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Breathe deeply at a Somerset retreat
If Britain has a hippy heartland, it is Somerset, whose rolling hills, Georgian market towns and, erm, ley lines have been attracting free spirits since the Sixties. There’s Glastonbury, with white magic shops and raw food cafes stretching the festival vibe into a year-long phenomenon. And arty Burton, home to the astonishingly gorgeous new Hauser & Wirth gallery. Although Cornwall and Devon draw the tourist hoards, Somerset has become something of an insider’s secret for a different, quieter breed of traveller, seeking artistic inspiration, a health reboot or an emotional recharge. As a hub for yoga teachers, mindfulness gurus, raw food chefs, therapists and artists, Somerset has become the capital of the British wellness travel industry, and now a brand new boutique retreat centre in Somerset is about to up the game of the retreat business in Britain.
A beautifully converted former dairy farm near the arty enclave of Burton, 42 Acres is the brainchild of 33-year-old entrepreneur Lara Tabatznik, who spotted a gap in the market for a stylish retreat centre offering a dedicated programme of strictly curated retreats. Arriving at 42 Acres feels more like stepping into an impeccably styled boutique hotel like The Pig or Limewood, with a striking living room populated by vintage leather sofas, luxurious rugs and Kartell lighting. Bedrooms are similarly rustic-chic, with decadent cashmere throws over geometric-print bedclothes and hessian rugs.
It’s Alan Dolan’s breathwork workshop that has enticed me to 42 Acres, though; I’ve read rave testimonials by actors such as Naomie Harris, sportspeople like Paul Sampson, and mindfulness gurus like Jody Shield. Within wellness circles, ‘conscious breathing’ is garnering serious buzz, presented as a virtually idiot-proof mindfulness technique with the potential to banish anxiety, restore clarity and process deep-seated issues. I love yoga but have always been too restless for most meditation techniques. Yet under Dolan’s expert tutelage, I master this yawningly open-mouthed belly-breathing technique and finally “get” mindfulness; I emerge from each session feeling stress-free, with flashes of insight. Dolan normally runs sell-out courses at his own retreat centre in Lanzarote, so this is a rare (more affordable) opportunity in the UK.
While there’s no arguing with the quality of the decor and the menu – raw vegan deliciousness prepared by chef Mark Mabon – these extras aren’t the main draw of 42 Acres. It’s the quality and consistency of the retreats; all experts are personally vetted to ensure a hokum-free programme spanning yoga, cookery courses, bushcraft, mindfulness and personal development that will please the most wary of wellness-industry philistines. Relaxing just got a lot less stressful…