Luxury Writing Retreat in Exmoor
The Stories That Shape Us with Hilary Coombes
Luxury accommodation, exceptional food and expert writing tuition, all wrapped into one inspiring long weekend.
Step away from everyday life and spend a long weekend discovering the memories, moments and people that have shaped your life.
Whether you're new to writing or have been writing for years, this welcoming retreat gives you the time, guidance and space to discover your own voice.
Reserve your place with a £50 deposit
Set against the beautiful backdrop of Exmoor, this luxury writing retreat in Somerset combines inspiring tuition from Hilary Coombes with luxury accommodation, exceptional food and uninterrupted time to write, reflect and reconnect with your creativity.
“This is not a creative writing course in the traditional sense. There is no fiction, no invented characters, no blank page to fill from nothing. Instead, guests are invited to explore a form of writing that is warm, intimate and deeply satisfying: the parallel narrative. Two lives, one voice, one writer.”
Hilary Coombes
Find the story only you can tell
The Stories That Shape Us is for anyone who wants to write about a person, relationship, memory or experience that has shaped their life. You don’t need to think of yourself as a writer, and you don’t need to arrive with a finished idea.
Through gentle workshops and one-to-one guidance, Hilary will help you discover where your story begins, find the thread that holds it together and bring your memories vividly to life on the page.
There is no formal criticism, no pressure to perform and no expectation to share your work unless you choose to. This is your time to explore a story that matters to you.
Turn memories into stories
Begin with something real: a photograph, letter, recipe, treasured keepsake or another object that connects you to someone or something important in your life.
Through workshops, writing exercises and individual guidance, Hilary will show you how to use scene, voice, dialogue and sensory detail to turn those memories into vivid stories and develop your own authentic writing voice.
Meet Your Writing Tutor
Hilary Coombes
Hilary’s own remarkable story began when, having been adopted as a baby, she was reunited with her biological family nearly 50 years later. The experience inspired her Siblings series and gave her a deeply personal understanding of how the people and relationships that shape our lives can become the stories we need to tell.
An experienced author and tutor, Hilary’s warm, supportive approach helps writers of every level find their voice and tell their stories with confidence.
Inspired by Exmoor
Exmoor gives you space to slow down, reflect and notice the details that unlock memories: a familiar scent, birdsong, a landscape or the light on an old stone wall.
During the weekend, we’ll visit medieval Dunster for lunch and have time to explore. Hilary will encourage you to notice the details that can spark unexpected memories and bring them back to the page.
Leave with a Plan
This retreat is designed to help you keep writing long after the weekend ends. Before you leave, Hilary will work with you to identify the key moments in your story, the thread that holds it together and what comes next.
You’ll go home with pages already written, greater confidence in your own voice and a personal plan for continuing your story.
Everything is included
£995 per person
- Three nights’ luxury accommodation
- Afternoon tea on arrival
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner and refreshments throughout your stay
- A Sunday visit and lunch in historic Dunster, with transport included
- A signed copy of one of Hilary’s books
- A special goody bag
Designed as an intimate retreat, the weekend offers plenty of opportunities for individual guidance, shared conversation and personal reflection.
Join us for a memorable writing retreat in Exmoor
Among creative writing retreats in the UK, The Stories That Shape Us offers something particularly personal.
This is a weekend for slowing down, remembering and giving shape to a story that deserves to be told. You do not need previous experience. You only need curiosity, an open mind and something meaningful you would like to explore.
We hope you will join Hilary and a small group of fellow guests for this very special writing weekend.
Detailed itinerary for the Writing Retreat in Exmoor
From 3.00 pm: Arrival and welcome
Arrive at Pilgrim Corner, where we’ll show you to your room at either Pilgrim Corner or neighbouring The Old Sweet Shop.
From 4.00 pm: Afternoon tea
Join us whenever you’re ready for afternoon tea, so you can settle in, explore your surroundings, wander through the gardens, or simply enjoy a quiet cup of tea before the weekend begins.
6.00 pm: Welcome gathering at The Old Sweet Shop followed by dinner
An informal welcome from Hilary, introducing the weekend ahead. This weekend is not about being a writer. It is about discovering that you already have a story worth telling.
Guests are invited to share the object, photograph or keepsake they have brought with them.
We then stroll next door to Pilgrim Corner to enjoy our first dinner as a group.
8.00 am onwards: Breakfast is served in Pilgrim Corner. Just come when you’re ready. Each morning begins with a new writing prompt waiting beside your breakfast.
9.00 am – 11.00 am: Writing alongside another life
In this session, Hilary introduces the art of the parallel narrative, exploring naturally how to weave another person’s presence into your own story. Together, we’ll discover where your own story starts.
11.00 am: Coffee break.
11.30 am – 1.00 pm: The objects speak
Photographs. Letters. Recipes. Treasured keepsakes. Hilary explains how sometimes the smallest object opens the largest door into memory. Through a series of gentle exercises, guests begin writing from the memories these objects awaken.
