Designed with writers like you in mind, the Writers’ Cabin is a creative sanctuary where you are invited to delve quietly into the inner realms of your work-in-progress and soak up the contemplative atmosphere of the Dyfi biosphere. Here, we host writers of all genres to stay on self-led getaways which include a complimentary private sauna session overlooking the Tarren mountain range near Machynlleth, mid Wales.
Within just a few months of opening in 2024, the Writers’ Cabin was chosen by journalist Rhiannon Batten at The Sunday Times showcasing seven of the best UK writing retreats for aspiring writers.
Your host, author coach Julia Forster also offers coaching from her consultation room on-site; Julia is the ‘in-house’ poet coach at the world’s first walk-in Poetry Pharmacy in Shropshire. Write Within coaching is a person-centred and bespoke service which unlocks the unique aspects of your creative practice and process.
Highlights:
- Enjoy a superlative night’s rest in the double bed with a 1200 pocket-sprung hypoallergenic mattress
- Write seated in a chair ergonomically designed for writers, to take care of your back
- Enjoy a complimentary sauna session to decompress after a long day of reading or writing
- Inspire your creative practice with the curated bookshelf on writing craft, in the bedside book nook
- Support your practice with an additional author coaching session with your host Julia
- Enjoy your complimentary bottle of bespoke pills from the Poetry Pharmacy
- Umpteen plug sockets, including USB mean you can keep all your writing devices fully charged
- Relax in the extensive private garden or even escape to Eryri (Snowdonia) National Park; the Park border is just a 10-minute drive away, with several beaches also within easy reach
Within you is the desire to write…
Write Within offers writer getaways at the Writers’ Cabin in mid Wales complete with a complimentary sauna session. Author coaching is also available in person with writer development specialist and fully qualified coach Julia Forster. Book a stay in the Writers’ Cabin if you’re looking for a stylish and comfortable writerly bolt hole from which to finesse your work-in-progress.
Your writing retreat host Julia Forster is a writer development specialist who has worked in the publishing industry for 25 years across multiple roles, including over two years at a Soho literary agency as well as jobs at Penguin, DK, and Barefoot Books. More recently, she has worked as the Co-Director of Being A Writer for The Literary Consultancy, and in freelance book PR with previous clients including Nine Arches Press, Little Toller and most of the publishers based in Wales. She co-conceived the New Welsh Writing Awards during her eight year tenure working at New Welsh Review, and she served on the Literature Wales bursary panel for many years, helping to award grants to writers. She has been based in mid Wales since 2010.
Her most recent published work is What a Way to Go (Atlantic Books, 2016) and she has also published a work of non-fiction, Muses. She’s appeared at Hay Festival, Gladstone’s Library and on BBC Radio 4 Woman’s Hour to discuss her writing. She is currently studying for a PhD in Creative Writing at Aberystwyth University to write a memoir, while her poetry collection is currently on submission. A regular tutor at Ty Newydd Writers’ Centre, Julia has also worked as an author coach at the Arvon Centre Totleigh Barton. She is represented by Sophie Lambert at C&W Agency.
Professional Coaching Qualifications
- Advanced Coaching Diploma with the Wise Goose School of Coaching completed in 2023 after 350 hours of study
- Analytic-Network Systems Certificate completed in 2021 after 128 hours of study
- Outdoors Intelligence for Online Coaching, short course with Wild Leadership in 2021
CPD
Professional Memberships
- Society of Authors
- National Association of Writers in Education (NAWE)
- Poetry Society
Insurance & Supervision
- Professional Insurance policy with Holistic Services Insurance. In line with the guidelines set by the Association for Coaching, Julia undertakes regular supervision.
Praise for What a Way to Go:
‘[a] winning debut… Funny, bleak and moving, with a poem at the end which reduced me to tears’ – The Daily Mail
‘funny… emotional… [What a Way to Go] also looks at the different facets of the relationships with the adults in [Harper’s] life quite beautifully.’ – The Sun
‘Poignant, sometimes laugh-out-loud funny and a fabulous portrait of the time.’ – Woman and Home
