Writers Retreat UK Reviews 

A Great Place to write
It's a lovely place to find some peace and quiet and get down to writing. The hosts are friendly and always want to help.

This Writing Retreat was the best investment I had spent on myself in a long time. I had the chance to meet and learn from other Authors and writers and spend 1-1 time Marcus our Mentor. All by being catered for by the A Team that was Ann and Marcus who went to great lengths to keep us cosy during the storm and provided the most delicious home cooked food.

See you again soon hopefully

I was made very welcome at The Retreat and felt instantly comfortable. The atmosphere was friendly and peacefully. I learnt so much from the workshops and mentoring sessions that I feel much more confident about continuing the story I was working on and more. I made really good friends too.

Thank you so much!
Sian

The whole experience was terrific.

Spent a magical time at this writing retreat, my favorite of the many attended. The amenities were comfortable. The schedule prioritized individual writing time (although the workshops were excellent too). The Yorkshire setting was stunning. Could not recommend enough!

Super friendly, helpful and well organised. We had daily workshops plus one-to-one mentoring. The food is layed on (at lunch and dinner you can chat with your fellow writers), you can write in your room or in the large lounge and there are no distractions (Beal is very isolated). All in all a great place to get some writing done.

What a lovely, warm, welcoming venue.
The staff were incredibly accommodating, the spread they put on for us was fantastic, and the cleanliness and decor can't be complained about. Great venue, great staff

I had a fantastic week here. Amazing that it was all inclusive of food, wine, cream teas, tea and coffee - everything you could want for a hassle and stress free week to just sit and write with no distractions. It was lovely getting to socialise at mealtimes and during workshops but it was great not having to focus on other people’s projects and spend time critiquing their work like I’ve had to do on writing courses I’ve done. This left with me so much time to focus on my own book and the other writers on the retreat with me were just great company. It made the week a lot less lonely than it would have been renting somewhere away on my own. My room (York) was spacious and comfortable with a huge bed, walk out terrace and a lovely desk to write at. The resident writer was wonderful and helped me finally sort out my plan and structure, something I’ve been struggling with for so long. I wish I had found her years ago! All in all this place is great value and run by really lovely people who can’t do enough for you. It’s an absolute haven for writers and I hope to go back one day.

The retreat was great value and exactly what I needed. It gave me the confidence and support to start writing. Jan and Tony were lovely and provided everything we needed including plenty of food throughout the day and lifts from and to Doncaster station. It was also nice to spend time with other writers. I would thoroughly recommend and I hope to go again myself.

Great location, helpful workshops, wonderful staff very eager to make the stay productive.

I attended a half day workshop and talk by Siobhan Daniels at The Writers Retreat.
I was highly delighted with the venue - what a beautiful setting and the event itself was superbly organised.
The staff looked after us brilliantly and kept us fed and watered throughout. The food really was outstanding - and so much of it!
The event was insightful and it was lovely to meet the other people there and feel at home with them.
I can imagine staying there longer would be a perfect way to concentrate on writing that book/screenplay/poetry.

The easiest way to sum up my experience is that, from the moment I arrived at The Retreat in Beal, I didn't have to worry about anything other than my writing. The Retreat Suite was a reet treat! A distraction-free working environment, fully catered (including afternoon teas every day) with fresh food options which were tailored to our individual needs, and a peaceful, restful night's sleep at the end of it all. I vastly exceeded my writing goal for the trip, and the provided workshops and 1:1 sessions from resident writers (as well as the companionship of others on the retreat) was very inspiring. I'll definitely be back!

Friendly and accommodating staff. Great venue and good food. Freedom to be completely flexible as to how you interact with the group and your own space to write.
Would have been good to see more of the host and receive some direction when there was an unexpected crisis

I had an excellent retreat here to work on academic research. The location is quiet, with lovely views and walks along the river, and the facilities were perfectly equipped with a well furnished private room and plenty of shared alternative space if needed. The meals were all provided and the chef did a fantastic job of catering to my dietary requirements, which made the whole experience so much easier as I could just concentrate on my work. The hosts were really welcoming and supportive, with the perfect balance of being available if needed but also providing space and privacy to concentrate. I would highly recommend this retreat, and I'm definitely planning to visit again.

Great food and hospitality from Shane and Jan, who were really accommodating with all my requests. Lots of peace and quiet to allow concentration and writing - exactly what I needed.

It was Amazing!

My first writing retreat and I did not know what to expect but came away feeling extremely motivated!

In fact, I was inspired to go from the moment I made my first enquiries with Jan who runs the centre.

An established writer herself, Jan’s a very warm, welcoming and supportive person who accommodates guests’ every need. Nothing is too much trouble!

Together with the other retreat staff, the centre is well managed as every care and attention appeared to have been thought of. I was really well looked after throughout my stay in this lovely, peaceful village setting. It is a perfect place to get away and switch into writing mode. And all was set up so I could simply do that - just focus on my writing, which I did and in a more inspired way!

The rooms were comfortable with everything provided. And the meals freshly prepared by their dedicated in-house chef Shane were always delicious, and all served up together with Ann’s warm smiles! 😊

This is a small but fast-growing, family-run business and the warm, cosy atmosphere of the venue offers an intimate and relaxed atmosphere to encourage creativity and draw the best out of your writing potential!

There were also optional activities such as interactive talks on various thought-provoking topics to enhance your writing and an additional 121 mentoring session which in itself was invaluable and stimulated my interests further. If anything, it left me feeling excited about what else my book could do, and where else it could take me!

The whole experience exceeded my expectations and made my first visit most unforgettable!

I can’t wait to return to the next one Jan! Hope to see you all again soon and thank you so much for a truly enjoyable experience!

What a wonderful experience. Writers Retreat UK was the perfect environment for me to focus on my novel. We were well looked after from the moment we arrived, with transfers from the train station arranged. My room was lovely and comfortable, and all of the food provided was delicious, generous and filling. Evening meals were served with wine which was a lovely treat too! It was wonderful to not have to think about anything but writing - it gave me full focus on my work and meant that I could really utilise my time on my creativity. While there are desks in the bedrooms, I really enjoyed sitting in the shared spaces to work too. Writers Retreat UK offered a supportive, encouraging and inclusive space for all its guests, and I can’t recommend enough.

Customer service was amazing. The place is quiet and ideal for writing retreats. PhD students had a great time.

Although I have written fiction for myself for over 20 years, I have never attended a retreat. This was reasonably priced and the host was extremely friendly. I thoroughly enjoyed myself. The other guests were great to talk with and the mentor was excellent. I will definitely do it again!

I spent six days at the Writer's Retreat in March to work on final amendments to my PhD thesis and it was probably the most productive week I've had throughout the entire process. The space is very quiet and is situated on edge of a peaceful village, which meant it was ideal for daily rural walks to clear the mind. For me, there was a perfect balance between isolated writing and social interaction during mealtimes. The food is delightful and nothing is too much trouble for Jan, Shane and Tony. Would highly recommend.