Beach School (SOLD OUT)

We’re repeating our Beach school for 2024 with a couple of changes and additions, but with the same ethos of fun, learning, and writing. Like last year, it is an absolute must for anyone who wants to write about the sea or shoreline.

We will be mostly writing outside, in a variety of extraordinary locations along the stunning Dumfries and Galloway coast. Our week will include: a slow swim down the River Cree with Swim the Lochs (this is a 1.3 mile adventure, suitable for any swimmers as it goes at a very slow pace and includes patches of walking where the river is too shallow – tow-floats are compulsory & will be provided); a mud-larking beach experience where The Freelance Ranger will teach you how to walk on estuary mud and to recognise the plants and the creatures who live in it before tucking you into a beachside hammock beneath the trees (we challenge you to stay awake); and an amazing foraging and outdoor cooking event with Christy Miles from Way of the Wild. We will scour the seashore and learn about seaweed, which beach plants and vegetables to eat, and how you can incorporate the natural world in your writing. A truly magical trip that will include – writing notebooks in hand – a foraged supper under a setting sun.

There will be opportunities for free writing time and excursions to write in seaside locations, as well as writing exercises and theory with Anstey to make the most of beach school for your novel.

If you ever include the sea or the shore in your story, this is the week for you.

All accommodation and meals – inside and out – are included (and wine/alcohol-free alternative with meals).
June 10th-15th £825 (5% discount for anyone booking two courses/retreats in any 12-month period)