Days here are shaped by the event you book onto rather than a single published schedule. The estate's own programme includes meditation and mindfulness sessions, forest bathing, awakening ceremonies, free-form dance, soulful music, alternative medicine, holistic health care and art projects. Between sessions the 50 acres are yours: a pond, a river, forest and hills to walk through.

What separates this from a purpose-built fitness retreat is the setting and the add-ons. Paddling is a big part of it — kayaking, canoeing and paddleboard tours on the Grey County waterways, with canoe rental available on site if you don't bring your own. Trail hiking is the other main draw, with waterfalls within reach: Hoggs Falls, Inglis Falls, Eugenia Falls, Walter's Falls and Indian Falls. For groups, the area also offers tree tracks, zip lining, a suspension bridge, caving and rock climbing as team-building activities.

Further afield you can spend a day at Sauble Beach on Lake Huron, where sandbar deposits keep the water shallow and warm, or drive to Tobermory on the Bruce Peninsula for the Grotto, Flowerpot Island, the Sweepstakes shipwreck and limestone cliffs over Georgian Bay. There is golf at The Ferns Golf Resort, Townsend Lake Golf Course and the 9-hole Markdale Golf and Curling Club, wine, beer and cider tasting tours that can be paired with paddling, a Scandinavian spa with saunas and outdoor hot and cold streams, and equine assisted therapy for grief, anxiety, disordered eating and relationship issues.

In winter the same land supports snowshoeing, cross country skiing, downhill skiing, snowmobiling and dog sledding. The site operates year-round and also works as an event venue for weddings, institutes and private groups, so the atmosphere varies with whoever is in residence.

The page does not name individual instructors or facilitators, and no qualifications are listed. If you want to know who is leading a particular event, ask before booking.

What's included

- Access to the 50-acre estate with pond, river, forest and hills - Participation in the scheduled programme for your event (meditation, mindfulness, forest bathing, ceremonies, dance, music, art projects and similar) - Use of indoor and outdoor event spaces - Chalet unit accommodation for overnight stays (arranged on request)

What's not included

- Travel to and from Markdale, Ontario - Canoe rental if you don't bring your own - Firewood (available to buy on site) - Optional excursions such as zip lining, caving, rock climbing, golf, spa visits, tastings and equine assisted therapy - Meals and drinks unless specified for your event - Travel insurance