Godshill Park Farm on the Isle of Wight has converted a disused barn into a yoga studio, complete with relaxing views over the farmland and their animals.
Add to that some great, locally-sourced food, roaring log fires, wild local walks from the back door, some good old-fashioned hospitality – and the Island’s natural healing environment – and it’s easy to see why this is now being tipped to become one of the country’s most popular wellness centres.
A perfect getaway venue for residential groups, families or individuals looking for a warm welcome in a rural setting, Godshill Park Barn combines the traditional with the innovative, to offer a spectacular example of modern rural architecture in an area of outstanding natural beauty.
Over the past six years, Godshill has hosted hundreds of yogis, yoginis and an ever-growing tribe of innovative and inspirational teachers; along with other movers and motivators in the yoga community.
And during this time – as well as gathering valuable specialist knowledge and feedback as to how to host warm, inclusive, cosseting retreats – they have also converted an old farm building into a bespoke yoga space, including a dining room that opens its doors to the abundant hillside, a treatment room and five new high quality en-suite bedrooms.
The wood-panelled hall within the main house is now a room of huge comfy sofas, good books and a roaring fire – a great communal space for groups.
For more ideas of what to do on the Isle of Wight, read Isle Of Wight Holidays: Walks, pubs and Victoria.
Better still, they can now offer 15 bedrooms with twin/double or triple occupancy and a yoga room capable of accommodating 30 standard yoga mats. (This also allows for the rare option of ‘single’ room accommodation on retreat bookings, giving access to a different demographic who don’t wish to share bedrooms with strangers whilst on a yoga holiday).
The farm specialises in supporting rare native breeds: Castlemilk moorit and Boreray sheep, Dexter cattle, horses, miniature ponies, llamas and alpacas graze the fields. Home grown fleeces are woven into blankets, blinds, throws and cushions to decorate the walls and sofas of the rooms. Outside, the farm is situated at a crossroads of bridleways and footpaths, making it easy for guests to walk, run or cycle through ancient woodlands or up over the Downs for 360 degree views of the island, English Channel and Solent. And a beach is never very far away on the Island, either.
Their residential retreat package for a weekend, three-night, mid-week or full week retreat begin at £265 per person in a shared room and from £295 in single accommodation, half board. A schedule of yoga and well-being retreats taking place in 2019 is listed here.
Alternatively, bed and breakfast accommodation is also available from £70 per room, per night.
Accommodation-wise, seven en-suite bedrooms include double, twin or triple options. Five are in the barn and two in the main house, with five new en-suite twin and double bedrooms in the barn. A further seven double or twin bedrooms are located in cottages around the farm. These share bathrooms and sitting rooms in their own self-contained spaces. And there is also one shepherd’s hut with a double bed, offering a full “off-grid experience”, with its own toilet and shower room 35-metres away from the property.
Bed and breakfast, half board and full board packages specialise in local foods, and can also accommodate most dietary requirements. There is a bar-b-q hut besides the barn for cosy evenings snuggled in reindeer skins, cooking supper or roasting marshmallows and telling tall tales of the day’s adventures.
The island is a hub of creative talent with a vibrant wellbeing community. Massage therapists, gong baths, professional story tellers, kirtan bands and reiki healers can be organised for retreats. Leading London yoga teachers Laura Gate-Eastley, Naomi Absalom and Cathy Underwood have all become closely linked with Godshill Park, along with the highly respected local yoga teacher Emma Spencer-Goodier.
For further details visit http://godshillparkbarn.co.uk.
And for more information about Wellness Breaks on the Isle of Wight, visit https://www.visitisleofwight.co.uk/explore/wellness-breaks.
