Indulged, inspired and beautifully cared for on a private Artist’s Awakening retreat with The Nest in England
Caroline Sylge reviews a private artist’s retreat in Cornwall, where she finds delicious date cake, a talented team and the courage to make a liberating decision
I’m excited on the first evening of my private retreat with The Nest when my host Moya Slade takes me to Porthtowan Beach. I watch a brilliant sun play on crashing surf, feel the insanely wild wind blowing away the cobwebs of travel, and realise again how deeply tired I feel. It’s the perfect time to start this retreat, and a pleasure to be shown soon afterwards into The Hyde, my home for the next three nights.
“Am I, I think, dreaming? I feel privileged to be attended to by what feels like three talented pixies, here to tend to my needs and gently guide me in the right direction”
A delightful log cabin set in its own little piece of woodland with distant views out to sea, this home away from home has its own outside deck with a table, various hammocks strewn across its small patch of woodland, and walkway down to a small but enchanting private garden. Gorgeously vibrant home-grown flowers grace the interior, their vibrant oranges, pinks and reds matching the colours of hardback novels, patterned mugs and the crockery used to serve me handmade snacks with tea. I know I’ll be ever so comfortable here, as Moya and I start to chat about what I want to get out of my retreat over our tea.
The Nest’s private Artist’s Awakening retreats are for any woman who wants to rev up their creativity, kickstart a new project, or carry something on. I’m here to have some quiet time for my poetry but also, I realise that first evening, to make a decision: do I say yes or no to a paid-for project that will take up quite a lot of my free time outside work?
I’ve filled in a detailed questionnaire before my arrival, and to help my process along, Moya and her team have devised a schedule: clifftop life coaching walks, qigong in the garden, a creativity workshop and Five Elements consultation, tea and chats on the beach, a paddle and a dip if I feel like it, and on the middle evening, a blissfully relaxing full body lymphatic massage. All these are supported by three nutritious and delicious meals each day, cooked and served by local chef Sian.
Moya gives me a smooth blank notebook and a Blackwing pencil and advises me to start writing Morning Pages, as soon as I wake the next day. She then leaves me in peace to enjoy a divine supper of beef ragu with broccoli, after which I read and fall asleep easily. Then next morning starts well, my matte pencil slipping easily across the page as I write whatever comes into my head by long hand for three pages – the number that, Moya has reminded me, Julia Cameron recommends in her book The Artist’s Way to clear the brain of its fog.
I do my own yoga practice in my sitting room, on a mat Moya has left for me, then she picks me up at 10am to take me out on a beautifully blowy clifftop walk, coaching me as we talk through my creative dilemma.
Filled with maternal concern and clearly caring of all her clients, Moya’s coaching method is to get you to tap into how you feel deep inside your heart and your gut, rather than to overthink things and force a decision. We stop periodically to look at the view, close our eyes and breathe deeply and mindfully for a short time. Every time I have an idea, she asks me: ‘How does that make you feel?’ It becomes clear that my bliss is my creative writing, and that I’m not giving that up for anything.
My process continues that afternoon with therapist Erin Hale, during a Five Elements consultation over tea on The Hyde’s large wide and cheerfully orange sofa. In her early 30s but clearly wise beyond her years and with a hugely grounding presence, Erin asks me questions to help me along, such as, where in my life do I need to assert or relax my power, or, in which way can I embrace more flexibility and openness to outcome?
Later we do qigong together to ‘get into the body’, and Erin teaches me some breathing exercises. We practise in the garden, which is leafy, full of ferns and about to erupt into flower – further down the valley there’s a rushing stream, an energising sound to move by. Much later, she treats me to gorgeously relaxing lymphatic drainage massage on a heated bed in the sitting room, which she and Moya have cleverly turned into a warm cocoon.
I sleep deeply, then late next morning Erin returns to lead me in some creative exercises to help me let go in my own work. I particularly love Blotted Line Drawing, done with a calligraphy pen and coloured ink in the sunny garden. After she has gone, I meditate and fall asleep into the sun, only to awake to Sian calling me in for a delicious Buddha Bowl for lunch, followed by a moreish homemade date cake. Am I, I think, dreaming? I feel privileged to be attended to by what feels like three talented pixies, here to tend to my needs and gently guide me in the right direction.
Throughout my stay, The Hyde delights me, with its comfy double bed, bright red coffee maker and milk throffer, strips of stain glass window above the doors, and artisan blue and white Portuguese tiles in the bathroom. The Nest also provide a rather smart navy-blue warm bobble hat and dry robe, which I take to wearing to the beach and out at the table in the mornings and evenings to keep me warm while I write and ponder.
On my last afternoon, Moya and I enjoy another cliff walk to finish things up, when I am now sure I’ll say no to the project work I’ve been offered. I feel light and free when we head to the beach, where Sian meets us with a picnic blanket, flask of hot tea and brownies and we paddle near the shoreline. I leave the next day energised by the Cornish air and this lovely group of women who’ve given me their time and energy so that I may emerge with a new lease of creative life.
