A peaceful, secluded 70-acre wood, lovingly cared for, with a diversity of landscapes and wildlife, is an ideal setting for many forms of retreat. A number of the groups at Hazel Hill are retreats, but now facilities are available for solo or small group retreats, using the Forest Ark. Under the terms of our planning permission, total human use of the wood is limited to 70 nights per year, so retreat bookings have to fit within this. There are two potential formats for retreat bookings:

- Some of the groups using the main buildings are willing to share the wood with retreat users at the Ark. This will always be by prior agreement by both bookings, and with an arrangement to give both sets of users access to part of the wood. Typically, a retreat booking in the Ark would include access to the eastern and northern parts of the wood.

- Less frequently, the total level of bookings for the year may mean that one or two solo or small retreat bookings at the Ark can be made with exclusive use of the whole wood, especially if these bookings are only for two nights.

If you are interested in a retreat booking, we will need to meet you beforehand to ensure that you understand the facilities, and that your programme is compatible with the aims and restrictions at Hazel Hill. It is ideal if you can participate in one of the group programmes, such as a Conservation weekend, as a way of getting to know the team. If that is not possible, we will ask you to come to the wood to meet one of our team before we can confirm the booking.

The Forest Ark can accommodate 1-6 people, but 3-4 is more typical for retreat use. The sleeping accommodation is as follows:

- Main bedroom with a double bed, and space for a single bed, with en suite disabled bathroom.

- Small second bedroom with a double bed.

- The third bedroom doubles as a cooking/eating space, and has a sofa convertible into two single beds.

The sustainable systems in the Ark for heating, electricity and water are expensive and need training to operate. We will need to arrange for you to arrive at a time when one of our staff can brief you on how to operate these systems. Full written instructions are also available. The charges for use of the Ark for retreats in 2013 are as follows: please note that these prices are per person per night:

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To enquire about availability, please contact our Warden, Simon Wyre on 07769598141.