15 wellbeing retreats and detox breaks – for better days ahead | Health and fitness holidays

The Clover Mill, Worcestershire

This spring reopened Ayurvedic retreat in a converted 17th century watermill in the rolling hills near Malvern offers year-round retreats for two, three and five nights that include Ayurvedic treatments, meals, nutritional advice and cooking demos Combine yoga. In particular, the rest and digestion retreats are designed to help guests shift their sympathetic nervous system from flight / fight / freeze mode to rest / digestion / relaxation mode (next available May 20-25). However, all of his retreats are about empowering you to regain balance at home.
From £ 695 per person for a three day retreat at theclovermill.com

Arvon Writers’ Retreats, various locations in the UK

Photo: Arvon

In addition to offering a range of online writing courses, Arvon intends to resume its home writing courses from April 2021, subject to Covid’s restrictions. Once the lock is lifted, food stays in the Writers’ Houses will also be offered, likely for a maximum of six people, for those who need writing space without everyday distractions. Homes include Lumb Bank, an 18th-century West Yorkshire mill owner’s home that once belonged to Ted Hughes; Totleigh Barton, a 16th century Devon mansion listed in the Domesday Book; and apartments in The Clockhouse, the former home of playwright John Osborne in Shropshire.
Six-night no-tuition retreats from £ 678; Six night courses and retreats from £ 815, arvon.org

The Penninghame Trial, Scotland

Intensive, haunting weeks of inner exploration are offered here in a huge historic house amid forests, farmland and gardens. The entertaining, full-bodied and wildly liberating process takes you on a deep journey into your unconscious with a powerful mix of techniques and practices, from daily dynamic meditation to deep self-exploration, ritual drama and transformative bodywork. The food is macrobiotic, vegan, and calming, and the rooms have a monastic-chic feel.
Upcoming classes are from March 27th to April 2nd, June 12th to 18th, September 11th to 17th, £ 1,595 per person for six nights on penninghame.org

Adventure Yogi Springtime Hiking and Yoga Retreat, Lake District

A guided fall hike near Hawkshead

This weekend retreat features morning hatha yoga with Zoe Woodward in a custom built high ceiling yoga shala in the middle of the fells with evening yin and restorative yoga and yoga nidra. There are guided hikes, massages, forest bathing and meditation, healthy celebrations and super comfortable accommodations – in a vegetarian retreat center in Ambleside.
5-8 April, from £ 565 per person for 3 nights, abenteueryogi.com

The Detox Barn, Suffolk

Photo: Leanne Barker

This is a gentle detox vacation that runs on long weekends April 16-18 and April 23-25, and monthly thereafter, combining immune-boosting juice and smoothie demonstrations and healthy meals. Their base is a stylish barn conversion near Stowmarket in rural Suffolk, where a mix of gentle yoga, meditation, country walks and time to relax will help participants feel much better in a supportive, friendly environment. The (female) owners are both comedians so you’ll laugh too!
From £ 395pp, thedetoxbarn.co.uk

Wild with nature, Norfolk

This retreat, run by Wildfitness, takes place in the middle of forests and wildflower meadows and offers accommodation on the banks of a large lake in stylish shepherds’ huts and yurts. Enjoy organic foods and put your body through its paces with three to four inventive outdoor fitness sessions a day. There is an interactive workshop on wild life and food and time out to use the farm paddleboards and kayaks or just relax with a book.
24.-27. June, from £ 925 per person, wildfitness.com

Reclaim your self-forest retreat, Somerset

Adam Husler leads the yoga classes during this glamping break. Photo: Karen Yeomans

Welcome to a midsummer glamping weekend that takes place in a quiet, low-impact wooded area near Bath and is housed in handcrafted yurts and log cabins. Turn off your devices and experience a simple life with daily vinyasa yoga on all levels, with Adam Husler from London, evenings by the fire and wild swimming in the lake. Delicious meals around the campfire are prepared by Chef Richie Tewnion in an outdoor kitchen. Relax with country walks, a wooden sauna, and bookable massages or facials.
25.-28. June, from £ 350pp, reclaimyourself.co.uk

The Coach House in Monmouthshire

Photo: John Clarke

This delightful location between the Black Mountains National Park and the Wye Valley is an ideal private retreat alone or with a friend or family member. Experienced teacher and owner Olivia Clarke offers private yoga sessions and Buddhist mindfulness. There are country walks and river swimming in the Welsh hills to enjoy in the meantime. Spend the night in two stylish double rooms with bathroom on the upper floor and relax in an open living and kitchen area on the ground floor. Schedule in-room massages, have delicious healthy groceries delivered to your door, and cocoon until you’re ready to face the world again.
From £ 140pp per night for a solo traveler, thecoachhouseretreat.co.uk

