Retreats for Women to Create, Rest and Be Heard

Margaret Soraya · Writer, artist and photographer.

Small retreats for women in beautiful, quiet places around the UK, from the Isle of Harris to the Pembrokeshire coast, with writing, art, photography and plenty of time to rest, as well as the Creative Light festival, a gathering of creativity, wellbeing and good company

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WELCOME

SPACE TO COME BACK TO YOURSELF

Most women arrive tired, after long journeys and busy lives, and for the first day or two they are still searching, wanting to see everything and make the most of every moment. I gently remind them to breathe first, to sit a while and let themselves settle, because resting is the first step to creating, and so much of the creating happens after the retreat, from the space it opened up. Somewhere around the third day the house goes quiet, with someone asleep under a blanket by the window, others writing in their rooms or wandering the beach collecting stones, and that is when I know the retreat has truly begun.

You don’t need to call yourself a writer or an artist to come, or worry about whether you are good enough to be there. Come as you are, rest, be heard, and share stories with a small group of women who will quickly come to feel like friends.

WHAT'S COMING UP

RETREATS AND FESTIVAL

Waterwynch House in golden light at the end of its private cove, Pembrokeshire writing retreat for women

COASTAL HIDEAWAY WRITING RETREAT

Pembrokeshire, Wales · 14 to 20 March 2028

A week at Waterwynch House, with its own private cove near Tenby, guest authors Joey Hulin and Chloe Heuch, sea dips, sound baths and bonfires on the beach. From £2,700.

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Women sketching on the beach on a creative retreat on the Isle of Harris

WORDS, ART & WELLNESS

Isle of Harris · 4 to 10 June 2027

Writing, painting and rest on the Isle of Harris, among white sand beaches and turquoise seas, in a small group of women. £2,825. Last few places.

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Autumn trees reflected in Loch Insh, home of the Creative Light Festival

CREATIVE LIGHT FESTIVAL

Loch Insh, Highlands · 28 to 31 October 2027

Four days of creativity, community and connection beside Loch Insh, with workshops, talks and time outdoors among the mountains and the water. £950.

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THE FESTIVAL

CREATIVE LIGHT

LOCH INSH, HIGHLANDS · OCTOBER 2027

Every two years I bring together a gathering of artists, writers, photographers and curious souls beside Loch Insh for four days of creativity, community and connection, with inspiring talks, hands-on workshops, walks among the autumn trees and long evenings of good food and conversation in the boathouse by the water.

 

Writing sessions in the living room
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TALKS
WORKSHOPS
COMMUNITY
LOCH INSH
Margaret Soraya, writer, artist and photographer, who runs creative retreats for women

ABOUT ME

HELLO, I'M MARGARET

I'm a writer, artist and photographer, and I've lived and worked on the Isle of Harris for many years, painting, writing and photographing the light on the sea. I have published four books of poems, paintings and photographs, and I've been leading workshops and retreats since 2018, slowly shaping them into what they are now, gentle weeks for women who need space to rest and to find their own voice again.

I have walked my own path through tiredness and the quiet questioning that so often comes in midlife, which is perhaps why the women who come on my retreats so often say they feel understood.

Shaped by the Sea, poems and paintings by Margaret Soraya

WRITING & BOOKS

Poems, paintings and photographs

Four books inspired by the sea, the islands and the quiet moments in between, including Shaped by the Sea and Within Hebridean Seas.

See my books

The road through the Bays of Harris towards The Galerie art gallery in Geocrab

THE GALERIE

Geocrab, Isle of Harris · Open through the summer

My small gallery in the Bays of Harris, with original paintings, fine art photography, books and handmade gifts inspired by the Hebridean coast.

Visit The Galerie

STAY IN TOUCH

QUIET MOMENTS

My newsletter is where I share writing, paintings and photographs from the islands, thoughts on rest and creativity, and the first news of new retreats and the Creative Light festival, often before they are announced anywhere else.

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