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Lake District Weekend Retreats

Camping retreat weekends with Yoga, Nature, Music, Meditation & more (£140-180 per person)

Our relaxed, friendly & welcoming retreat weekends in the Lake District are the place to move your body with yoga, qigong & more. Relax & unwind your mind with meditation & mindfulness. Make memories, music & art as you meet new & old friends around the campfire. All with the power of nature in a beautiful private woodland campsite next to the river. It’s a powerful combination and you are invited.

Our retreat weekends are all unique with YinYan founder Robin Ellis, his faithful hound Carter and special guest teachers. Everybody helps to make the weekend run smoothly, that’s why they are such good value – because when everyone works together the community gets stronger. Let’s get together & feel good!

Communal Retreats – what’s that?

From 2026 we’re doing our weekends on a communal, co-operative basis, where everyone helps out & everyone has a say on what we do with the profit. this helps us to keep the costs down for the people we care about – you!

Either pay £140 per person to self cater, with no lunch & dinners provided – or pay £180pp for lunch & dinners included.

Everyone will be allocated a job which will take a couple of hours – arriving early to help to set up (& pack down) communal tents/parachute, or helping with a lunch or tea (dinner if you prefer!) Teachers will be helping out like everyone else, but they’ll also be paid a fair rate for their wonderful classes.

It means the weekend is less of a business arrangement, more of a group of people getting together to co-operate, share, feel good & do good.

12 people is the minimum – everything will be paid for but there won’t be much left over. If 25 people come (the max) we’ll have nearly £1000 left and everyone gets a say on what to do with it.

YinYan Wellbeing CIC is a Community Interest Company, classed as not-for-profit business because 100% of our profits have to go towards improving people’s health & happiness – we like the fact that you can help yourself with our weekends, and we can help others at the same time.

Fri 23rd/Sat 24th to Mon 26th May – Bank Holiday Weekend Retreat

It’s a bank holiday special so you can really relax and unwind without having to worry about work on Monday! As with all our weekends there will be a wide range of ways to put a big smile on your face with loads of classes & activities all included, plus space to unwind and do your own thing as needed – past guest Sally Richardson/Lush Lunar will be teaching some of these including yoga, meditation, energy work, circles & ceremony. Bliss.

Arrive in plenty of time to set up before ready for the group welcome at 4pm on Saturday 23rd May, then departures after lunch & pack up on Monday 25th May. You can arrive Friday 22nd May and stay the extra night if you help with some little camp jobs.

Thu 25th/Fri 26th to Sun 28th June 2026 – Summer Weekend Retreat

Join us as we celebrate the long (hopefully sun-drenched!) days of summer by getting together to stretch, strengthen, move, sing, laugh, connect and feel really, really good! We’ve got a wonderful weekend off wellbeing planned – another familiar face, Annabelle (& her delightful terrier Nora) will be teaching yoga that empowers you to heal moving as gently or strongly as suits you, plus the usual qi gong, creativity, and more. We can’t wait!

You should arrive in plenty of time to get set up & ready for the group welcome at 4.30pm on Friday 26th June, then departures after lunch & packing up on Sunday 28th June. You can arrive Thursday 25th June and stay the extra night if you help with some little set up jobs.

For bookings & enquiries contact us [email protected] / call Robin on 07912 031543.

Our stunning Lake District venue

A beautiful meadow where birds sing nestled in a little valley, wild flowers carpet the woodland and we camp beside the river. Our ‘Big Top’ parachute canopy provides open sided weather protection all weekend, plus there’s a yurt. There’s portable toilets, a hot shower, sink with hot water & kitchen cabin with fridges, kettles, toaster & microwave, plus there’s campfires & a large gas BBQ to cook on.

Springwood campsite is just outside the village of Grayrigg, under 2 hours drive from Liverpool/Manchester. 15 minute taxi from Oxenholme station (direct trains from London Euston in 3 hours).

Yoga, Meditation, QiGong, Nature & more

Each weekend includes 3 yoga classes (60-90 mins each) with a balance between Yang (strong, flowing movements) and Yin (relaxing, meditative stretches) energy, with Hatha, Vinyasa & Yin. These weekends are suitable if you have never done yoga before – we are very serious about giving beginners the best possible start on their journey to improved health & happiness – and there will be plenty of opportunities for experienced yogis to challenge themselves and learn new things.

