There is something deeply compelling
about places where stewardship
and nature are in right relationship.
Places where history is not erased, but honoured. Where growth is guided rather than forced.
Where the land is allowed to be land, and human life exists alongside it rather than over it.
These places carry a quiet coherence.
A sense that they are in right relationship with what they are -
having been given the time, space, and care to develop with integrity.
42 Acres
is such a place
A pilgrimage into presence, right relationship, and the sacred
June 4 - 10, 2027
Frome, Somerset
Set within 173 acres of Somerset countryside, 42 Acres has been shaped through ecological restoration, regenerative growing, thoughtful stewardship, and a sincere commitment to living in closer relationship with the natural world.
Beyond the beauty, there is a coherence to this place.
The values of the place are reflected in the way the land is tended, the food is grown and prepared, the buildings have been restored, and the spaces created for human life to exist alongside woodland, water, soil, and wildlife.
This is what drew us to gather here.
We do not know exactly what will unfold.
What we do know is that, again and again, when people, place, and attention meet, a deeper relationship becomes possible. Over time, we have learned to trust what becomes possible in places tended with this kind of care.
This is not simply a retreat.
It is a into presence,
right relationship and the sacred.
Templed is a six-night experience held within the
woodlands, meadows, waters and wide
skies of 42 Acres.
pilgrimage
Like the land itself, this retreat is not built around force, certainty, or predetermined outcomes.
It begins with a willingness to
The retreat takes its orientation from something already being practiced within this place: a willingness to work with rather than impose upon, and to consider what right relationship may require.
Right relationship with the natural world, with one another, with our own conscience and inner life, and with what each of us understands as sacred.
For one week, we will step outside the usual pace and demands of our lives and enter a more spacious way of being together. There will be periods of depth and periods of simplicity, time together and time alone, carefully guided experiences and open spaces in which nothing needs to be accomplished.
Intentional walking will be a central thread, alongside silence, solitude, time in nature, embodied and contemplative practices, shared inquiry, meaningful connection, and rest.
The retreat is not organized around one particular method, teaching, or spiritual framework, whether yoga, Yoga Nidra, or any other singular approach. Instead, Joanna and Tanis draw from a depth of experience across multiple modalities, weaving together the practices and experiences that feel most supportive for the group and the journey as it unfolds.
Our time will follow a clear and thoughtfully held arc while remaining responsive to the needs of the group and to what becomes apparent through our days together.
We will not arrive with predetermined answers about what each person should experience. Instead, we will create the conditions for a sincere encounter with what is present, what has been overlooked, where we may have moved out of relationship with what matters most, and with the truths we are now ready to meet.
listen
Modern life rarely gives us sustained time to listen.
Even our inner work can become crowded. We gather practices, teachings, methods, and explanations. We become focused on improving, resolving, expanding, or finding the next answer. At times, the search itself becomes another form of momentum.
We can become so accustomed to directing our inner lives that we lose contact with what is quietly asking for our attention.
Some things do not become clearer through greater effort. They become visible when there is enough time, enough stillness, and enough honesty to stop assuming that we already know the way forward.
Templed offers room for this.
Rather than pursuing a particular outcome or spiritual experience, we are interested in what becomes possible when there is enough space to listen. It is an invitation to loosen our need to direct every part of the inner journey—to pay attention before interpreting, to listen before deciding, and to allow what is true to become clearer without forcing it into a familiar story, teaching, or desired outcome.
Across six nights, we will explore what becomes possible when habitual momentum begins to settle.
the invitation
continue
What emerges from that slowing cannot be known in advance.
Part of the invitation is learning to trust the unfolding rather than arriving with predetermined conclusions.
You may become more aware of what is true, what remains unfinished, what has been carried for too long, or where your life has become divided or misaligned. You may begin to recognize what would support a more honest way of living, even when the next step is not yet fully known.
There may be insight. There may be rest. There may be grief, tenderness, clarity, joy, uncertainty, or a renewed sense of direction.
And sometimes, in the midst of all this, something unexpected emerges.
There is no experience you are required to have. The invitation is simply to become present enough to meet what is actually here.
Templed is intended for those who have already engaged in meaningful inner work and who feel ready to enter a retreat with maturity, openness, personal responsibility, and care.
It is a space for depth without force, for sincere inquiry without the demand for immediate conclusions, and for being accompanied while remaining sovereign within your own conscience and experience.
will you say yes?
