The Grounding Retreat
Immersive four-day retreats in Devon celebrating the beauty of the season – from garden to table.
Welcome, we’re glad you’re here.
The Grounding Retreat is a sanctuary for people seeking to immerse themselves in the quiet beauty of nature, a chance to step away from the pace of modern life and rediscover the joy of living in rhythm with the seasons. Step through the garden gate with us into a place where time slows down and you are completely taken care of from the moment you arrive.
Our passion lies in creating intimate, luxurious, unhurried spaces that feel like staying in the home of a dear friend. Through consciously curated seasonal experiences, nature connection, beautiful food and exceptional hospitality, we’ll help you reconnect with the land, the season and yourself. Leave feeling deeply restored, carrying fresh inspiration to support you wellbeing, bring nature into your home, and a renewed joy for your garden.
T H E
A U T U M N
G R O U N D I N G
27th-30th October 2026
T H E
S P R I N G
G R O U N D I N G
13th - 16th April 2027
Your retreat sanctuary - ANRÁN, a luxury private estate in the heart of Devon
“In a world that often asks us to keep doing more, we wanted to create a space where there is nothing to prove and nowhere else to be.”
— Jenny Thompson, Head Gardener at ANRÁN
What to expect during you stay
This is more than a few days away - it’s four days of being completely looked after. From the moment you arrive, you’ll be warmly welcomed into a beautiful country estate where exceptional hospitality, seasonal food and meaningful experiences invite you to slow down and reconnect with every detail having been thoughtfully considered.
Take more than memories home - when it's time to leave, you'll carry a slower rhythm, a deeper connection to the natural world, and the quiet reassurance that, sometimes, the most restorative thing we can do is simply pause.
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Three nights in luxurious accommodation in your own beautifully appointed private bedroom and ensuite.
Enjoy full access to ANRÁN estate including gardens, woodland, lakes, lily pond, plant house and peaceful spaces to wander, rest and explore.
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Daily opportunities to slow down with gentle movement, guided walks, the sauna and hot tub, or simply an afternoon curled up with a book beside the fire.
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Nourish yourself with seasonal breakfasts, lunches and candlelit dinners, created by renowned private chef Hannah Thomas, using the finest locally sourced, homegrown and foraged ingredients.
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Dip into a carefully curated programme of seasonal experiences, including garden tours, creative workshops, mindful movement and time immersed in nature.
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Enjoy meaningful moments and plenty of time to connect with like-minded people around the table.
Or if you’re craving space and time alone, spend an afternoon curled up with a book beside the fire.
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Savour thoughtful welcome gifts as well as recipes and seasonal inspiration to take home, so you can continue the spirit of The Grounding Retreat long after the retreat ends.
Guided by the women who care for this landscape every day, you'll experience the estate through their eyes, discovering the stories held within the gardens, harvesting seasonal produce, and discovering the quiet rituals that shape life on the land.
Meet your hosts
Jenny Thompson is the Head Kitchen Gardener at ANRÁN where she grows seasonal produce and inspires others to embrace the beauty and abundance of tending a garden.
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Jenny's happy place has always been somewhere between the kitchen garden and the dining table.
After many years running award-winning hospitality venues, creating exceptional guest experiences became second nature. But it was taking on an allotment in 2016 that quietly changed the course of her life. What began as a hobby quickly became a passion, and eventually a new career rooted in the seasons, the soil and the simple joy of growing food.
Today, Jenny tends the kitchen garden at ANRÁN, where she grows beautiful, seasonal produce while nurturing the soil. She loves nothing more than sharing the stories behind what is growing, encouraging others to reconnect with where their food comes from and celebrating the beauty of seasonal living.
Jenny holds a Permaculture Design Certificate from the renowned Apricot Centre and continues to deepen her knowledge of regenerative growing and working in harmony with nature.
She is warm, knowledgeable and quietly enthusiastic. Whether she's leading a garden walk, gathering ingredients for lunch or sharing a coffee by the fire, she has a wonderful way of making people feel instantly at ease.
She can't wait to welcome you to Devon and share a little of the magic of autumn in the garden.
Camille van Hoegaerden is a gardener, walking guide and yoga teacher. When she’s not in the kitchen garden at ANRÁN you’ll find her guiding women along the South West Coast Path with a focus on nature, wellbeing and meaningful connection.
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Camille is the founder of Heartlands & Wild Edges, guiding women through the landscapes of the South West with a focus on cultivating a sense of belonging in the natural world.
Deeply drawn to human connection and the outdoors, Camille has always loved gathering people in nature. Over the years, she has brought local communities together through wild swim groups, social strolls, and a volunteer-run Pick Your Own flower field. Her journey evolved from setting up a thriving yoga and creative workshop studio — where her dried flower winter wreath-making sessions earned a celebrated local reputation — to guiding women along the South West Coast Path and encouraging them to develop a deep relationship with the land.
Following a life-changing solo pilgrimage along the South West Coast Path, Camille discovered the transformative power of stripping back to the bare essentials, slowing down, spending time in nature, and sharing the path with others. That experience became the foundation for Heartlands & Wild Edges.
When she's not out exploring, you'll find her in the kitchen gardens of ANRÁN, nurturing plants and enjoying the simple rhythm of growing food. With an earlier career training at Le Cordon Bleu, and running a pop-up micro-bakery, Camille brings a lifelong love of food to her gatherings. She truly believes that gardens and good food have an unmatched way of bringing people together.
Camille brings a thoughtful blend of nature connection, mindful movement, and emotional wellbeing to her retreats, creating spaces where you feel welcome exactly as you are. She is kind, intuitive, and endlessly encouraging — whether she’s leading a trail, sharing stories, or pausing for tea and a homemade slice of cake with a view.
Slow, seasonal, soil to table dining
Gather and connect
Join us around the table to enjoy slow, soil-to-table dining, celebrating the abundance of the season with ingredients harvested from the estate. Produce picked just hours before arrives at the table transformed into nourishing breakfasts, leisurely garden lunches and candlelit suppers by our wonderful retreat chef. Allow every bite to deepen your connection to the living landscape around you.
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Hannah Thomas is the founder of Herbs & Wild - Deepening the connection between people and the food on their plate.
Hannah has built her career around creating exceptional food experiences that celebrate the seasons and bring people together.
After training at the world-renowned Ballymaloe Cookery School in Ireland, she honed her craft at the acclaimed The Ethicurean, where a deep respect for seasonal, locally sourced ingredients and garden-to-table cooking shaped her approach to food. These experiences continue to influence everything she creates today.
As the founder of Herbs & Wild, Hannah now works as a private chef across luxury retreats, intimate dinners and bespoke events throughout the South West. Known for her elegant yet generous style of cooking, she creates thoughtful menus that showcase the very best local produce, celebrating the flavours, colours and abundance of each season.
For Hannah, food is about far more than what’s on the plate. She believes that gathering around a beautifully laid table is one of life’s greatest pleasures. Every meal is crafted with care, inviting guests to savour not only exceptional food but the joy of sharing it together.
Warm, creative and deeply passionate about her craft, Hannah brings a calm confidence to every kitchen and a genuine love of looking after people.
She can’t wait to welcome you to Devon and share the unforgettable flavours of autumn.
