You don’t need a plane ticket to feel like you’ve escaped.
Sometimes, the only thing standing between you and your peace is a train ride out of the city to a weekend retreat near London. If you’ve been dreaming of a quiet escape, somewhere your shoulders can finally drop and your phone can stay untouched, I’ve got you. You don’t need to fly to Bali to reconnect, you just need to give yourself permission to pause.
These are five soulful retreats, all a few hours from London, that feel like little portals back to yourself. Think deep rest, nature, ritual, and space to simply be.
It’s easy to feel burnt out in a city that never stops moving.
I don’t know about you, but London can sometimes feel like it’s running on pure caffeine and cortisol. There’s always something happening, someone to see, somewhere to be. While that energy can be thrilling, it can also be exhausting. Between the meetings, the social swirl, and the constant scroll, I found myself stuck in a loop of low-grade burnout. You know the kind, not enough to stop functioning, but more than enough to feel totally out of sync with yourself.
There was a moment last year when even Netflix didn’t feel relaxing anymore. I realised I needed something deeper. A shift, a reset, a genuine exhale. So I started giving myself the gift of intentional weekends away. Not holidays. Not Instagram-perfect getaways. Just soft, nourishing spaces where I could breathe, be quiet, and reconnect.
These retreats helped me find my centre again. And now, I keep them in my back pocket for whenever life starts to feel too loud.
Here are 5 deeply restorative weekend retreats near London where the soft version of you can breathe again:
1. The Tree Retreat, Kent
If your soul is craving trees and silence, this place is a dream. Tucked away in ancient woodland just outside Canterbury, this eco-luxe treehouse feels like something out of a fairytale. You wake up to birdsong and fall asleep to the wind through the leaves. Forest bathing walks, fireside journaling, and crystal-infused baths make this the perfect spot to come back to yourself. It’s the kind of space where you remember how to slow down.
2. Gaia House, Devon
This is the silent retreat I didn’t know I needed until I arrived. No small talk. No phones. Just space. It’s designed around mindfulness and meditation, with daily practices, vegan meals, and optional energy healing. The silence is sacred. After a weekend here, I felt like I could hear myself again. If you’re burnt out from too much input, this is where you can truly unplug.
42 Acres, Somerset
Tucked away in a secluded valley in Somerset, 42 Acres feels like a sanctuary carved out of another world. It’s all slow mornings, wild swimming, foraged meals, and soulfully curated retreats that blend nature, nourishment, and nervous system repair. I went for a weekend of breathwork and sound healing, and left feeling like I’d shed layers I didn’t know I was carrying. This is the place to come when you need to unplug deeply, soften fully, and remember your wild, wise self.
4. The Clover Mill, Malvern Hills
This Ayurvedic retreat feels like a secret piece of India hidden in the English countryside. Everything is tailored to your dosha—from the food to the treatments to the daily rituals. It’s not spa-fluffy, it’s deeply healing. There’s something about the rhythm of Ayurvedic living that grounds you in a way that modern life just doesn’t. If you’ve been feeling off-balance, this is the place to recalibrate.
West Lexham, Norfolk
Boho, beautiful, and surrounded by water and woods, West Lexham feels like a magical little village that time forgot. You can stay in a treehouse, a shepherd’s hut, or a cabin by the lake. There are regular retreat weekends with meditation, movement, and heart-led circles under the stars. It’s playful, soulful, and surprisingly grounding. You leave feeling lighter, like something heavy you didn’t even know you were carrying has been lifted.
Tip:
Book your retreat based on your current energetic need. Stillness? Go to Gaia House. Softness? Try The Tree Retreat. Sisterhood? 42 Acres is your place. Your body always knows. Trust her.
Rest doesn’t need to be dramatic.
We don’t always need to change our lives. Sometimes, just stepping out of the noise for 48 hours is enough to reset everything. You come back clearer. Softer. More yourself.
So if you’ve been waiting for a sign to unplug and retreat, this is it.
Let your next weekend away be more than a break. Let it be a return.
Tania x
