Writers Retreat UK Reviews 

I had an amazing time at the Writers Retreat UK June 2021 excursion. Over the course of 6 days, I met amazing writers and thinkers who inspired me, supported my writing goals and provided brilliant conversation in between stretches of quiet, writing periods. Jan and Anne were the consummate hosts and organisers, making sure we didn't have to do anything but eat and write throughout the week - I can't thank them enough for all the work they put into making this trip one I will never forget. I'd recommend the retreat to any writer who is looking for some peace, quiet, comfort and community as they continue their journey towards meeting their writing goals.

I had an amazing time with jan at the Writers retreat, everything you need is provided including stunning settings, peace and quiet and a shared collective of people. The mentoring was absolutely wonderful and helped me really get to grips with where I was going. Cant wait to come back.

I had a great time with Jan and Ann in Middleham on a 6 day retreat. I'd not done anything like this before and it exceeded any expectations I had. The food was great and I felt very looked after. The 2 online mentoring sessions were very insightful my only suggestion would be that a 3rd one would be nice towards the end of the week. The other people were all lovely and great company and there were so many easy escapes for walks and reflective moments that I took a car but did not use it for the 6 days. Will definitely do this again!

We have just had a relaxing, delightful retreat at Middleham, North Yorks. I can only echo what you will find in many of the reviews here. Jan and Ann were extremely friendly and welcomed us as one of the family - and that is the whole basis of the long weekend. It was great to sit and chat with not only Jan and Ann, but also the other writers on the retreat - our companions-in-arms.
The food and catering is absolutely top-notch - cooked breakfast and cereals, buffet style lunch, cream tea in the afternoon and a fantastic evening meal.
You can write in solitude or in the communal places - and also the garden. My mentoring session was excellent - Steven (on zoom) was assured and understood my situation and level of experience in seconds. Great advice for short term and long term gain.
Still stuck for inspiration? Being in the Dales, the countryside is amazing and the ruins of the castle in the town centre add further inspirations for fantasy, horror or historical fiction writers.
Looking forward to booking again....

Jan is a phenomenon and she has come up with a great formula giving the time and space to focus, and connect with like-minded creative types. I will definitely do it again.

Those of us who travelled by train, were met at the station and taken to the venue.

We were immediately made welcome, and treated to an afternoon snack of home baked scones with strawberry jam and clotted cream. Delicious!

The accommodation was first class, a converted school brimming with charm and character, providing ample space to allow for individual working areas, and social distancing. The bedrooms also had a desk and chair for those preferring to work alone. Situated in a beautiful, tranquil village, which was an ideal location for peace and quiet.

Excellent home cooked meals, snacks and a variety of drinks kept energy levels high and fuelled a good day's writing. The food was varied and nutritious.

The hosts created a perfect environment for writers, whether beginners or more experienced. A quiet, relaxed and distraction free atmosphere enabled us to focus on writing. Individual online tutorials provided invaluable encoragement and information. At the venue a range of reference books, resources, and information were also immediately to hand.

As a beginner myself, I learned a lot from the other guests, who were happy to share their experiences, information and tips.

The hospitality was superb and I thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience.

Thank you

A beautiful setting and lovely room. We were looked after well with delicious food, allowed to get on with our writing in a peaceful environment without interruption, and help and advice was there if we needed it. I managed to make major inroads into work I’ve been fiddling with for some time. Thank you!

Just enjoyed a fantastic experience with Writers Retreat UK. A friend and I joined Jan and her group for a 3 night retreat in the lovely village of Middleham in North Yorkshire. The retreat was held in a beautiful old school house, and the accommodation was fantastic. Plenty of room to hang out in the communal areas and garden if you wanted, and our room was huge with everything needed for a more than comfortable stay. Jan had even provided desks and writers goody bags in the room, which really made writing life easier! The food was ample and delicious, provided by Jan herself and Ann, both ladies looked after us incredibly well. Plenty of wine at dinner for those of us who enjoy it!
This was such a relaxing experience. It was great to meet fellow writers, all at different stages in their writing life, and all working in different genres, some fascinating discussions were held round the table!
Jan and Ann were always on hand to help with any questions, but they provide a lovely, laid-back atmosphere where you can totally work at your own pace. There's no obligation or expectation to get involved unless that's what you'd like to do. If privacy is your thing, that's fine too.
I found Steven Nesbitt's mentoring advice invaluable too, he totally opened my eyes to something that had been causing me a bit of writers block for some time, and I can't thank him enough.
If you're thinking about a retreat but just can't make up your mind, or feel a little apprehensive, I would highly recommend Jan and Writers Retreat UK. We have already made plans to return and seriously can't wait!

