Within a stone’s throw of Brimham Rocks there’s a newly-created oasis of calm and quiet reflection.
The community herb and vegetable garden at the Acorn Wellness Retreat in Hartwith, has been designed to add to its holistic, healing approach and aim of improving people’s health and wellbeing with a diet of wholesome food.
As well as providing a ready supply of fresh produce used as ingredients in nutrition-rich dishes for guests, a weekly harvest of the herbs and vegetables is being shared with the neighbouring community.
A harvest for health – Acorn Wellness Retreat owner Katie Kavanagh is sharing the goodness of the garden with the neighbouring community
Acorn’s owner Katie Kavanagh, who opened the not-for-profit enterprise in 2017, told the Stray Ferret:
“We have people who come here for recovery, rest, retreat and sanctuary, often after treatment for serious illnesses such as cancer.”
She added:
“We also have a surrounding community of friends and neighbours and through sharing the items grown in the garden, we hope to be able to give something back to them.”
The new facility, created from sustainable materials by Ben Green of Springer Land & Property Services, includes a hazel bower, raised planters and seating areas.
The newly-opened garden at Acorn Wellness Retreat
To mark the opening, Acorn’s Helen O’Connor, a psychologist and forest bathing therapist, led a mindfulness session after attendees received a posy of freshly-picked herbs grown in the garden.
She asked the retreat’s friends, neighbours and her colleagues, to join with her in enjoying the peace of the new area by listening to the birdsong and attuning themselves to the natural rhythms of the countryside setting.
Ms. Kavanagh pointed out:
“We have planted a seed that will grow and thrive, while providing another means for enabling us to be at one with the natural environment and the healing qualities that this offers.”
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Four wellness retreats in the Harrogate district to re-energise mind, body and soul
January can be a pretty depressing month.
Our finances have usually taken a hit thanks to Christmas, we feel run-down due to the impact the festive season has had on our nutrition and sleep and the cold, gloomy days don’t help either.
Add to that the effect the pandemic has, and continues to have, on our mental health, it comes as no surprise some of us just want to lie down in a dark room and hibernate until spring.
If the past year has been a slog, these breaks focusing on nutrition, yoga and mindfulness in the Harrogate district can help restore balance, health and creativity.
Switch off at the Acorn Wellness Retreat, Brimham Rocks Road, Hartwith
With stunning views of the rolling fields of Nidderdale, this calming boutique retreat at Hartwith has a not-for-profit business ethos and uses its funds to support cancer patients. If you want to step away from the real world and completely switch off, Acorn Wellness offers a number of retreats and pop-up events. All the guests have use of the sauna and steam room and can book massages. Healing Day Retreats run regularly – including one on January 26 – and include yoga, visualisations and gong baths, as well as use of the spa. If you’re looking to escape for a few days this month, a Heart and Soul Weekend Retreat is taking place on January 29 and 30. The retreat includes a combination of yoga-nidra, somatic meditation, mindfulness, sound healing with gongs, a cacao ceremony and nourishing vegan food and is priced from £280.
Jules Cooper and Trish Nugent, who will be leading the retreat, said:
“We endeavour to give you the right balance between activity and rest so that your body is able to release tension, giving you the space to discover lightness of mind, your deep intentions and your true spirit for 2022.”
Rejuvunate at the Yorkshire Centre for Wellbeing, Duchy Road, Harrogate
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Escape from modern life at Swinton Bivouac, Masham
If you are craving somewhere away from the beaten path, the two-night wellness retreat at Swinton Bivouac could be just the ticket. Guests can completely unplug and unwind, and find space to clear the mind in an off-grid tree lodge. There is chance to relax, recuperate and recharge with a hosted programme that combines sound baths, forest baths – which are mindfulness forest walks – and reiki drumming around the campfire. This retreat is perfect if, like most of us, you are suffering from low levels of energy, or feeling anxious or stressed, and spending too much time on your screen at too fast a pace of life. The retreat also includes complimentary access to the spa at Swinton Country Club and Spa. The package cost is £375 per person, based on two sharing a tree lodge and takes place from June 26 to 28 and September 25 to 27.
Workout with a celebrity personal trainer at Grantley Hall, Ripon
Ok so this one definitely isn’t cheap. But it is at luxury hotel Grantley Hall, the playground of the rich and famous, so it’s to be expected. This is a brand new retreat that is being launched at Grantley by Pillar and features sessions with a celebrity personal trainer alongside Michelin star-quality food. It also includes a four-night stay in a deluxe room at the hotel. Taking place from January 24 to 28, the retreat costs £3,350 based on two adults sharing a room or £4,910 for single occupancy and offers a variety of activities, aimed at targeting both physical and mental health. A gut health-specific workshop with Joey O’Hare, who was a 2015 Masterchef finals contestant will also take place and there will also be a personal concierge service. It is the first retreat in the UK to be launched by Pillar, which is led by personal trainer Harry Jameson, who was hired to help Prime Minister Boris Johnson lose weight.