1.00 pm: Light lunch. Followed by time to walk, read, relax or enjoy the gardens.
2.30 pm – 4.15 pm: Scene, sense and voice
Exploring the tools that make personal writing vivid rather than simply factual. How do we write a person so they come alive on the page? Not simply describing them, but capturing the way they speak, a familiar gesture or the habit that made them unmistakably themselves.
Through a series of short exercises, Hilary explores scene, voice and the sensory details that transform memory into experience.
4.15 pm – 5.00 pm: A moment of stillness
Weather permitting, we’ll spend a short time in the gardens or nearby surroundings. Hilary offers a simple writing prompt inspired by what you notice in the moment – a sound, a scent, the quality of the light, or simply a thought that surfaces in the quiet.
For those who prefer to stay indoors, the same prompt applies. Inspiration can come just as easily from the sound of rain at the window or footsteps in the hallway as it can from the landscape outside.
5.00 pm – 6.30 pm: Quiet writing time
Hilary will be available throughout for individual guidance and encouragement.
6.30 pm: Optional pre-dinner reading circle.
Guests who wish to may read a short passage. There is no critique, only warmth, encouragement and the experience of being truly heard. There is the opportunity to play your special piece of music during this session.
7.30 pm: Dinner.
8.00 am onwards: Breakfast is served in Pilgrim Corner. You’ll find your own prompt card at the table.
9.00 am – 11.00 am: Structure and thread
How do we discover what our story is really about? How do we decide what belongs and what can be left unsaid? This session explores the narrative thread that shapes every piece of writing and how to find yours.
11.00 am: Coffee break.
11.20 am – 12.30 pm: Writing time – deepening the craft
An extended period of writing with one-to-one guidance from Hilary. Time to develop confidence, discover your own voice and begin shaping your work.
12.30 pm: Lunch trip to Dunster village.
We’ll enjoy a delicious lunch at Tessa’s Tea Room before taking time to wander through the charming medieval village of Dunster. Notice the sounds, scents, colours, textures and moments. Look for a doorway that makes you wonder who once walked through it. Listen for a sound that reminds you of someone. Notice a scent that takes you somewhere you hadn’t expected. We return to Minehead by taxi at 2.40 pm.
3.00 pm – 4.30 pm: Voice and dialogue
Bringing another person alive on the page. Capturing the phrases, gestures and moments that make someone unmistakably themselves. Through a series of practical exercises, you’ll discover how the smallest details often reveal the deepest truths about the people we remember.
4.30 pm: Tea and homemade cake.
5.00 pm – 6.30 pm: Quiet writing time
A final extended opportunity to write with Hilary available throughout.
6.30 pm: Optional pre-dinner reading circle.
An opportunity for the group to celebrate the weekend’s discoveries.
7.30 pm: Dinner.
8.00 am onwards: Breakfast is served in Pilgrim Corner. Join everyone and find your last prompt card: What do you want to take home – not from the weekend, but from your own story?
9.00 am – 10.15 am: Shaping Your Story
Before leaving Exmoor, it’s time to look ahead. Hilary helps each guest sketch the shape of the piece they will continue writing after the retreat – identifying its key moments, the thread that holds it together and the journey still to come.
You’ll leave not only with pages already written, but with a clear roadmap for continuing your story at home.
10.15 am: Coffee and homemade cake.
10.45 am – 11.45 am: What Happens Next?
The retreat may be ending, but your writing journey is only just beginning. Hilary shares practical advice on maintaining momentum, developing your work and building a sustainable writing practice at home. There will be plenty of time for questions, discussion and individual guidance.
Hilary closes the retreat with a short reading from her own work.
As you leave, you’ll receive:
- A signed copy of one of Hilary’s books
- Your retreat booklet
- Your goody bag
And, perhaps most importantly, renewed confidence to continue telling your story.
By midday, it’s time to say goodbye. We hope you’ll leave not only with new pages to write, but with renewed confidence that your story matters.
Departure.
Writing retreat questions and answers
Yes. This is one of our writing retreats for beginners as well as more experienced writers. You do not need to have attended a workshop or written anything beforehand. Hilary will guide you gently through each stage.
The weekend shares some qualities with memoir writing retreats because it is based on real lives, people and memories. However, its particular focus is the parallel narrative, where your story is woven together with the life of someone important to you.
Not quite. Unlike many creative writing retreats, there is no fiction and no need to invent characters or plots. The material comes from your own experiences, memories, relationships and treasured objects.
The retreat takes place at Pilgrim Corner and The Old Sweet Shop in Minehead, Somerset, close to Exmoor National Park. It is suitable for guests looking for a writing retreat in the UK with luxury accommodation, a small group and a carefully hosted programme.
Please bring an object, photograph, letter, recipe or keepsake connected to someone or something you may wish to write about. You may also bring a special piece of music to share during an optional reading circle.