Plus you can experience guided meditations for deep relaxation, forest bathing, a QiGong taster session in the woods, optional wild swimming, ukulele crash courses and more – every weekend is different and has a special guest teacher.

Creativity

We believe creativity is a powerful way to feel good, and you’ll experience it on our retreats. There’s always some music and/or arts & crafts on our weekends in a friendly & fun environment for beginners so the magic can happen!

Every retreat weekend includes music round the campfire so please bring your instrument if you have one (we’ll have some spare ukuleles) and anyone is welcome to share a poem, story, joke or whatever. As with all our classes & activities, you can join in with as little or as much as you like.

Food & drink – self cater or join the communal camp kitchen?

New this year – we’ll still be providing unlimited brews & breakfasts, but now you can either sort your own lunches and dinners (pay just £140pp for the weekend ticket), or join the communal camping kitchen for an extra £40 per person (£180pp for the weekend ticket).

If you have any allergy or dietary requirements let us know when you’re booking and we can advise accordingly – including yes/no to meat, dairy, gluten and anything else.

3 weeks before the retreat we will put everyone in a team and allocate a meal – we’ve got two lunches and two dinners over the weekend. We’ll share ideas about what meals can be provided when you get put into teams – options include bringing a ready prepared meal like soup or chilli, doing a BBQ, sandwiches or whatever!

Cooking facilities onsite include:

  • Two camp fires with grills – one will be allocated for meat, the other will be veggie
  • A gas BBQ with a large grill, burner & lid (can even be used to cook pizzas, amongst other things)
  • Microwave, kettle & toaster in the camp kitchen
  • BBQ tools and basic cooking utensils

Bring your own camping stoves but these should not be used directly on the grass, but on a table, otherwise they leave scorch marks that take months to heal.

We have 3 below counter fridges in the kitchen cabin, which are for everyone to share – please bear this in mind when deciding what to bring.

Please bring your own camping mug, plate, bowl & cutlery (there’s a sink to wash up).

Fresh fruit, porridge, muesli and toast will be available to help yourself at breakfast, bring anything else you’d like in terms of a alternative breakfasts/extra snacks. A range of tea & coffee is also provided because unlimited brews might just be the cornerstone of a civilised society.

We don’t sell/provide alcohol but you’re welcome to bring if you like (within reason) – the emphasis of our weekends is having fun, we’re here to have a good time together not judge anyone.

Fire Pits

The communal fire pits are the beating heart of our retreat – it’s where we come together to bond, share stories, make music & memories…please bring your instrument if you have one – anything & everything welcome, and everyone gets their own kazoo.

A fire will always be burning so you can have a brew and warm your cockles anytime – and Carter the hound is always up for a cuddle! We can’t wait to be laughing & singing together under the stars – it’s so good for your soul.

Camping – bring your own or ‘Rent-a-Tent’

We have exclusive use of the private campground & woodland at Spring Wood. It’s a lovely level, grassed meadow with plenty of stunning places to pitch a tent right next to the river.

The yurts are not available to book this year but there’s the option of renting a tent for the weekend – this is a great option if you don’t usually camp/it’s your first time, because a lovely tent will be all set up ready for you with a camping airbed (you just need to bring a warm sleeping bag & pillow). Unless otherwise agreed your tent will be for one person – technically it’s a 2 person tent, but in reality it’s perfect for 1 with their stuff.

Parking & Campervans

Parking is available and we will direct you on arrival. To minimise our carbon footprint please car-share where possible, or consider public transport – Oxenholme train station is just 15 mins in a taxi. You can’t drive onto the meadow but you only have to carry your things about 100m and trolleys are available. 

We can accommodate a limited number of campervans – although please note that due to a narrow gate these must NOT exceed transit sized vans (motorhomes are out, sorry). Please let us know if you’re bringing a campervan when booking.

