Our Programme of Retreats

Here at Launde Abbey, we offer a range of retreats, from creative and silent retreats to seasonal and themed options. Each retreat includes accommodation, meals, and resources to support your time with us. Whether youโ€™re seeking quiet reflection or guided activities, we hope youโ€™ll find a retreat that suits you.

  • Unlocking the Fountains **2 SPACES AVAILABLE**

    Tuesday 4th August @ 4:00 pm - Friday 7th August @ 2:00 pm

    In this retreat (based on the book by the same title) we receive challenge and inspiration from the biblical rivers and wells, revisiting ancient stories and exploring their resonances, spiritual and ecological. We draw refreshment from ancient springs which renew us for daily living.

  • Soul-Filled Meanderings

    Thursday 13th August @ 2:30 pm - 4:30 pm

    Take a couple of hours and explore and experience Godโ€™s creation. This is an opportunity to stop, look and listen. Using all your senses to know and understand more about our Everlasting Father and Creator God.ย This guided walk will be led by Jo de Graaf.

  • Beginners Retreat with the Launde Abbey Community ***FULLY BOOKED***

    Friday 14th August @ 4:00 pm - Sunday 16th August @ 2:00 pm

    The aim of this semi-silent retreat weekend is to help you enter the world of silent retreats gently and with plenty of support. There will be guidance on how to use the time; periods on your own and with the other retreatants, and the opportunity to share your experience with others if you wish to do so. Led by members of the Launde Abbey Community.

  • August Quiet Day: On the Side of Angels and Dirt โ€“ Reflecting through the Art of Stanley Spencer ***FULLY BOOKED***

    Monday 17th August @ 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

    This day will include a gentle invitation to share in collective reflection on the pictures we will look at,ย as well as guided exploration of Spencerโ€™sย work and our own spiritual lives. There will be plenty of space for quiet time within the grounds or the Abbey. Led by Susannah Underwood.

  • Textiles Retreat: WELCOME AND HOSPITALITY ***FULLY BOOKED***

    Monday 17th August @ 4:00 pm - Friday 21st August @ 2:00 pm

    Christ welcomes us all.ย  Using the sculpture of “The Welcoming Christ” in the Launde Abbey garden, we will explore what we understand by welcome, feeling welcomed and welcoming others.ย  Guests may wish to use or take their own photos of the statue as an inspiration for stitching. Led by Revd Claire Goode.

  • Individually Guided Retreat

    Sunday 23rd August @ 4:00 pm - Sunday 30th August @ 10:00 am

    This is a week long silent guided retreat designed to enable those attending to encounter God more deeply. Each day those on the retreat meet with an experienced prayer guides. The prayer guides for this retreat are Rev Drs Catherine Wright, Michรจle Hampson and Rhona Knight.

  • Praying With Icons

    Monday 7th September @ 4:00 pm - Wednesday 9th September @ 2:00 pm

    A retreat led by the Revd Catherine Lomas reflecting on the use of icons as a means for prayer.

  • God In Our Struggles

    Monday 14th September @ 4:00 pm - Thursday 17th September @ 2:00 pm

    This retreat will be led by Christopher Cook, co-author of Struggling with God. Drawing on the bookโ€™s themes, he will guide participants in a prayerful exploration of the relationship between Christian spirituality and mental health, reflecting on questions of God and prayer in times of struggle.

  • Rural Mission Hub at Launde Abbey

    Thursday 17th September @ 9:30 am - 4:00 pm

    This rural mission hub day includes led reflection, time for personal prayer, mutual learning, shared wisdom and companionship with others inย ruralย pioneering ministry.

  • September Saturday Quiet Day: ‘The Water of Life’

    Saturday 19th September @ 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

    Join us for a day of reflection and prayer on Godโ€™s provision of living water to transform, refresh and give life, drawing from both Old and New Testaments. Led by Revd Ali Walton.

  • September Quiet Day: โ€˜Listening with the heart: some insights from the way of St Benedictโ€™

    Monday 21st September @ 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

    Explore the timeless wisdom of St Benedict in this Quiet Day led by Revd Catherine Wright. Through guided reflections, youโ€™ll consider themes of community, balance, work and prayer, with plenty of space for silence, personal prayer and quiet reflection in the peaceful surroundings of Launde Abbey.