I didn’t know what to expect when I booked my first Writers Retreat and was very pleasantly surprised. The venue was superb, spacious and comfortable, with desks provided for working.
The catering was great - a lovely cooked breakfast, buffet lunch, afternoon cream tea (delicious home-made scones!) and dinner, with wine each evening. Tea, coffee and orange juice were constantly available. Jan and Ann could not have looked after us any better. Nothing was too much trouble for them.

I found the mentoring sessions with Stephen extremely useful, helping me to clarify a number of issues with my writing and marketing. With plenty of time to concentrate on writing, without the usual distractions, I was able to make significant progress with my novel.

Overall, a positive and enjoyable experience which provides great value for money! Can’t wait for the next one!

Very valuable in terms of peaceful opportunity to focus on writing, lovely surroundings and very relaxing. It would have been good to have a little more structure and chance to share readings with other people, but that of course depends on what they are writing, and that didn’t happen on this retreat. Naturally there is no control over what others are working on, so another occasion might be quite different.
Enjoyable six days though, and stimulating to catty on.

If you are looking for the perfect getaway to just chill out and write then Writer's Retreat UK is who you need to book with. I cannot fault Jan's work, she creates the perfect environment for creative writers to focus on their work.

I attended the weekend trip to Brampton and from start to finish I was blown away by the services provided. Jan picked me up from the train station in Carlisle, which was very helpful as my transport options were limited, plus she was able to reschedule around my late arrival time.

The mentoring gave me a lot to think about, not just during the trip, but in the weeks and months after the retreat as I continue with my project. Steve Nesbit was very easygoing and approachable. He was a wonderful mentor and gave some inspirational yet pragmatic advice in both sessions. Although I was only really able to voice my goals in an incomprehensible ramble, he seemed to know exactly what I needed to do to move forwards in my writing journey.

The food on this trip was also incredible. I informed Jan before arrival that I was vegan and the food I was served was just excellent. On many trips and events, I tend to expect that the vegan option is going to be something standard and bland with nothing more than a fruit salad for pudding, but on this retreat I was blown away by the thoughtfulness put into the main meals and desserts (I was even given vegan treats on Halloween).

On these trips, you do not have to worry about anything, you will be well looked after and will be surrounded by other writers to share insight with. It is the perfect place to focus on your writing! I will definitely be booking again in the future.

This was as incredible as it sounds. Jan’s professionalism and efficiency was beyond the beyond. Nothing was too much. We were catered with fresh, home-cooked, delectable meals and this meant that we could just get on with the task at hand: writing.
Spending time with the other writers was intellectually stimulating and so fun.
We will definitely be going again. I suggest you book it now!

With family commitments and jobs, it can sometimes feel like a struggle to fit the things we love doing so much into our daily lives. I guess that's where retreats come in - they give us the space to do exactly what we want.

Last week I was lucky enough to be able to join Writers' Retreat Uk before lockdown kicked in, and what I got was much, much more than space to write. The real USPs here are space, attention to detail and a genuine care for the comfort of the writers who attend. The accommodation was absolutely stunning and there was even a sauna and hot tub (let’s face it, no one can write 24x7). From arrival to departure we were wonderfully well looked after, with a home-cooked breakfast, lunch and dinner, plus a traditional cream tea every afternoon. I now need to book a fasting retreat ☺

There was no enforced itinerary. It was up to us if we wanted to share our work or seek advice, and it was up to us where and how we worked. With each of us working on very different projects, there was plenty of opportunity to swap advice etc. but it was all very informal. Some writers preferred to stay in the peace and quiet of their rooms (which incidentally included a desk for those not inclined to work from their bed or sofa) and others chose the squashy sofas in the living room.