How The Retreat Is Held
Every retreat is influenced by the people who gather, the environment in which they meet, and the season of life each person brings with them.
For this reason, our time together will be carefully structured without becoming rigid. Some practices and experiences will be prepared in advance, while others will be selected or adapted in response to what the group is genuinely meeting. This does not mean the retreat is without form. Rather, the structure remains spacious enough to serve the people who are actually present.
Joanna and Tanis will work together throughout the week to provide continuity, steadiness, and care. While we cannot know in advance exactly what will unfold, we have come to trust the conditions that support meaningful exploration, insight, connection, and growth.
The retreat may draw from meditation, contemplative silence, somatic and embodied inquiry, gentle movement, systemic and constellation work, reflective writing, intentional walking, time in nature, group conversation, and personal periods of rest and integration.
Some experiences will be inward and quiet. Others may bring us into relationship with the group, the natural environment, or the questions moving through our lives. Shared meals, fireside connection, solitude, conversation, and unstructured time are all considered part of the experience.
No one will be told what they must believe or what their experience is supposed to mean. Our role is not to impose an interpretation, direct anyone toward a predetermined outcome, or create dependence upon the facilitators. Rather, we offer thoughtful practices, context, care, and skilled accompaniment while respecting the discernment, boundaries, and sovereignty of each person who attends.
A fuller outline will be shared as the retreat approaches, while allowing the final shape of the week to remain responsive to the group and the conditions around us.
42 Acres
42 Acres is set within 173 acres of Somerset countryside, encompassing ancient woodland, rewilded meadows, winding pathways, gardens, and an expansive lake.
The land has been tended through a commitment to ecological restoration, regenerative growing, and a more respectful relationship between human life and the natural world. Wild spaces have been allowed to return, habitats are being restored, and food is grown in close relationship with the land and its seasons.
There is a quality of listening here rather than controlling, and that ethos carries through every layer of the experience. It can be felt in the way the buildings have been restored, the food is grown and prepared, the care given to woodland, water, soil, and wildlife, and in the warmth and sincerity of the people who steward the property.
42 Acres offers a rare combination of comfort and wildness. It gives us places to gather and places to withdraw, paths to wander, water to enter, fires to sit beside, and quiet corners where the experiences of the day can settle without needing to be explained.
The natural environment will be woven into our everyday experience. Throughout the week, we will spend time outdoors in ways both structured and unstructured, allowing the land to become part of the rhythm of the retreat.
Participants should arrive with enough physical readiness to walk comfortably over uneven natural terrain and to spend meaningful time outdoors in varied conditions.
Walking as Practice
Walking will be one of the central threads of Templed.
There is something that happens when we move through a landscape slowly, without needing to arrive quickly or turn the experience into an achievement. The pace of walking invites a different kind of attention—one that allows the body, mind, and environment to come back into relationship with one another.
At times, we will walk together. At other times, there may be space for solitude, reflection, conversation, or silence. Some walks will be gentle and close to the retreat centre. Others may be longer and more intentional.
Walking becomes a simple way of inhabiting the body, meeting the land as it is, and allowing the inner and outer journey to move alongside one another.
A Day in Glastonbury
During the retreat, one day will be set aside for an independent visit to Glastonbury.
For centuries, people have travelled to Glastonbury carrying different beliefs, questions, and understandings of what the place means. It has been shaped by pilgrimage, Christian devotion, myth, legend, and spiritual seeking, leaving behind a rich and layered history that continues to draw visitors from around the world.
Rather than guiding a shared group experience, we have chosen to leave this day open for personal exploration.
You may wish to visit places of historical or spiritual significance, walk the surrounding landscape, spend time in reflection, explore the town itself, or simply follow your own curiosity. Some may choose to spend the day with fellow participants, while others may prefer to wander independently.
How you meet Glastonbury will remain your own.
Group transportation to and from Glastonbury is included, and a boxed lunch will be provided for the day. Practical information and suggested places to visit will be shared beforehand. Personal purchases and additional refreshments during the visit are not included.
ACCOMODATIONS
The accommodation at 42 Acres reflects the same care and thoughtfulness that can be felt throughout the land itself.
Rooms are held within beautifully restored buildings where simplicity, comfort, and ecological awareness meet. Natural materials, soft linens, considered details, and uncluttered interiors create spaces that feel calm, restorative, and easy to settle into.