Green Farm, Kent

This rural retreat just southwest of Ashford offers a range of spa and yoga weekends to encourage rest and relaxation. This includes singing with nightingale retreats, where you can enjoy dinner around the campfire on Saturday nights, followed by a nightly walk to listen to nightingales. Additional massages, spa experiences, and art classes are available. Accommodation is in a restored medieval house or barn for self-catering. There are ESPA treatments, hot tubs in a pretty walled garden and pond, and access to a sauna.
From £ 595 per person for a weekend, see the online calendar for live dates at greenfarmkent.co.uk

Middle Piccadilly, Dorset

Photo: Carl Stanley / Jason Spoor

A thatched 17th century cottage houses a quiet retreat near Sherborne, where guests can enjoy healthy vegetarian meals in a cozy farmhouse kitchen. There are five simple bedrooms and digital detox is recommended. Book daily treatments, from relaxing massages and detoxifying mud masks to advanced reflexology and lifestyle counseling. Introduce yourself through meditation or an energy-switching shamanic healing session in the stilted star space.
From £ 120 a night full board plus the cost of all treatments, middlepiccadilly.com

The Seaside Manor, Isle of Wight

The Grange in the coastal town of Shanklin is the headquarters of the holistic vacation company Skyros. The converted Georgian house with modern rooms and sea views offers B&B breaks all year round to relax. The range of Skyros Signature courses will be resumed this year. There are four days of Radiant Energy Yoga (August 31 to September 4) and four days of Conscious Yoga (September 7 to 11). You can expect a friendly group atmosphere and delicious food and drink that is as locally sourced as possible. There is also an honesty bar.
From £ 625 for a four day course, thegrangebythesea.com

Cliffs of Moher, Ireland

Spa and Yoga on the County Clare Coast

This boutique cliff-top retreat a mile from the beach on County Clare’s wild Atlantic coast offers year-round spa and yoga breaks, including weekends devoted to coastal walking and the Wim Hof ​​method Breathing exercises and all the rejuvenating ice baths. The meals are delicious, most of them made from local organic products, there is a lovely spa for treatments and a glass-fronted yoga studio with panoramic sea views.
From € 555 per person you can find the live dates in the online calendar at cliffsofmoherretreat.com

Yoga in the smallest of spaces, Portugal

Hatha Yoga on the Atlantic in Alentejo

Treat yourself to this week-long yoga holiday on the untourist Atlantic coast near the fishing village of Zambujiera del Mar in the Alentejo region. You’ll stay at Cocoon, a coastal farm with a freshwater lake, and have two hatha yoga classes a day with UK-based teacher Jodi Boone, focusing on awareness of breath, alignment and connection. Swim, go for a walk, hang out in a hammock, go on bike rides or visit the beach, a 10-minute drive away. The food is vegetarian and includes a range of dishes, from Indian or Japanese-inspired curries to Mediterranean stews.
3rd-10th July, from £ 925 per person, Yogaonashoestring.com

Mandali, Italy

Lake Orta, Northern Italy. Photo: Alamy

Mandali is a wonderful place on a high plateau overlooking Lake Orta in northern Italy and offers a breathtaking view of the Alps. It offers an ongoing program of three-, four-, five- and six-day experiences for those who want to switch it off and reconnect with their natural flow. Different types of meditation, yoga and movement sessions are offered with workshops on personal growth and periods of rest, as well as healthy eating and quiet rooms. It’s also a not-for-profit company.
From € 770 per person for four nights you can find the live dates in the online calendar at mandali.org

Silver Island, Greece

Photo: George Fakaros

Between April and October, this private island in the Aegean offers week-long yoga retreats led by experts from all over Europe. Come for vegetarian meals, whitewashed rooms, and yoga in an outdoor shala overlooking the ocean. The island is off-grid so it’s easy to digitally detox while enjoying gentle walks, the open art closet, sweet pebble beaches, abundant olive trees, and wildflowers. It is four hours from Athens and can be reached via the port of Oreoi.
From € 1,450 per week you can find dates and teachers in the online calendar at silverislandyoga.com

Caroline Sylger Jones is the founder of Queen of Retreats