  • Holiness and Social Justice: A Rooted and Grounded Retreat

    Monday 21st September @ 4:00 pm - Thursday 24th September @ 2:00 pm

    A retreat hosted jointly by Renovarรฉ Britain & Ireland๏ฟผ and Launde Abbey๏ฟผ, exploring the relationship between the holiness and social justice traditions within Christian spirituality. Together, weโ€™ll consider how inward transformation and outward action shape and enrich one another through teaching, discussion, prayer, worship, silence and rest.

  • Look at the Birds: An Autumn Birdwatching Retreat ***FULLY BOOKED***

    Monday 12th October @ 4:00 pm - Thursday 15th October @ 2:00 pm

    Come and enjoy a time of quiet Celtic Christian worship, biblical reflections and guided birdwatching walks. Led by Mark Winter.

  • October Quiet Day: In the Footsteps of Thomas Merton โ€“ 20th-century monk, spiritual writer & prophet

    Monday 19th October @ 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

    Join us for a Quiet Day exploring the life, writings and contemplative vision of Thomas Merton (1915โ€“1968), one of the twentieth centuryโ€™s most influential Christian spiritual writers. Led by the Revd Canon James Shakespeare, the day offers space for reflection inspired by Mertonโ€™s enduring wisdom.

  • Cry of the Broken – A ‘Jesus Prayer’ Retreat

    Monday 19th October @ 4:00 pm - Thursday 22nd October @ 2:00 pm

    During this retreat, weโ€™ll spend time exploring the Jesus Prayer and praying it together. There will be opportunities for silence, reflection, and prayer, and also for friendship, conversation, and laughter. Held in the gracious and loving presence of Christ, weโ€™ll help one another rediscover the beauty and joy of prayer. Led by Revd Chris Webb.

  • Praying with Our Bodies and the Bible: Reconnecting Our Whole Selves to God **2 SPACES REMAINING**

    Friday 23rd October @ 4:00 pm - Sunday 25th October @ 2:00 pm

    Join Amy Boucher Pye to explore, through Scripture stories and passages, how God has designed us to be fully integrated beings โ€“ soul, spirit, mind and body.

  • Bereavement Challenges: Living With Loss Follow On Retreat ***FULLY BOOKED***

    Monday 26th October @ 4:00 pm - Thursday 29th October @ 3:00 pm

    Abi May and the team invite those who have experienced bereavement to gain the tools to help cope with the life-changing loss of a loved one.

  • Patterns of Light and Truth: A Photography Retreat

    Monday 26th October @ 4:00 pm - Thursday 29th October @ 2:00 pm

    Truth and Light are at the heart of both Photography and the Christian Faith. The word “Photography” literally means drawing with light. Truth and Light are definitive expressions of the life of God in Jesus. As we attend slowly and deeply to the images we create, so we can journey more deeply with God. Suitable for any level of photographer this retreat is led by Revd Dale & Pat Hanson.

  • October Saturday Quiet Day

    Saturday 31st October @ 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

    More information coming soon…
    This Quiet Day will be led by Revd Adele Barker.

  • Resting in God: A Weekend Meditation Retreat

    Friday 6th November @ 4:00 pm - Sunday 8th November @ 3:00 pm

    With help from the teachings of Julian of Norwich, Martin Laird and others, we will explore the path of interior surrender, of releasing into and resting in God through our deepening stillness and shared silence. Led by Chris Whittington, founder of the School of Contemplative Life.

  • Rooted and Grounded: Going Deeper Into Spiritual Practice

    Monday 9th November @ 4:00 pm - Thursday 12th November @ 2:00 pm

    You might want to be more resilient in the face of exhausting demands. You might be looking for a deeper foundation for your ministry. You might be wrestling with the question: how do I live a flourishing life? If so, this retreat is for you.ย Led by Launde Abbey and Renovarรฉ.