Each room has its own character. Some offer private ensuite bathrooms, while others have private bathrooms immediately outside the room or share facilities with a small number of neighbouring rooms. Across all categories, the overall standard remains consistently high, with each space designed to support rest, reflection, and ease.
Many of the buildings also include shared sitting rooms and quiet communal spaces, offering additional places to read, write, connect with others, or simply watch the landscape unfold beyond the window.
Many rooms are available for single occupancy, allowing additional space for privacy and integration. Several rooms can also accommodate couples, friends, or participants who feel comfortable sharing.
When applying, you will be invited to select your preferred accommodation category. Specific room placements will be allocated closer to the retreat, taking into account accessibility, personal needs, room configuration, and the group as a whole.
Option A - £3,195
Private rooms offering the highest level of privacy and comfort. Rooms include either an ensuite bathroom or a private bathroom located immediately outside the room. Most feature king beds and are well suited to single occupancy or couples. (shared occupancy - £2,795/pp)
Option B - £2,995
Private rooms offering a balance of privacy, comfort, and ease. Bathrooms are either private or shared with one other room. Some rooms feature double or king beds for single occupancy, while others can be arranged as twin rooms. (shared occupancy - £2,595/pp)
Option c - £2,695
Comfortable private rooms with a mixture of king, twin, and large single bed configurations. Bathrooms are shared between two or three rooms. (shared occupancy £2,295/00)
lux dorm - £2,295
A thoughtfully designed shared room containing three individually divided sleeping areas. Partial walls create a sense of privacy while maintaining the communal nature of the space. The dorm has its own ensuite bathroom, shared only by the three participants staying there.
tiny boat - £2,595
The Tiny Boat offers a more unconventional stay for those who feel at home close to the water and natural environment. It rests on its own private mooring and includes a compact kitchen, cosy sleeping and sitting area, and a private deck extending over the lake. It is especially beautiful at dawn and dusk, when the surrounding water and wildlife become more active.
Bathroom facilities are outdoors and include a private composting toilet and open-air shower. This accommodation is best suited to those who enjoy simplicity and feel drawn to a more nature-immersed experience. The Tiny Boat contains one bed and can accommodate one person or a couple. (shared occupancy - £2,595 / pp)
NOURISHMENT
Food at 42 Acres is an integral part of the retreat experience.
Much of what is served is grown, foraged, or wild-tended on the property, with additional ingredients sourced as locally and responsibly as possible. The kitchen follows a soil-to-gut approach, creating meals that are seasonal, nourishing, and rooted in what the land is able to provide.
Menus are guided by the time of year rather than a fixed formula. The result is food that feels fresh, generous, grounding, and deeply connected to place.
Meals are prepared with care by the kitchen and land teams, whose relationship with the soil, plants, seasons, and wider ecosystem is reflected in what arrives at the table. Nourishment is not treated as an afterthought here, but as an integral part of how the retreat is held.
Throughout the week, meals offer opportunities to gather, connect, absorb the experiences of the day, and enjoy the simple pleasure of being fed well.
One evening, we will share a fire-cooked meal beneath the trees. Food, flame, forest, and conversation will come together in a slower, more elemental way—a memorable part of the week and a beautiful expression of the ethos of 42 Acres.
Dietary information will be gathered through the participant intake process. We will do our best to accommodate allergies and dietary requirements within the capacities of the kitchen.
WHAT TO EXPECT
A typical day may begin in silence, with meditation, gentle movement, or a quiet inward practice before breakfast. Morning and afternoon sessions will offer a combination of guided experience, time outdoors, group exploration, and personal reflection.
There will also be space to enjoy the land and facilities at 42 Acres, including forest and meadow pathways, the lake and wild swimming areas, the wood-fired sauna, gardens, fireside gathering spaces, and personal time for rest, writing, or reflection.
Some evenings may include a facilitated session or shared conversation, while others remain open and quiet. Not every part of the day will be filled. The unstructured spaces are intentional, allowing time for rest, digestion, ordinary conversation, solitude, and whatever may need room to settle.
A fuller schedule will be provided before arrival. The exact shape of the week may shift according to the weather, the needs of the group, and what emerges through our time together.
