It was the first time we hosted such an intimate group of Academic Writing Retreaters. On other occasions we have had over a dozen participants and I was curious to see how the day and the dynamics would roll out.

In fact there was a brilliant atmosphere. Everyone felt relaxed and happy to contribute what they could to the group. Focus and productivity was of course paramount – and already by the first evening participants had clarified their goals and were feeling energised. By Day Two they were on a roll.. one wonderful participant, who is a Yoga teacher, was generous enough to offer us all a Yoga session during the evening break – absolute bliss. I had read about the benefits of Yoga and Relaxation in conjunction to Writing – after all these Writing retreats are good for productivity as well as well-being! – but it was great to experience this first hand.

The meals were a relaxed and healthy affair – As usual they were all vegetarian, but we did introduce some new Healthy Recipes which went down very well – we will repeat! I was also delighted to see that the Italian pasta – which had come especially from an Italian Pastificio was a real hit – clean bowls galore! This is what you get in North Yorkshire..!