Thoughtful gifts for writers and book lovers

Gift your loved one something extra special this year and show you’ve really thought about what they enjoy.

Whether it’s reading, writing or quiet time to think, all of our top picks for Christmas gifts are experiences not things. (Except the book gift of course, but few things are more meaningful than a book handpicked just for you).

And if you’re the writer or book lover, please do forward this blog as helpful hint…

Gift voucher for a reading or writing retreat, from £25

Writer and book-lover Jenny on one of our reading retreats Tom Milner Photography

We offer all sorts of experiences for writers and book lovers, from guided small group retreats, to independent reading retreats and personalised stays for readers, writers, researchers and artists of all kinds year-round.

Our gift vouchers cover all of the above, so if you’re not sure which retreat your loved one would enjoy, or when they’d be available to visit, a gift voucher gives them the flexibility to choose themselves.

The recipient can even use it to treat themselves to extras they can enjoy during their stay, including breakfast hampers, flowers from our cutting garden and other lovely treats.

You can buy your gift voucher here.

A Creative Day, £55 per day or £200 for four

An illustrator spends the day in our Lucy cabin Esther Sketches

Whether your loved one wants to write, start a new project or just read a book in peace, our Creative Days offer a mini retreat experience. A great choice for anyone who could do with a little reset or is not able to stay overnight.

They’ll get their own cabin, complete with tea, biscuits and their choice of milk. And for lunch, we’re right next to Great Park Farm shop - known locally for its amazing cake. We’re also within strolling distance of Powdermill Woods, ideal for a restorative nature walk that’s bound to get those creative ideas flowing.

Good to know: We’re less than 90 minutes by train from London via train, so a day trip is definitely doable from the capital.

A hand-picked book, £20

If you know your bookish beloved is visiting us (or you’ve brought them a Creative Day, retreat or stay) treat them to our bespoke book service.

We’ll take care of everything… first, we’ll send them a questionnaire from Ian, who runs our local Indie bookshop Rother Books, and he’ll pick them out something special according to their preferences.

Then we’ll pick it up, and have it beautifully wrapped and waiting on their reading chair in the cabin. Along with a decadent bar of Rye Chocolate. A book lover’s dream!

Simply email us to order.

Deposit for a 4-night writing retreat, £225

Our three cabins in the meadow, all set for our small group retreats

If your loved one has said they’d like to come on a writing retreat next year, you can secure their place with a 30% deposit (the rest of the balance won’t be due until six weeks before the retreat start date).

As well as dedicated time to write and work on a project that’s important to them, they’ll get one-to-one support from one of our experienced coaches and lots of lovely extras.

In addition to our all-interest retreats, we also offer themed retreats, from travel writing and nature writing to playwriting and witchcraft in fiction. You’ll find all the dates and details here.

So many writers who come on retreats tell us they struggle with giving themselves permission to write - there’s always something ‘more important’. So more than financial support, your gift says ‘you are a writer and you can make time for it.’

Email us to book, stating retreat and cabin preference.

Virginia Woolf reading retreat, £430 £395 (introductory price until Virginia Woolf’s birthday on January 25)

Inside our Lucy cabin, inspired by the Bloomsbury Group Tom Milner Photography

For a literature lover, this one-of-a-kind retreat is pure bibliotherapy.

As well as cabin all of their very own for the weekend, they’ll get a Bloomsbury-themed book picked just for them and Virginia Woolf’s favourite snack, luxury dark chocolate, to enjoy as they settle into the reading nook in our 1920s-themed cabin, Lucy. Oh, and a late check-out to maximise reading time.

If they feel in the mood to explore, they can visit some of the Bloomsbury-related sites near us, from Virginia Woolf’s Monk’s House to Sissinghurst, where Virginia’s friend and lover Vita Sackville-West had a writing tower overlooking her spectacular garden.

And they’ll want to make a pilgrimage to Charleston farmhouse, home to Virginia’s sister Vanessa Bell and fellow artist Duncan Grant. The house epitomises the creativity and aesthetic of the Bloomsbury Group, and much of their distinctive modernist painting and handcrafted decor is still on display today.

To book, email us with your preferred dates. (This retreat can be enjoyed any weekend our Lucy cabin is available).