The farm I couldn't wait to leave, and why we now retreat there

I grew up on a farm in North Wales, and as a child I found it painfully boring.

I distinctly remember one of our weekend activities: going into the woodland to plant trees. My siblings and I loathed it. We were cold and wet, and all we wanted was to be indoors, probably in front of the TV. Everywhere I looked there were mountains, rivers, lakes and trees, and I couldn't see the point of any of them. I hated the cold, I hated the winters and, if I'm honest, I hated Wales.

Looking back, it was an idyllic childhood. We were out in the woods and the garden all day, and I'd give a lot for my own children to have the same. At the time, I couldn't wait to leave.

Chasing the sun

So I left. I travelled from Australia to the Caribbean, Alaska to India, and what strikes me now is that I was always chasing the sun. I believed that sunshine, a tan and a size 8 body would make me happy, and I kept turning up in places where I was sure I'd find it.

I remember them all vividly. A beach in Antigua. The vast beaches of Western Australia. The mad beaches of Goa. And in every one of them, all I wanted was to be back in Wales.

One Christmas Day I rang my mum from a beautiful sailing yacht, anchored in a bay in St Lucia, looking up at the Pitons. I was working, looking after guests: someone else's family, having the time of their lives. I cried my heart out. I was so homesick, and I wished I was at home in the grey, the dark and the rain, with my family.

It took me a long time to understand why. Home is the people you share your life with, and the place where you make joy and memories and feel safe and loved. The bricks and mortar matter far less than that.

Coming home

Coming back to Wales after years of travelling was thrust upon me, and at first I resented it. I had pictured a glorious expat life in Sri Lanka, and I was disappointed to be living back in Wales.

Then one day in the depths of winter I was driving to teach a yoga class, wiper blades going ten to the dozen, and it hit me. This is it. This is my life: North Wales, weekly classes, living here with my parents!

Once I accepted that, I threw myself into Welsh life. I met people who introduced me to the outdoors and to exploring the countryside whatever the weather, winter included. Friends who rode bikes across mountains in the rain. Friends who dived into the sea in February, freezing and euphoric. I became one of those people.

Wales became and still is glorious. The green, the wild and the rawness of it make me happy, and the mountains, rivers, lakes and trees I was so tired of as a child are the reason I stay and raise my family here.

Why Wales is our favourite place for a winter retreat in the UK

When people ask me where to go for a winter retreat in the UK, my answer is always Wales. It has never been the fashionable choice. The farmhouses are working ones, London is a long way off, and nobody is styling anything for the camera. But the people I know here swim in the sea at dawn, or notice that the sun has come out at midday, down tools and go for a walk. Nobody here minds what you look like. Wear your softest jumper to dinner. You arrive as you are and you're welcomed as you are. It's an easy, generous way to live.

We retreat here because we love it, and because we know our team personally. If you choose to retreat here, it's usually because you sense you need something more, and a fresh perspective on the life you're living.

Two places I love for walking, swimming and yoga

There are two venues I adore, and they're where I feel happiest and most relaxed. Both make wonderful bases for walking retreats in Wales, with paths leading straight from the door.

The first is the Barn at Plas Ashpool, on the farm where I grew up, in the Vale of Clwyd. It sits on the edge of the Clwydian Hills, with hill forts and Roman paths above and views stretching for miles to Eryri (Snowdonia). There's a natural swimming pond, a fire pit, a kitchen garden and skies properly dark at night.

The second is Anglesey, with its miles of coastline, salt air and tides, and Eryri looking back at you from the other side of the water. The coastal path here is some of the best walking in Wales.

The luxury of these places is in the freedom to roam and relax. It is in the fire pit, the kitchen garden, the food made with care and the people looking after you.

What a day on a winter yoga retreat feels like

A day here starts with yoga, then a swim in the pond or the sea, at whatever pace suits you. There's a walk in the hills or along the coast, a long lunch, time for a nap or a book, and a slow dinner. Evenings end by the fire. On our winter yoga retreats, the days are shorter and the pace follows them: the fire is lit earlier, the dark skies come out sooner, and yoga feels especially good after a cold swim.

We keep the groups small, around twelve of us, and you don't need to be fit, fearless or good at yoga. Those of you who have been will know exactly what I mean.

Come for the mud

There is a small woodland at Plas Ashpool where, as a child, I loathed planting trees on those miserable, rain-drenched days. Thirty-five years on, I bask in those same trees while we wild swim in the pond there. These days I skip around Wales from one remote beach to another, from one lake to the next, with my children, my husband, friends or guests.



I could go on about Wales for hours. If you want a proper, hearty retreat, with muddy hills, waterfall dips and people who will look after you well, come to Wales, our home.

Explore Cold Water + Breath Retreats North Wales, November 2026 HERE

Explore Walking Retreats North Wales, November 2026 HERE

NOW TAKING BOOKINGS for Wales retreats 2027. Explore more HERE.

Laura Bell is the founder of Zest Life and has been leading yoga and wellness retreats in the UK and abroad for over a decade. A qualified yoga teacher and experienced retreat leader, she designs and hosts small group retreats rooted in nature, movement and genuine care. Laura also works with organisations to design and deliver bespoke corporate wellness programmes and retreats — bringing the same standards of quality and thoughtful facilitation to workplace wellbeing.