Lakeside Yoga & Wellbeing Weekend in the Lake District

The retreat is based at a hotel right on Lake Windermere, which means the lake is a two-minute walk from your room and the boat pier is outside the door. Mornings start at 7am with a sunrise flow in the private yoga room — some guests follow it with a swim in the lake before breakfast. Breakfast is a continental buffet with hot dishes, served at your own pace, and the main morning yoga class is at 10am. Before lunch there's a choice of journalling or somatic breathwork. Lunch itself isn't included, so most people eat at the hotel or walk into Bowness-on-Windermere.

Afternoons are the quieter half of the day. There's usually a mindful walk, sometimes a session on yogic philosophy, and an extended 90-minute restorative class at 2pm that finishes with props and blankets rather than effort. Dinner is a three-course meal taken as a group at 6:30pm, and the day closes at 9pm with either a guided bedtime meditation or a sound bath. That's five possible sessions a day, but none of them are compulsory and the teacher adjusts the level depending on who's in the room.

The hotel has a pool, sauna, steam room and Jacuzzi, plus a fully equipped gym if you want to train between classes. Treatments like facials and massages can be booked directly with the spa. If you'd rather be out in the landscape, you can walk the shore path, take a boat from the hotel's own pier to Ambleside or Brockhole, or join the group for a dip in Windermere.

What separates this from a generic hotel yoga break is the group. Twelve retreats in, most guests are repeat bookers, and the WhatsApp group and friendships that come out of the weekend come up in almost every review. The teacher asks that you try a regular class with her first if you can, so you know whether her style suits you before committing — that's unusual, and it tells you something about how the weekend is pitched.

The retreat runs twice a year, in March and October. Both weekends are Friday to Monday, and you choose between two nights or three at the point of booking. Deposit is £150 regardless of room type or duration, with the balance due eight to twelve weeks before you travel.

What's included

- 2 or 3 nights accommodation (depending on option chosen) - En-suite double/twin or single room - All yoga, movement and meditation sessions - Daily breakfast (continental buffet plus hot options) - Three-course dinner each evening - Sound baths - Breathwork and journalling sessions - Mindful walks - Use of hotel pool, sauna, steam room, Jacuzzi and gym

What's not included

- Lunch - Evening drinks - Spa massages and facials - Travel to the hotel - Travel insurance - Personal expenses