,’ ‘fed-up,’ ‘stressed.’ We say these things all the time, but how seldom do we stop, really listen to what we’re saying about ourselves, and then take action?
This is the purpose of going on retreat. Even if it’s just a morning out of a bucket-and-spade holiday, by taking that time out to look inwards, setting the intention to show up for ourselves, and seeing how we’re doing, we can make massive changes in our everyday lives when we return to them. It’s partly to do with claiming those few hours for ourselves - but then a trip to the hairdressers could do that. More powerful is the shared desire to transform from the inside out. This could be as simple as pressing a ‘refresh’ button on your everyday thinking, or as powerful as a shift in your life’s path - making bolder, more fulfilling choices, with greater depth and meaning.
Retreats really can accomplish this. And with our lives now so narrowed by the always-on intrusions of tech, going on retreat is a way of outwitting the algorithms by discovering the expansive, uncharted territory of yourself - a place that is entirely yours to nurture and protect. This is really something worth exploring.
So, what to expect? Yoga, Qi Gong, forest bathing, wild swimming followed by a log-fired beach sauna, breathwork, sound healing, meditation and of course delicious, nourishing food. All practices that you can take away and thread into your regular life once you return to it. In that way, retreats provide more than holiday memories: they can be a new way of doing you. It’s powerful stuff!
What makes our retreats special? I’m married into a family who have lived on and guarded this particular patch of Anglesey - the Bodorgan Estate - for seven hundred years. With this centuries-old tradition of sustainability and care for the natural environment, the estate now feels oddly modern, with its beautiful five acre walled gardens and lush woodland - described in a Victorian garden journal as ‘a second Eden.’ These factors make ‘eat local and organic’ second nature, and forest bathing a walk in the park - literally. Yoga classes are hosted in our restored Sawmill, nestled in the woods, or in the secret walled garden which I started restoring almost twenty years ago. I founded a botanical drinks business – Positive Potions - and a little side-hustle - Bodorgan Botanicals - because of those walled gardens, growing medicinal herbs and turning them into delicious ‘drink drops’, teas and salves. Retreats here will also involve sessions on how to incorporate the power of wild-foraged botanicals in your everyday lives.
Do retreats carry some kind of health warning, and can anyone go on one? This question always makes me smile, because I think of all those times I have seen the barriers in people who have never thought of going on retreat before simply melt away. The giggles and the gratitude. So yes, however stiff or bendy, whether you’re a regular retreat-er or a first-timer, you are most warmly welcome. That’s the point. A retreat is not a fitness challenge and there’s no ‘right way to do it’. All that’s required is your desire to show up for yourself, check in on how you’re doing and enjoy the process of accepting what you find there. Comfortable clothing is a good idea. (But then comfortable clothing is always a good idea on Anglesey.) And you never know, you might find you’ve stepped into a world within yourself you never knew existed. Pretty good going for a UK staycation.
If you think you’re ready to take a step back, relax and immerse yourself in the beauty of at new Anglesey Retreat venue in 2025, get in touch at [email protected] for more details.
