Camping and Yoga Retreats in Wales
2025 Retreat: 13-15 June at The Forge, Corwen – Bookings are now open!
Welcome to nurture your soul
Welcome to a retreat with a soul – taking you back to nature and back to basics. Allow yourself to connect with your roots, with mother earth.
During the retreat, you’ll be staying at a stunning site in Mid Wales (see more details below) with glamping options and option to bring your own tent or campervan. All my camping retreats are self catering to offer something different and an opportunity for you to choose what and when you want to eat. This is reflected in the retreat price and allows me to offer more affordable retreats alongside the fully catered ones I do. On all these retreats you will get a small food hamper with snacks and some ingredients plus we have a shared meal on Saturday (either bbq or pizza).
I collaborate with some amazing teachers on these retreats and always ensure that the whole site is booked for the retreat – so there will only be people on site who are part of our retreat.
This retreat will be raw and beautiful, filled with making memories, gazing at stars, wild swimming, dancing in the wild flower meadows (if you so choose), feeling the earth beneath your feet and connecting with all elements. Come alone or with friends, this will be time to connect and share, to let go of stress and worries and find a real connection – with yourself, with nature and with other like minded people.
Summer yoga retreat at the Forge Corwen 13 – 15 June 2025
Join Mel (Melissa Monks Yoga) and to welcome summer for a weekend of connecting through seasonal movement on the yoga mat, unwinding in the on site sauna and swimming lake, gentle mindful walking in the local area and relaxing under the summer night skies.
This is our 5th year of running a summer retreat together and this year we are going to this exciting new venue which has a wonderful energy and close connectivity to nature, which is at the heart of our retreats. On this retreat we have a limited number of spaces and we have an indoor yoga space with a log burner to practice if the weather is unkind and for a cosy yoga nidra. The outdoor covered space offers the space for practicing yoga and qigong outdoors.
For this Finn, the big draw to this place is the on site wood heated sauna and swimming lake which is included in your retreat.
As with our summer retreats, this is a self catering retreat, but you will get a food basket included in your retreat (see full details below of what is included) and on Saturday night we will do a shared pizza night where we will provide the bases and tomato sauce and you can bring your toppings of choice to make your pizza.
Timetable and what to expect
Please note, these might change slightly due to weather. The below is to give you an idea of the rhythm for the retreat. Everything on the retreat is optional – you can take part as much or as little as you like.
Friday – Settle
- Arrivals from 16:00 on Friday to set up camp and chill out. You will receive a welcome drink and cake on arrival.
- Welcome circle, yoga and meditation under the summer night sky or covered yoga space
- Sauna and wild swim
- Candlelit yoga nidra
Saturday – Explore
- Early morning qigong with Anja
- Morning flow yoga with Mel
- Gentle mindful local walk
- Sauna and wild swim
- Evening yin yoga and meditation with Mel and Anja
- Joint pizza night (pizza cooked fresh on site)
Sunday – Relax
- Sunday is time to relax and have a lie in so we enjoy a slower flow practice and closing circle later in the morning
- Free time to go for a walk, relax and wild swim
- Departures by 14:00 on Sunday
Accommodation Types and Prices 2025
Prices are per person based on 2 sharing (apart from bringing your own tent/camper). Read more below about options and single occupancy of pitches and types of accommodation. There are only limited bell tents for single occupancy and limited number of bringing your own.
Tent/Campervan pitch: £275pp
Bring your own tent or campervan. The most economic way to enjoy your retreat. You will get plenty of space to yourself. Use of compost loos and hot showers on site plus a fully equipped kitchen for preparing food. You will also receive a food basket with tea, coffee, hot chocolate, sugar, fresh milk, rapeseed oil, salt, pepper, eggs, homemade granola, fruit and flapjacks. There are limited spaces available.
Bell tent: £375pp (based on 2 sharing). Single occupancy £525 for the whole tent or if 3 sharing £350pp
These 5 meter heated (wood fire) bell tents are all pitched and set up for you with a double bed and 2 single beds so can sleep up to 3 people. They have their own decking area, camping kitchen, composting loo and hammock. We have 2 available on single occupancy. There are 3 shared hot showers on site.