Hazards, Dogs & Children

Carter (Robin’s hound & YinYan’s official head of wellbeing) will be there and we are proud to be a dog-friendly yoga retreat! If you would like to bring your dog please let Robin know in advance on [email protected] N.B. dogs MUST be kept on lead at all times, this is not negotiable and is a requirement of the venue owners who have chickens & livestock roaming freely. 

Happy to discuss if you want to bring children especially as we’ve had great success with parent(s) & children (especially teenagers) enjoying our weekends together, contact us email [email protected] / call Robin on 07912 031543 to discuss before booking.

The venue includes a rocky river & working woodland – there are ditches, slopes, barbed wire & electric fences so please watch your step & sturdy shoes/wellies are recommended if the ground is wet. 

Bookings, payments & cancellations

To book you can click the payment links below for the retreat & food option of your choice PLEASE INCLUDE YOUR NAME & EMAIL on the payment, email [email protected] or call Robin on 07912 031543.

All prices include VAT. If we cancel the event for any reason you get the option of an alternative/rescheduled retreat at no extra cost or you can choose a full refund. If we do not have sufficient bookings to run a retreat then we will advise those that have booked at least 21 days in advance, offering a full refund or an alternative weekend.

If you cancel 21+ days in advance you can choose an alternative retreat at no extra cost (subject to availability), or get a refund less cancellation charge of £75 per Weekend Pass & £45 per Rent-a-Tent (which we will waive/reduce if we get someone else to take your place).

If you cancel less than 21 days before the retreat your payment is non-refundable (unless we find someone to take your place, in which case we will refund you minus our costs or transfer you to an alternative weekend).

To book or make an enquiry please contact us email [email protected] / call Robin on 07912 031543.

Packing List
  • Tent & bed/sleeping mat (unless you’re renting)
  • Sleeping bag & pillow/cushion, the nights can be chilly and an extra blanket is great for the meditations & keeping cosy around the fire pits 
  • Water bottle
  • Yoga mat & block – if you need to borrow/buy a mat let us know
  • Camping mug, plate, bowl & cutlery
  • Food for 2 lunches & 2 dinners
  • Snacks, drinks & anything else you want 
  • Toiletries
  • Footwear – wellies/boots/sturdy trainers (it might be muddy), bring a pair of old trainers to use in the river if you’re planning on getting wet as it is rocky & uneven
  • Clothes – hope for the best but prepare for the worst with a waterproof jacket, fleece/warm jumpers, plenty of layers, spare socks etc. & bring clothes you can move freely in for yoga
  • Towel & swimming costume (optional)
  • Headtorch / light for your tent
  • Hat & scarf
  • Sun hat, sunscreen & sun glasses – we live in hope!
  • Phone/camera/battery pack – useful to keep your phone charged so you can take lots of photos/videos, although there is a plug if you need a battery boost
  • If you play an instrument please bring it for the camp fire sing-song!
  • Camping chair (optional – there are benches & logs to sit on too)
  • Carrier bags – great for wet clothes & refuse…please take everything with you & leave no trace!

Friendly & welcoming Lake District yoga retreats

Check out our past retreats:

***SOLD OUT***27-29th May 2022 – Yoga, Nature & Music Retreat

2nd-5th June 2022 – Yin & Yang Bank Holiday Retreat

***SOLD OUT***17-19th June 2022 – Earth, Water & Light: Women’s Retreat

***2 SPACES AFTER LATE CANCELLATION***1st-3rd July 2022 – Yoga & Ukuleles Feel Good Weekend

***SOLD OUT***2nd-4th September 2022 – End of Summer Yoga & Dance Party

***SOLD OUT***Mindfulness & Nature Wellness Retreat, Lake District, 29th-31st May 2021

***SOLD OUT***Ukuleles & Yoga Wellness Retreat, Lake District, 4-6th June 2021

***SOLD OUT***Glow with the Flow Wellness Retreat, Lake District, 2-4th July 2021

***SOLD OUT*** Yoga & Nature Wellness Retreat, Lake District, 9-11th July 2021

***SOLD OUT*** Yoga for Self-Care & Resilience, Lake District, 13-15th August 2021

***SOLD OUT*** Yoga, Creativity & Nature Retreat, Lake District, 3rd – 5th Sept 2021

 

The best weekend of my life - just fantastic!

Dave

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