I am fresh back our first ever WOW Retreat, which we created in collaboration with Eden’s Forest CIC – a beautiful piece of woodland that is a well-kept secret, about 10 minutes from where I live.
Myself and co-founder of WOW Team, Clair, had been wanting to do this for months, and finally it was here with a lovely mixed group of WOW members and also contacts who we knew wanted to try this experience in the safe haven of the woodland.
For the record, WOW Team is a small business accountability and support group for small business owners, people wanting to start a business, or people who have a big dream and want to set goals around it, (click on the link for more info) which has been going for just over 4 years now. It’s our passion project, and we have a brilliant group of members.
The retreat had such an impact on Clair and I and the other guests, so I thought I would do a 3-part series here about the different elements that made it such a magical afternoon, starting with this one – Place and Space. The second will be – Creative Connection, and the third – Human Connection and the learnings we have taken from each of these elements.
So, the first lesson for us was the fact that not everyone gets to do this, immerse themselves in the UK countryside, on a regular basis, which I suppose comes as a bit of a surprise to us as we are both very much nature geeks. We thrive on time out walking in the fresh air on a regular basis to get our nature fix.
Where we live, the south side of Huddersfield, West Yorkshire is surrounded by rolling green hills, acres of woodland, rugged Yorkshire walls, farmland, and big moody skies. I was taken out on walks in my wellies from a very young age, I think some of my first baby photos were actually of me plonked at the foot of a tree, so it’s no wonder that the woodlands are where I feel at home the most.
But with the pressures of working and busy family lives, not everyone has the time, energy or inclination sometimes to get wrapped up and get out for a walk, especially as the seasons change, heavy rain pours, the wind whips up and temperatures dip.
We both realised that we take this activity for granted – I’m out daily with the dog, often taking pictures for my @soothedbynature account, and Clair often goes on family hikes at the weekend.
So for some of the group, just being in the woodland, and pardon the pun ‘under the trees’ had an instant calming effect and their shoulders began to drop.
The ‘camp’ at the bottom of the hill has a rustic feel, with a giant Tipi like structure where woodland crafting is carried out, an open outbuilding hosts the campfire and seating around it with twinkly fairy lights and then there’s a giant stone pizza oven, built by Princes Trust volunteers, and also a wooden roundhouse where you create your pizzas.
Outside of this area is a zip wire, cargo climbing net up the bank and a swing, and so the whole place feels very reminiscent of childhood, and that you are being given permission to just go out there and play, and how often do we get to do just that in our daily routine?
Once everyone had arrived, Kay from Eden’s Forest then took us on a walk around the woodland, pointing out interesting facts like this giant Burr on the Oak Tree below, which is essentially like a healing scab from when it’s been previously injured. We collected stones from the river to use later to write on and I came across this little fella on a log in the water.
When I spend time out in nature, I am always on the look out for unusual finds, and if you look closely, little treasures appear everywhere. I probably take this pleasure I get, from intensely observing things, for granted, whereas this may be a rare opportunity for others to spot things.
They too began to notice things such as the fungi clinging to the bark and pale slugs sliding up the trees in the damp weather or imaginary fairy doors at the base of trunks.
Seeking characters in trees is one of my favourite things to do, anyone else think this tree trunk below looks like a side-on face, or just me?
Later our guests explored the woodland by themselves to spark their creative inspiration; some went on photography hunts, swung on the swing, heads back looking up at the branches, sat down in the grasses and sketched, or simply sat on a log and listened to the birds around them whilst identifying their calls.
What I loved is that everyone connected with the space in different, personal ways, and we know that by breathing the air in dense woodlands, and touching the soil and the water, we are chemically rejuvenating ourselves too.
There is often a sense of protection under the canopies, people feel safe here, as romantic poet William Wordsworth put it;
‘Whenever I emerge from underneath the protective branches of a tree, I always feel stronger, calmer, better.’ (taken from the good for the soul book - Tree Glee, by Cheryl Rickman which I highly recommend you read if you love trees too).
Many commented that what they were taking away from the day was a sense of stillness, freshness, and peace. Even the ones that are used to being outside, are often in a rush, or with others or dogs, and so the experience is not the same – the benefits of slowing down, pausing, and taking time to notice what was around them, were key observations taken from the day.
As well as Kay, Adam, from Eden’s Forest also gave us some fascinating facts whilst teaching us spoon whittling such as the only living part of a tree, is the small slither of green outer-lining before the bark! How did I not know this?
He taught us how to whittle the wood and avoid the knots, using extremely sharp knives - just learning these things and trying something new is nourishing in a different way.
What Adam and Kay have created may seem simple, but it is in fact genius. Here are a few ways they have made this place extra special:
1) No washing up is allowed by the guests, they often have disadvantaged groups come to use the space, such as young carers, who obviously do may tasks in the home, and so they want all their guests to have a break from that responsibility.
2) Many of the areas are built around connecting with others, for example the zipline has no platform and so requires teamwork, one pulling the other to the start of the line.
3) The food areas are equally connective, as people load up their dough with pizza toppings and then wait in line by the huge oven, chatting whilst their pizzas are cooked.
4) The whole feel is very relaxed, people can join in activities or just take their time exploring the woodland, there are only really ‘rules’ as such around things like knife safety. Their motto seems to be ‘Go with the flow’.
5) There is a focus on sustainability and looking after the environment in which they carry out their work, the compost toilets for example.
6) They are both clearly very passionate about what they do, explaining how the forest supports the people who visit and their plans for the future of Eden’s Forest - you can’t help but be inspired by their story and what they have created.
Another thing I noticed about connecting to this place, were the memories it brought up for people. I heard snippets of conversations of what people had done as children out in nature during this season, including seasonal dishes.
For me this season as a child was all about making bonfire toffee and hot cocoa with squirty cream on top. Collecting blackberries was a yearly tradition and we’d come back with stained purple fingers, scratched arms and legs and carrier bags full of berries to make into pies and crumbles, served with thick, hot custard. It’s making me hungry just typing this!
I think there is something so magical about Autumn in particular, as well as changing colours of the trees, there’s the feeling of the damp, still warm breeze on your cheeks, the darker nights drawing in and that sense of wanting to retreat into your nest.
What I think worked well at our retreat, was the timing of it during the day, we started at 3pm and finished at 7pm, with the earlier part of the day reserved for walks and creativity, the latter, as the light started to fade was used for connecting around the camp fire, eating delicious pizza, working in our journals with the twinkly lights on and by that point we could hear the soft patter of the rain on the roof.
There was one point when I looked into the fire, and then up and around to the women with their bent heads, scribbling away, the occasional burst of laughter and then beyond them to the rain coming down onto the leaves, polishing them outside and felt a real sense of satisfaction of what we had created.
I myself, don’t often find the time to just pause, and so I really cherished that particular moment of noticing, fully, what was around me, and feeling connected wholeheartedly to the experience and the people sharing it.
As the retreat came to a close we made S’mores and then ran to the zip wire for one final boost of joy - you could hear the squeals through the trees and then we all made our way back up the path in the dark, chatting about the afternoon and how we must do this again.
That night when I got home, our own fire roaring in the new stove, cinnamon candles lit and the scent of the forest and smoke still lingering on my clothes, I curled up on the sofa and scrolled through the photos of the day smiling to myself.
Eden’s Forest, you were just what we all needed, Thank You; you are a very special place indeed.