Last but not least, the retreat included two mentoring sessions with screen writer Steven Nesbit. Down to earth and well-versed in the rollercoaster journey many creatives go on to bring their work to the world, our conversations were surprisingly down to earth, realistic and practical.

And the outcome? I can honestly say that I was the most productive I’ve ever been.

If you want to get a post-lockdown break booked in that gives you the space to write and nothing else to worry about, this is the retreat for you.

Absolutely brilliant. Jan and Anne looked after us all tremendously well. Nothing was too much trouble. The food was delicious, all home-made and plenty of it. The rooms were lovely, the goody bag on arrival was a lovely surprise and the mentoring sessions were extremely helpful. I managed to write 24,000 words over the five full days, which I was extremely happy with. Local surroundings meant I could get out each day for a beautiful walk to clear my head too. I will definitely book again and would encourage others to do the same.

I had a superb time away, away from the boring chores with which were are all confronted on a daily basis, which gave me so much time to write, check facts & read about crafting a gripping story line.

Having time with other writers, talking about character arcs & development, sharing the joy of particular films & books with like minded persons was an absolute treat.

However the icing on the cake was the mentoring session via Zoom, and not just one session, but THREE! So helpful, insightful & encouraging.

We were over fed & if you were inclined there was plenty of wine at each evenings meal. For my likes, I would have liked perhaps more vegetables & less carbs, but that's just me.

Overall, Highly recommended for any aspiring writer who could do with the space & quiet time to do it.

A fabulous opportunity to write and relax, to learn from other writers and to enjoy delicious home made food. The mentoring sessions were very useful and really helped with motivation and focus and I'm hoping to book another retreat in the future.

This was a perfect experience for me. As a busy mum of two young boys, I needed this quiet time away to be able to write and create. The house was comfortable, the surroundings were beautiful, and the organizers made sure we had all we needed, as well as space to concentrate. I really recommend it! The cool/creative women I met there were a bonus!

The Writers Retreat UK is the place to be: set in à beautiful and cozy place, in picturesque nature, it is an amazing parentheses in life dedicated to writing. I enjoyed being on my own and write away in my bedroom, just as much as to exchange with fellow writers, which was very inspiring.
We were pampered. The food was delicious (I still dream of those scones) and the supply of tea while writing... I felt like in heaven.
I strongly recommend it to anyone who wishes to get on with her/his writing.

So, I’m not a big traveller. This weekend was the first time I’ve been out of Yorkshire properly in about three or four years, so travelling up north to Cumbria and the Lake District was quite a big thing for me, quite a nice change if I’m honest. Just the chance to get away from all the distractions of work and family life, go away and write unhindered. So, I took a bus and three trains, and I wound up in Aspatria where I was picked up and brought to Hollybank Cottage in Gilcrux ready to spend a weekend writing.
The venue wasn’t entirely what I was expecting, (Okay, I didn’t know what to expect) but it definitely didn’t disappoint. Probably about forty-five minutes from Carlisle, in a quiet little village, it consisted of three cottages sort of stuck together. They were very clean, very modern and very comfortable, quite easy to find your way around in them. Bedroom was comfortable, plenty of closet space and a nice view surrounding it. On the surrounding area, it was certainly very picturesque with plenty of places to go off for a morning or afternoon walk. There’s also a pub next door to the venue which looks decent,
I certainly have no complaints about the food at all, there was always plenty of nibbles about for during the day, plenty of tea and coffee and soft drinks available at all times. As for meal times, the three main meals were all exceptional, the breakfast had a large amount of choice available, from cooked food to colder options, lunchtime was a buffet with a generous choice and the evening meals were excellent, as well as plenty of complimentary wine to wash it down with.
As any writer will tell you, it’s not always fun and games, it’s a serious business and sometimes you need to relax. There were televisions in every room, a pool table in one of the cottages and an on-site cinema room with a large, if slightly eclectic, collection of DVDs.

Would I come back? Yes, absolutely. Without a doubt. Already looking forward to my next visit. Got a ton done, met some nice people and Jan, the lady organising it, is absolutely lovely, made it really enjoyable. Nice relaxing atmosphere conducive to working. Highly recommended in every sense of the word.