  • Re-Enchanting Our World: A C. S. Lewis and Tolkien Retreat

    Monday 16th November @ 4:00 pm - Thursday 19th November @ 2:00 pm

    On this autumn retreat, we will explore how we can be inspired by the stories and other writings of CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien, alongside Scripture, to recover wonder and beauty, mystery and longing in these increasingly technological and materialistic times.ย Led by Andrew Swinford.

  • Rural Mission Hub Residential at Launde Abbey

    Thursday 19th November @ 9:30 am - Friday 20th November @ 9:30 am

    This rural mission hub residential includes led reflection, time for personal prayer, mutual learning, shared wisdom and companionship with others inย ruralย pioneering ministry.

  • November Quiet Day

    Monday 23rd November @ 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

    More information coming soon…

  • Beginners Retreat with the Launde Abbey Community

    Wednesday 25th November @ 4:00 pm - Friday 27th November @ 2:00 pm

    The aim of this semi-silent retreat weekend is to help you enter the world of silent retreats gently and with plenty of support. There will be guidance on how to use the time; periods on your own and with the other retreatants, and the opportunity to share your experience with others if you wish to do so. Led by members of the Launde Abbey Community.

  • Saturday Advent Quiet Day: A Balanced Life – โ€œI wish!โ€ย 

    Saturday 5th December @ 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

    โ€œA balanced life โ€“ I wish!โ€ If thatโ€™s your reaction, this Advent retreat offers an invitation to draw aside, rest and reflect. Using the season of Advent as a time of preparation, Rev. Andrew Hall explores what it means to welcome Godโ€™s love more deeply into our lives and to reimagine the rhythms of daily life with God.

  • Icon Painting Retreat ***FULLY BOOKED***

    Monday 7th December @ 9:30 am - Friday 11th December @ 4:30 pm

    Join experienced Iconographer, Peter Murphy for a week learning the medieval gilding and painting techniques to create stunning icon paintings.

  • Voices of Advent

    Friday 11th December @ 4:00 pm - Sunday 13th December @ 2:00 pm

    This Advent time we will be reflecting on the wonder of Godโ€™s love, shown through the Incarnation, as we contemplate the voices of those involved in the gospel birth accounts. From the gospel writers themselves to the magi, the shepherds, to Simeon and Anna, what are their voices trying to impress upon us? A retreat led by Revd Rhona Knight and Chris Knight.

  • The Search and The Journey: An Epiphany Retreat

    Friday 8th January, 2027 @ 4:00 pm - Sunday 10th January, 2027 @ 2:00 pm

    The story of the Magi is more than a tale of distant travellers following a star. It is the story of every soul that longs for God. Start the year with us as we travel through the Epiphany season. This retreat, some of which will be spent in silence, is led by Revd John Rackley.

  • Textiles Retreat: THE HEART OF GOD ***FULLY BOOKED***

    Monday 18th January, 2027 @ 4:00 pm - Friday 22nd January, 2027 @ 2:00 pm

    Join us at Launde Abbey for a creative and reflective Textiles Retreat. Led by Revd Claire Goode.

  • The Space: A Creative Retreat

    Monday 25th January, 2027 @ 4:00 pm - Friday 29th January, 2027 @ 10:00 am

    Music has a unique power to communicate meaning and insight in ways that words alone often cannot. As people of faith, we recognize music as a precious gift from God, given to enrich our lives and awaken our spirits. Led by Epiphany’s Musicians, this retreat will include times of relaxing, improvised music with the opportunity to have a Sound Portrait and to engage with art workshops to tap into the creativity which has been inbuilt into all of us.

  • Living with Loss

    Tuesday 23rd February, 2027 @ 4:00 pm - Friday 26th February, 2027 @ 2:00 pm

    Abi May and the team invite those who have experienced bereavement to gain the tools to help cope with the life-changing loss of a loved one.

  • Who Do You Say I Am? Meeting Jesus again in Mark’s Gospel

    Tuesday 2nd March, 2027 @ 4:00 pm - Thursday 4th March, 2027 @ 5:00 pm

    During this retreat, we will explore Markโ€™s Gospel, his vision, storytellingย styleย and most of all what difference reading Mark makes to our lives.ย Led by Paula Gooder.