Village 1 Family-Friendly Retreat 2025

Thursday 31 July 2025 to Wednesday 6 August 2025
Price: 
£60.00
If this person is a Triratna Order member you can put their Order name here.
E.g., 22/12/2024
Please see our FAQs for further information about being well enough to come on retreat. This includes a comprehensive document covering general health issues, physical limitations and/or disabilities, emotional distress, mental health issues, involvement with services, addiction and infectious diseases. Then, if you have things you would like us to be aware of, you can note them here and/or contact us via the methods described in the document.

 

Led by: The village team
Location: Frog Mill, nr. Throwleigh in Devon
Experience level: Open to all
Age Group: Adults and children over the age of 7
Deposit: £60 adult, £15 child
Total suggested costs (including deposit): 
Adults & 17 year olds: £134 (donation tier)/ £140/ (high waged)/ £100 (low waged)/ £70 (no wage)
Child (13-16): £59 (high waged)/ £42 (low waged)/ £32 (no wage)
Child (7-12): £43 (high waged)/ £28 (low waged)/ £23(no wage)
(see our FAQ for an explanation of the deposit/ dana system) 
Car pass: £15
Live in vehicle – large (6m+): £30
Live in vehicle – small (6m & under): £30

 

Come and build a village! This is a working retreat that establishes the layout of structures and the beating heart of communal living on Frog Mill ahead of the Village 2 Family Friendly Retreat. 

We will gather daily to meditate and have simple dharmic input. Over the retreat, we build connections with each other in small groups and the land through physical work. We explore how to relax and stay open in the midst of activity and have time to simply unfold into the land.

 

Food 
This is a catered event. Urns and tea-making facilities will be available all day. Please plan to bring your own mugs. We will provide other crockery and plenty of hot soapy water for washing up. 

We can offer a restricted range of food to support medical dietary needs. The full list of food we will offer during a retreat (not at every meal) is here. Unfortunately, we may not be able to cater for all complex needs due to restrictions on our resources and the unique challenges of cooking for an outdoor retreat with no refrigeration and limited storage. 

It is tricky to be on retreat or working in a field with dietary restrictions, and this can create a level of understandable stress. However, please check the list, plan to bring your supplies if the items on there are not enough and check with us via our contact form if you are unsure. We'd like to ask that any food you need to bring for yourself and plan to eat in public areas is vegan. If you need anything outside of this, please cater for yourself discreetly and outside of public areas. If this creates a big barrier for you, we welcome conversation around it via our contact form. We understand that feeding children in this environment can create some difficulties, and you may need to bring and provide food you know your child will eat. We ask that if you do need to do your own cooking and/or supplement with snacks, that you do this away from the main public area and out of sight; otherwise it can create a cascade effect with the other children wanting things that their parents have not brought

The kitchen team on site cannot make changes or offer anything outside of the given parameters. 

We cannot cater for last-minute changes or any preferences outside of medical needs. If you can eat the general food, then please do so to reduce strain on the kitchen team.

Please note that most meals are gluten-free so apart from a few exceptions, anyone who follows this kind of diet will be able to eat the main meals. Ingredients of each meal are provided in the servery so you can check at each sitting if you can have the food. 

 

Retreat Conditions
The retreat will be closed therefore we ask that you come for the whole time and plan not to move your vehicle after arrival until the departure day. We ask everyone to stay on site the whole time during the retreat. We have support if you need essential items during this time. 

 

Vehicles
We must look after our precious land and soil structure when it comes to vehicle capacity and movement. Therefore please note the following: 

  • If you are bringing a vehicle to a retreat and it is staying onsite, you need to buy the relevant vehicle pass. This helps us to manage the number of vehicles. Please do not bring a vehicle if the relevant pass is sold out. 
  • Please plan to arrive before dark so you can be parked correctly and consciously. We will be closing the gate at dark on arrival and will not allow further access until the next day. 
  • Please liftshare, where possible, or use public transport. We offer pick ups from Whiddon Down bus stop at The Post Inn for this retreat.

 

FAQs

  • We have an extensive Retreat FAQ page here. Please read this thoroughly - especially the questions specific to Village -  and, if you have a question that isn’t answered, get in touch.
  • Further information -  including directions - will be sent out a couple of weeks before the retreat. Pick ups for this retreat are offered from The Post Inn bus stop in Whiddon Down.