Wild swimming, sound baths, and yoga in a chapel: how I spent four days at Sunsetbay Retreats
No matter your interests, there will be a wellness retreat for you. Recent trends see these breaks becoming ever more expansive in nature – 2023 has seen a move towards incorporating art, dance, psychedelics and even neuropsychology into the agenda – but despite my love of a a good massage and a luxurious hotel spa, I'd never experienced a dedicated wellness retreat myself.
It's why, while all my friends were headed off to Glastonbury festival, I opted to distract myself from the FOMO by hopping on a train to Wales, ready to check into Sunsetbay Retreats for its annual Summer Solstice event.
Sunsetbay Retreats, set up in 2019, is run by Pineapple Studios dance teacher Maggie Paterson and her partner Graham Lyon. They’ve taken their considerable experience visiting retreats across the world to create their own program of three and four-day breaks, thoughtfully curated for each season.
The location
Sunsetbay Retreats is located in Tywyn, Wales, on the Cardigan Bay coast. The beach is a 10-minute walk away, and the town, one of the less touristy spots in summer, is nestled among rolling hills punctuated with lazy lakes and happily grazing livestock. Pulling into the station, this pastoral scene alone was enough to help my stress levels drop, but my home for the next four nights proved just as lovely.
The retreat is run out of a former Gothic chapel, with room for small groups of 12 each time. Each room has been decked out in soothing tones with a suitably beachy theme – and my luxuriant super-king bed was an additional sweetener! A big kitchen-diner made a lovely social spot for chatting and group meals, while the well-manicured garden features a hot tub, of which I, naturally, took full advantage in the evenings.
But it’s the beautifully airy triple-height former worship area, around which the bedrooms and additional spaces wrap, that’s the star of the show. Filled with twinkly candles and the gentle waft of incense, the space evokes a sense of peace and tranquillity straight away. It’s an intuitive spot for yoga practice – far more so than the class area at the gym – and makes a natural base for a few days of R&R.
The activities
The bulk of the activities held at the retreat – a mix of yoga sessions, a sound bath and an evening of live music – are hosted in this cavernous chapel space. Upon arrival, you head straight for a complimentary 30-minute massage, which helped me shake off the stuffy five-hour train journey and feel immediately at ease.
From then, the agenda comprises a mix of the more holistic, including yoga and meditation, with optional additional reflexology, reiki, massage and tarot readings, with gentle exercise including regular romps in the countryside, a paddleboarding session and a splash of cold water swimming in the nearby Talyllyn lake.
A pleasant cast of characters dropped in and out throughout to guide us through the various activities. Yoga teacher Frankie Walker ran twice-daily sessions in the morning and evening, and was very patient with my near-total inflexibility. She also took us for a dreamy beach meditation at sunset on the first night; I don’t do nearly enough of this day-to-day, and feeling my body relax against a backdrop of gently lapping waves was a welcome treat.
For the daily hill walks, local resident Phil Robin, who's lived in the area his whole life – bar a short stint in Costa Rica when he got into iguana conservation – was our charismatic, affable guide. Don’t expect to tackle Mount Snowden; the hikes aren’t challenging, but there were a couple of steeper moments made worth it for the views from the top.
On the third day, the British weather got the better of us, making for a rainy, invigorating blast on our lake swim. Hugged on all sides by super-green hillsides doused in an atmospheric layer of fog, it was a restorative highlight of the experience. We had better weather for our spell on the paddleboards and all of us made it through without falling off; apparently a first for the Sunsetbay Retreat cohort.
There were also some new experiences. I’d never done a sound bath before, but it was another highlight. Tucked under a blanket, lavender eye pillow in place, my mind went to some interesting places – inexplicably, it made me think of tigers – but judging by the snoring next to me, others took the occasion for a nap! It’s rare to find a moment for such encompassing relaxation and none of us were quick to move from our mats post-session.
The weekend’s activities were rounded off with an evening of folk singing and traditional Welsh storytelling by talented local historian Gwilym Morus-Baird, rounded off with a glass of organic red. This was a lovely way to finish up, helping to deepen our new connection with the beautiful Welsh landscapes we’d been enjoying throughout.
The food
We were treated to three fully vegan meals a day, cooked freshly onsite by Catherine Humphrys from Wildings Vegan Kitchen. Every day, we sat down to a selection of fresh juices, pretty salads topped with edible flowers and a diverse selection of meals that really demonstrated the depth and variety of what’s possible with a plant-based diet. A Thai-style roasted aubergine dish and a rich, tomatoey Greek stew were standouts, as was an impossibly smooth and creamy cashew nut cheesecake I could hardly believe contained no dairy.
Indeed, one of my main takeaways from the retreat was to vow to renew attempts to introduce more fully plant-based meals into my diet. I don’t eat badly in general, but I was struck by how quickly I felt the positive effects of a few days off my usual rotation of lunchtime Pret sandwiches and easy post-work pasta dishes. At the very least, my jeans fit more comfortably by the end, to the point that a friend actually commented on how well I looked.
But honestly? My main takeaway at the end was how deliciously indulgent it felt to have a few days without needing to think. Aside from during the yoga classes, I barely had to lift a finger all weekend.
I mentioned this to Graham, who said a previous retreat-goer felt the same, commenting to him how people started to look physically different as the days unfolded and stresses began to drop. One woman on my retreat was there for the third year in a row.
It highlights how simple the concept of ‘wellness’ can be. I can’t promise I won’t be tempted by the next shiny new treatment that promises to do it all. But when it comes down to it, all you really need to feel good is some nutritious food and regular movement – and perhaps a spell in the Welsh countryside.
A bonus? It also makes a fab distraction from a torrent of Glastonbury Instagram updates. Win win!
Book a Sunsetbay Retreat via The Retreater or visit the website here.
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