Digital Detox + Creative Journalling Retreat with Venetia La Manna
A PLACE TO CONNECT
Step away from screens and immerse yourself in five restorative days of mindfulness, creative journalling, and renewal on the wild Pembrokeshire coast. Nestled within a secluded 18th-century rectory overlooking the sea, this retreat invites you to pause, connect, and rediscover presence.
Designed to transform your relationship with technology through awareness and curiosity, the programme weaves mindful movement, reflection, and periods of shared silence, fostering a deeper sense of connection and focus than daily digital life often allows.
This intimate retreat for 14 people offers a spacious, phone-free environment to rest deeply, reconnect with what matters, and return restored in body and mind.
RETREAT DATES
What you will experience on this retreat:
Daily mindful movement and meditation practises to support body and mind
Guided creative journalling sessions to deepen self-awareness
Restorative digital detox to make space for reflection
Inspiring workshops on living intentionally and from the heart
Nourishing seasonal food to support wellbeing
Coastal walks and optional sea swims
Meaningful connection with a small community
Periods of silence to slow down and listen inwardly
WHAT TO EXPECT
Daily Retreat Schedule
7:45am – Mindful movement
9am – Breakfast
9:30am – Creative journalling
11:45am – Community circle
1pm – Lunch
2pm – Personal time (guided walks, sea swims & hot tub available)
4pm – Afternoon tea
5pm – Group workshop
6:30pm – Dinner
8pm – Evening gathering
9pm – Retreat moves into silence until the next day
Accommodation
An 18th-century rectory with huge gardens on the slopes of Angel Mountain, overlooking the wild North Pembrokeshire coastline, less than a mile’s walk from the sea. From the doorstep, you can explore beautiful walks through sacred sites, mountains, woods, valleys, as well as the spectacular Pembrokeshire Coast Path.
A variety of accommodation is available, including triple, twin, private, and luxurious ensuite double rooms. Each room offers stunning views of the surrounding landscape and a plush, inviting bed to ensure a restful night’s sleep.
Food
Our local chef Martin Simcock, also known as The Constant Cook, will provide a fully catered selection of nourishing vegetarian meals throughout the retreat. Working with natural, locally sourced ingredients, Martin cooks mindfully and from the heart.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner are all included. Expect generous seasonal dishes, vibrant flavours, and freshly baked cakes served with afternoon tea. His food is always a highlight of the retreat and regularly receives rave reviews, which you can read here.
GUEST TUTOR
Venetia La Manna
Venetia La Manna is a fair fashion campaigner, content creator and broadcaster – using her platform to hold multinational corporations accountable for unethical practices, human rights abuses and greenwashing. Venetia represents the UK arm of The Or Foundation’s Speak Volumes campaign, advocating for transparency across the fashion industry in support of global secondhand and reuse textile communities.
She has presented The Fast Furniture Fix for BBC Radio 4, appeared in Channel 4’s Inside The Shein Machine, and her work has featured in Vogue, The Guardian, Atmos and The Independent. In 2024, she served as a judge for the inaugural Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction.
To balance her activism, Venetia founded #Offline48 in 2018, encouraging weekends away from social media. She also volunteers at her local charity shop and spends as much time as possible in nature, grounding herself in community and rest to sustain her advocacy work.
Silence
This retreat will include periods of silence as an essential element of connection with self, community and nature. If you are new to spending time in silence in the company of other people, it can feel awkward to begin with. But you will be encouraged to explore the silent periods with a spirit of openness and curiosity: many find it a very powerful experience.
The retreat will typically move into silence in the evening from 9pm – 12pm the following day.
Digital detox
This retreat invites you to step away from screens and return to a slower, more connected rhythm of living. On arrival, you’ll be asked to hand in your phone so you can fully immerse yourself in the experience. Loved ones will be given a dedicated retreat phone number so you can be reached if needed.
There will be no laptops, tablets or digital devices during the retreat: an intentional pause that allows you to rest your mind, notice the world around you, and reconnect with yourself and others.
RETREAT COSTS
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Triple Room, Shared Bathroom – £695
Twin Room, Shared Bathroom – £750
Private Room, Shared Bathroom - £955
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Two fully funded places are available on each retreat — one for a social movement activist and one for a frontline worker.
For more details click here.
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A non-refundable deposit of £175 is necessary to secure your place, with full payment due 8 weeks before the retreat begins.
For full terms and conditions please click here.
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Book before 10 April to receive 20% off your retreat. Secure your place with the £175 standard deposit, and the discount will be applied to your remaining balance.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
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Each retreat hosts up to 14 participants.
Keeping the group small helps create a calm and supportive atmosphere while still allowing space for meaningful conversation and connection. Many participants find that the small group size helps foster a sense of community while still leaving plenty of room for quiet and solitude.
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Yes. Most retreat participants come on their own, and we actively encourage this.
Coming alone often helps people step more fully into the retreat experience. Without the usual roles and routines of everyday life, many people find it easier to settle into the rhythm of writing, reflection, and rest.
Although participants arrive independently, the small group size and shared experience naturally create a warm and supportive atmosphere. By the end of the retreat, many people feel they have formed meaningful connections while still having had plenty of space for solitude.
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Yes. The retreat follows a clear structure but is intentionally flexible. There is space to move, rest, step out, or engage in ways that work for you.
If you have specific needs or questions, you are very welcome to contact Holly in advance.
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The venue does not have step-free access. However, all workshops and meals take place on the ground floor, and there are two private bedrooms available on the ground floor.
The shared communal living and writing space is located upstairs and is accessed via one flight of approximately 15 stairs.
If you have access needs or questions and are unsure whether the retreat will be suitable for you, please feel very welcome to contact Holly in advance to discuss this.
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Yes. Walks along the coast, swims in the sea, and time spent outdoors are a wonderful part of the retreat experience, and we strongly encourage them.
However, we ask retreatants not to go into the nearby town during the retreat. The intention is to create a contained environment where everyone can step away from everyday life and fully enter the slower rhythm of the retreat.
Most people find that staying within the retreat space helps deepen the sense of focus, community, and creative immersion.
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All retreats are held at:
The Old Rectory
Gelli Olau, Fishguard Road
Newport SA42 0UE -
The nearest train stations are Fishguard & Goodwick and Haverfordwest.
Local taxis are available but must be pre-booked, as this is a rural area.
Once you’ve booked, you’ll be invited to a ride-sharing form where retreatants can offer or request lifts or share taxis. Return journeys are often easiest to organise once everyone is together.
For international guests, the nearest airport is Bristol.
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Arrival is from 4pm on the first day.
Departure is by 10:30am on the final day.It is an important part of the shared experience to arrive and depart together.
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We ask retreat-ants to commit to the full duration of the retreat, including the opening and closing circles.
If you’re unable to attend the full retreat on these dates, we recommend choosing a different retreat that better fits your availability.
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The retreats are either vegetarian or plant-based.
We can comfortably accommodate vegan and gluten-free diets, as well as nut allergies. Please tell us about any dietary requirements via the form sent with your booking confirmation.
More specific or complex dietary needs may require a small supplement to cover additional catering costs. We will always contact you in advance if this applies.
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Sadly no. Some retreatants have allergies, and we need to keep shared spaces pet-free.
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Apart from prescribed medication, we ask retreatants to refrain from using drugs and alcohol for the duration of the retreat.
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This is sometimes possible. Retreat pricing is per person rather than per room, and sharing a private room with a partner may be available with an additional supplement. Please contact Holly directly to discuss availability.
For any further questions, please contact Holly at hello@hollyrigby.co.uk