- bedding, blankets and hot water bottle
- fresh towels
- basket with logs with kindling and fire lighters
- bin bags, ice packs, tea towels and kitchen roll
- food basket inlcuding: tea, coffee, hot chocolate, sugar, fresh milk, rapeseed oil, salt and pepper, eggs, homemade granola, honey, jam, fruit and flapjacks
- 2x gas rings with kettle, saucepan and frying pan
- cool box with ice packs which will be replenished throughout the retreat
- cooking kit, crockery, cutlery, glasses plus washing up equipment
- solar powered phone chargers, lights and head torches (no electric sockets in bell tents)
- tea lights, LED storm lanterns, head torch
- picnic bench and log stools
- hammock
- toilet paper
Bluebell Corner: £400pp based on 2 sharing or £550 for single use of the unit
A vintage gypsy caravan designed specifically for one or two adults, the caravan is an original gypsy bow top, with a double bed, log burning stove and lots of quirky storage space. There is also an adjacent log cabin with a kitchen and dining area, including a cosy sofa, running water and a gas hob. Outside you have a secluded garden with fire pit and rustic outdoor furniture, plus a private composting toilet and hot shower. See full details here
A non refundable deposit of £80 per person is required at booking. A balance of £100 per person is due 60 days prior to the retreat (or you can pay your final balance along with this as well). The final balance is due 30 days prior to the retreat. Please see full terms and conditions here.
What is included
- 3 days/2 nights in the stunning eco-camping site with plenty of space – the site is exclusively booked for the retreat
- Use of on site sauna and wild swimming lake
- Use of individual kitchens for bell tents or communal kitchen for cooking
- Beautiful facilities and spaces for yoga and relaxing
- All yoga classes, activities and workshops stated in the programme throughout the retreat
- Fire wood
- Welcome drink and cake
- Food basket as stated above and pizza bases&tomato sauce for Saturday night’s shared pizza night
What is not included
- Tent unless you are staying in the bell tents or glamping unit
- Food – this retreat is self catering but I will provide some ingredients and snacks as stated above.
- Travel to and from the retreat.
- Travel insurance
About the site
In 2025 we are venturing to a new site called the Forge which is a stunning spot in Corwen in North Wales.
The Forge provides a space for you to relax, unwind and reconnect with nature, by staying in their eco-glamping accommodation. Founded on the principles of sustainability and rewilding, helping others to rekindle a love and appreciation for the natural world is at the heart of everything they do. There is a 4 acre wild flower meadow, iron-age hillfort, wood fired sauna and a small wild swimming lake by the sauna!
Each bell tent is heated (log burner) and comes fully equipped with its own separate camp kitchen next to the tent, own private composting loo, sun deck and hammock (see more above for full list of what is in the tents).
The Forge has become a magical place for people from all walks of life to come and enjoy and learn about the benefits of the great outdoors and reconnecting with nature.
To read more about the site click here
The teaching team on your retreat
During these retreats, I team up with some amazing teachers and other experts to bring you a beautiful experience. Meet Mel below in addition to a few words from me. On some of the retreats there are activities included and some optional ones to add at an extra cost.
A message from Anja:
I’m Anja, yoga & mindfulness teacher based in Wales. I love nothing more than being in nature and walking in the beautiful surroundings of my home valleys of Mid Wales. I offer a safe space for your yoga practice, and a nurturing guidance to support your health and wellbeing. Yoga is for every body and every soul – I offer a blend of styles with main focus on gentle explorative flow, qigong and relaxing yin yoga. Yin is my thing and what really lights me up!
I also want you to have some fun on the mat – not only as a result of my bad jokes but also during your exploration on the mat. A little playful light-heartedness is so important for us adults.
I am passionate about sharing yoga in the outdoors, embracing the seasons and connecting with nature. As an environmental scientist and having grown up around the forests in Finland, I love sharing things about rivers, trees and nature.
The most important aspect of my teaching is that you arrive on your mat just as you are, there is no pressure on doing poses and you choose what feels good in your body on the given day. Everything is truly optional. As I say often to my students: I am here to guide you but you are in your body!
A message from Mel:
Hi I’m Mel and I have been fortunate enough to teach yoga classes, workshops and retreats for the past 10 years! My teaching is inspired by many different styles of yoga including Hatha, Vinyasa, Yin and Seasonal Yoga. I integrate both philosophy and anatomy into my teaching, and I am influenced by the seasons and how this relates to the natural cycles in nature, our energy levels, organs in the body and our diet.
My intention is to help people feel great, in both body and mind, and to create a space for you to feel supported and concentrate on your well-being. Above all, my teaching has a real sense of fun and community spirit. We are friendly, we laugh and we don’t take things too seriously!
I am also a Holistic Lifestyle and Nutrition coach, and love helping clients to make positive changes in all elements of their life and well-being. Emotionally, mentally, physically, spiritually and energetically. This holistic approach is something that I incorporate into my teachings and personal life.
Book for 2025 Retreats
Please use the booking form below to book your spot. Make sure you have read the details of the accommodation type above and check that only the accommodation you want to book is highlighted before submitting payment.
Summer Yoga Retreat
13-15 June 2025 at the Forge, Corwen, North Wales
Tent/Campervan pitches fully booked (please get in touch for waiting list). Bell tents and Bluebell corner available!