Dates: June 4–10, 2027
Location: 42 Acres, Frome, Somerset
Arrival: From 4:00 p.m. on June 4
Room Checkout: 10:00 a.m. on June 10
Retreat Completion: 12:00 p.m. on June 10
- Six nights accommodation
- All meals served at 42 Acres during the retreat
- Group transportation to and from Glastonbury
- Retreat facilitation and guided practices
- Guest teaching or specialist facilitation, where applicable
- Lake swimming areas, pathways, and retreat facilities
- Access to the wood-fired sauna during scheduled retreat access times. Additional sauna sessions may be booked separately through 42 Acres
- Travel to and from 42 Acres
- Flights and train travel
- Personal travel insurance
- Refreshments and personal purchases during the Glastonbury visit
- Optional treatments or additional services booked directly through the venue
Participants are responsible for arranging their own travel insurance, including coverage for cancellation, illness, travel disruption, and participation in retreat activities.
retreat details
INCLUDED
Not included
GETTING THERE
42 Acres is tucked into the Somerset countryside, offering a genuine sense of seclusion while remaining surprisingly accessible from both London and Bristol.
Most international travellers will arrive via London, taking a train to Frome followed by a short taxi ride to the retreat centre. The train journey is approximately 1.5 hours, with the final taxi journey taking around 20 minutes.
Those arriving via Bristol can travel by train to Frome in approximately one hour, followed by the same 20-minute taxi ride to 42 Acres.
All travel to and from the retreat centre is arranged at the participant's own expense.
Closer to the retreat, we will provide detailed arrival information, including directions to the appropriate entrance and accommodation area. We will also open a private participant group where retreat attendees can connect, coordinate shared taxis, and discuss travel plans.
A list of trusted local taxi providers will be shared in advance, and pre-booking is strongly encouraged.
MEET YOUR
Templed is held by Tanis and Joanna, whose distinct backgrounds, perspectives, and gifts come together to create a retreat experience that is both grounded and responsive.
Together, they bring years of experience in facilitation, somatic and contemplative practice, group process, and personal transformation. While their approaches are different, they share a commitment to listening deeply, honouring individual sovereignty, and creating environments where meaningful exploration can unfold without force.
Their work is united by a belief that wisdom is not something that can be imposed from the outside, but something that emerges through relationship—with ourselves, with one another, and with life itself.
Tanis brings many years of experience in contemplative practice, somatic inquiry, retreat facilitation, and spiritual exploration. Her work is grounded in careful attention, deep listening, and a profound respect for the complexity of human experience.
She has a gift for creating environments where people can slow down, become more present to themselves, and meet what is arising without being rushed toward resolution. Her facilitation is marked by steadiness, discernment, and an ability to remain with important questions long enough for deeper understanding to emerge.
Tanis is particularly interested in the relationship between inner recognition and everyday life. She invites participants into a more honest and direct encounter with themselves, while honouring the conscience, sovereignty, and unique path of each individual.
Joanna brings a rare combination of embodied wisdom, relational insight, and a deep sensitivity to the patterns and dynamics shaping human experience. With a background in spiritual bodywork, somatic healing, systemic constellation work, and mentorship, she supports people in recognizing the relationships, stories, and unseen influences that may become more visible through the retreat process.
Known for her steadiness, presence, and ability to perceive what often sits beneath the surface, Joanna helps participants access clarity through direct experience rather than analysis alone. Her work is rooted in the body and guided by a respect for each person's natural pace, knowing that meaningful change unfolds through awareness, relationship, and integration.
Alongside her facilitation, Joanna has a gift for bringing ideas into form, creating environments where people, places, and possibilities meet, and where meaningful experiences can unfold.
guides
TANIS & JoANNA
tanis fishman
joanna haines
APPLICATION & PARTICIPATION
Templed is intended for those who feel called to step away from the momentum of everyday life and enter a more intentional period of reflection, inquiry, and exploration.
It is required that participants will have previous experience with personal growth, contemplative practice, therapeutic work, spiritual exploration, or other forms of meaningful self-inquiry. More important than any particular background is a willingness to engage honestly, take responsibility for your own experience, and participate with openness, curiosity, and respect for others.
Because the quality of the group is an important part of the retreat experience, all participants are asked to complete an application before registering.
The application is not intended to create exclusivity. It is simply a way for us to understand who is coming, what is drawing them to the retreat, and whether Templed feels like a supportive and appropriate fit at this particular time.
In some cases, we may arrange a brief conversation before confirming a place.
Our intention is to gather a group capable of engaging with sincerity, personal responsibility, mutual respect, and care for the shared experience.