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Pilgrim’s Weekend 2016

15/04/2016 - 17/04/2016

£45 – £185

Finding Our Home

With special guest Emma Restall-Orr (on Saturday evening)

Many of us who have moved house recently (or not so recently) have a story to tell about how we found our home. Were you called by the land? Or did the house just tell you that it was waiting for you? A few people feel that anywhere in the world can be their home, but most people 'know' when a particular place is right for them. But how do we actually find that special place?

The Gatekeeper Trust is full of people who have a special relationship with the land, who walk consciously upon the Earth and tune into its special qualities. But the land affects us in all areas of our lives, not just when we pilgrimage, and especially in how we find our homes. Through the sharing of our stories and anecdotes, through walking on this special part of the land at Holycombe, through exploring the ancient site of the Rollright Stones, through our links with the landscape around us and the skies above us, this weekend is the opportunity to start to discover how we 'find our home'.

Contributors to the weekend:

Lucy Wyatt - through following the horses;
Charlotte Yonge - through visualisation and making mandalas;
Fiona Hopes - how the land called me via the internet;
Stephen Thomas - finding a home in the centre of a famous sacred site;
Sarah Dawkins - the story of how Peter and Sarah moved to their own small cottage after many years in a large rambling old farmhouse, and what it really took to find their home there;
Richard Douglas - astrocartography;
Sally Birtwell - how they found the site as a scrapyard and had to hold the vision of turning it into a home (tbc);
Ron Dudley-Smith - why the Rollright Stones are 'home' for him
Emma Restall-Orr - the spirits of place and home, particularly in relation to the locality and surrounding countryside

The Venue:

This annual Gatekeeper Trust event is residential this year, based in the stunning holistic retreat centre of Holycombe, in the village of Whichford, Oxfordshire. The centre is 'set in a verdant wooded valley on the edge of the Cotswold village of Whichford. A natural stream rises from a holy well in the nearby wood, passes though the grounds and down a waterfall. The sound of running water adds to the sense of peace and tranquillity. A coppice provides shady outdoor space; there is a campfire area and a large stone circle on the castle site. Across a meadow is the ancient Whichford wood with many rare species of trees and plants, an abundance of wood anemones, primroses and bluebells in spring; chestnuts, blackberries and sloes in autumn. Wildlife abounds: everything from Muntjack to polecats and kingfishers. Set in six acres, Holycombe is built in the grounds of a Norman Castle, and has a water­filled moat, habitat for carp and dragonflies.' http://www.holycombe.com/

Although the weekend is residential, there are opportunities to stay in a local B&B if you prefer, and to attend for just Saturday or just Sunday.

Programme:

The programme for the weekend will include sharing and discussions about finding our home, what it takes to really make a place into a home, and how the land and landscape affect us in ways both obvious and subtle. There will also be a talk on Astrocartography, the way the stars influence our place on Earth. We will also take time to explore the fabulous grounds of Holycombe, for a visit to the Rollright Stones, and to share our stories and experiences of pilgrimage during the past year. We will also have Paneurythmy on Sunday morning, and lots of good food throughout the whole weekend.

Tickets:

Tickets can be purchased online at the bottom of this page, or you can send a cheque, payable to 'Gatekeeper Trust', to Gatekeeper Trust Secretary, 14 Upper Close, Forest Row, East Sussex, RH18 5DX.

Residential/shared acc. = £185 (includes 3 meals per day)

Residential/single occupancy = £215 (includes 3 meals per day) - PLEASE ASK FOR DETAILS

Non-residential = £115 (includes 2 meals per day)

Saturday only = £60 (includes 2 meals)

Sunday only = £45 (includes 1 meal)

Details

Start:
15/04/2016
End:
17/04/2016
Cost:
£45 – £185
Event Category:
Website:
http://gatekeeper.org.uk/events/pilgrims-weekend-2016/

Organiser

Gatekeeper Trust
Phone
0300 123 7723
Email
secretary@gatekeeper.org.uk

Venue

Holycombe
Whichford
Shipston-on-Stour, Warwickshire CV36 5PH United Kingdom
+ Google Map
Phone
01608 684239
View Venue Website