A gong bath at Wonderful Escapes retreat, Abergavenny

Happy new you! 10 of the best UK wellbeing retreats for 2025

Get the year off to a positive start by booking a restorative break. We pick the best wellness retreats, with yoga, swimming, walking and more in pretty settings from the Highlands to Essex

Mountain retreat, Monmouthshire

At the foot of Skirrid Mountain near Abergavenny, Wonderful Escapes is a converted 16th-century farm that now welcomes guests for wellbeing breaks. Besides hosting longer events – from yoga weekends to men’s leadership retreats – you can tailor your own stay by booking in for dinner, bed and breakfast and using on-site facilities, from a swimming pond to a sauna. There’s an on-site masseur, and activities including private yoga classes and foraging can be arranged, plus there are wonderful walks on the doorstep.
Dinner, bed and breakfast from £139 per person midweek, retreat prices vary, wonderfulescapes.co.uk

Women’s spring rewilding retreat, Devon

Wild Joy founder Emily Graves designs retreats that encourage participants to slow down and reconnect with nature. The new Women’s Spring Rewilding Retreat takes place on 1,000-acre Moorbarton Rewilding in Dartmoor national park. It’s a chance to live off-grid, with days filled with yoga and movement, meditation, journalling, creative writing and hiking – plus there’s a tour and talk on the reintroduction of beavers here. Expect full nature immersion – everyone camps (bring your own tent), with cooking over the fire, bathing in the stream and wood-fired saunas beneath the trees.
25-29 April, £425 for five days, with all food and activities, wildjoy.life

Wellbeing on the farm, Sussex

Westerlands Farm — Photograph: Andy Hannant

In the heart of the South Downs national park, Westerlands is a regenerative farm with cabins, huts, barns and cottages – perfect for getting away from it all. Guests can tailor their own wellbeing experience by making use of the WildSpa and sauna (treatments range from massage to reiki), and the WildFit outdoor gym, plus private and regular classes in everything from boxercise to yoga. There’s a stable on-site too, with the option to go riding and workshops in “equestrian wellness”, a type of equine healing therapy.
Cabins from £79 a night, activities extra, westerlands.com

Scilly wellness week, Cornwall

Tresco Abbey Garden. Photograph: Alex Ramsay/Alamy

Tresco, one of the beautiful Isles of Scilly, is running its first Wellness Week this year (15-22 March). The packed programme includes everything from yoga and breathwork to sunrise meditation and sound baths, as well as trail running, gardening and beauty workshops. Offering something to suit all levels, classes make the most of the island’s natural assets, from the famous botanical gardens (pictured) to its idyllic beaches. Accommodation choices include the New Inn, with its 16 newly renovated rooms and popular Driftwood Bar, which also runs retreats at other times of year.
Classes start from £15, the New Inn has doubles/twins from £232 a night in March, tresco.co.uk

Wild swimming and yoga weekend in Ayrshire

Marine Troon weekend Adventure Weekends Adventure Weekend

Cold-water swimmer, yoga teacher and environmentalist Sophie Hellyer is leading two three-day winter retreats based at Marine Troon, a beautiful hotel on the Ayrshire coast. Designed to tap into the rejuvenating effects of the great outdoors, there will be coastal walks and wild swimming, as well as yoga, delicious meals and time to use the spa. Open to all abilities, the retreats are part of a series of Adventure Weekends, with more planned for later in the year.
31 Jan-2 Feb and 21-23 Feb, from £495, with accommodation, meals and activities, marineandlawn.com

Midweek day retreats, North Yorkshire

Rosedale Black Houses cr Paddy Chambers Vibrantly Alive retreat in North Yorkshire — Photograph: Paddy Chambers

Various retreats run throughout the year at the Tree Relaxation Retreat in Rosedale in the North York Moors, a lovely place to kick back with treatment rooms, outdoor hot tub and a yoga and meditation studio in a former chapel. Women’s health coach Nicola Wilkinson has devised a series of midweek day retreats for women over 40, which make the most of the surroundings and feature yoga, walks on the moors, creative workshops, gong baths, lunch and refreshments. Stay overnight at the Tree for an extra relaxing break.
10 July, with more dates planned, day retreat £125; B&B at The Tree from £65

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Manor house for retreat newbies, Bedfordshire

Wellbeing Escapes Retreat at Tofte Manor — Photograph: PR

Tofte Manor in the village of Sharnbrook is a 17th-century manor house turned retreat centre set in beautiful gardens with a pool, tennis courts and elegant antique-filled rooms. This year, Stella Photi, founder of Wellbeing Escapes, is hosting her first Self-Care Retreat here. Ideal for first-time retreaters looking to discover which wellness practices work best for them, the programme will include restorative yoga, Qi Gong, stress management classes, seasonal eating workshops and sound baths.
14-16 March, £595, including all meals and activities, wellbeingescapes.com

Yoga in a castle, Lake District

Reclaim Yourself combines wellness travel with sustainable tourism in dozens of destinations across the world. Among choices in the UK is a yoga weekend based in a castle the Lake District, an atmospheric place with mullion windows, stone fireplaces and expansive views. Led by Adam Husler, one of London’s best-known teachers, it includes yoga, meditation, mindful walks in the fells and delicious plant-based feasts, with plenty of time for massages and curling up by the fire.
21-24 November, from £595 all-inclusive, reclaimyourself.co.uk

Breathwork retreat, Essex

DOWN HALL BREATHWORK WEEKEND RETREATS — Photograph: Niall Clutton

Surrounded by 110 acres of parkland, landscaped gardens and woodland, Down Hall Hotel & Spa offers a restorative escape just 45 minutes from central London. A new series of wellness retreats launches this year, including the Breathwork Weekend Retreat led by Camilla Sheeley. Activities include spa treatments, breathwork and meditation sessions, a gong and sound bath, yoga and guided woodland walks. A three-course dinner in the 2 AA Rosette restaurant and sumptuous breakfast is also included.
21 February or 4 April, £225 including accommodation, activities and food, downhall.co.uk

Wilderness retreat, Scottish Highlands

wild yoga Wild Roots Guiding trips in Scotland.

Wild Roots Guiding, founded by mountain leader Anna Danby, specialises in wellbeing adventures in the wilds of the Scottish Highlands. For those who prefer not to camp there are now options based out of the Loch Ossian Youth hostel, a remote escape on the Courrour estate reached only by train and foot. The Wild Yoga autumn retreat features guided walking, yoga and nature-based mindfulness. Lake swimming, journalling and sketching are other options. The Wild Mountain retreat focuses more on walking, exploring the surrounding hills and mountains, and learning outdoor skills.
2-5 October, Wild Mountain Retreat, £545 (£520 if booked by 31 January); 30 October-2 November, Wild Yoga, £520 (£495 if booked by 31 January), including accommodation, meals and activities, wildrootsguiding.scot

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