These popular five-day residential writing retreats – now in their ninth year – are aimed at writers looking for an immersive workshop experience combined with the space and time to write. Pennard House in Somerset is run and owned by Harry Dearden, whose family have lived there since it was built in the 17th century. Surrounded by cider apple orchards, it offers the perfect mixture of luxury and cosiness, with claw-foot baths, wood fires and dinners shared around a long, candle-lit table. Mornings are spent workshopping an aspect of the writer’s craft – from point of view to dialogue to pace – while afternoons are free to find a quiet corner in which to write, read, chat or go for a walk. 

Each retreat features a mid-week speaker (past speakers have included the novelists Andrew Miller and Tessa Hadley and the memoirist Cathy Rentzenbrink), a one-to-one tutorial with Susan, a room of your own and delicious home-cooked meals made with fresh, local produce. There’s also the option of morning yoga with the wonderful Iyengar-trained Sarah Constantinides. For the last year, Covid-safe measures, including lateral-flow tests for all participants and staff before arriving at Pennard, have been in place. We’ll update our policies according to Government guidelines as they develop. 

For more information, or to book a place, send a message from the Contacts page.