Does any of this ring true: you’ve got a book project to finish writing, a PhD thesis to submit to deadline or a blog article you need to dream into being but you’re surrounded by distractions and you can’t find focus?

The Writers’ Cabin in mid Wales is your answer. Connect with nature and your work-in-progress on a self-led writer’s retreat in this cosy but luxurious cabin with a writing-focused interior, inspirational art and books, and your own private sauna overlooking the Tarren mountain range in beautiful mid Wales. This self-catering sanctuary comfortably sleeps two, and is designed for writers like you who need space and quiet to work on your creative endeavours, no matter the genre. Here, you can drop back in to your creative practice and find the inner peace you crave to make creative leaps.

Within just a few months of opening in 2024, this writer’s retreat was chosen by journalist Rhiannon Batten at The Sunday Times in a feature showcasing ‘seven of the best UK writing retreats for aspiring writers.’

The Writers’ Cabin boasts all the modern amenities you’ll need including super-fast satellite WiFi, stationery and plenty of plug sockets, including USB, to keep your laptop fully charged. You’ll find a proper oak writing desk and a comfortable swivel office chair facing a window with a picturesque view of the rolling hills where you can let your imagination take flight without distraction. The cabin is insulated to a superlative standard, meaning you will be cosy even in the depths of winter and stay cool in the peak summer weeks:

“I didn’t even have the radiator on and I had to open a window. In November! Highly, highly recommended.” – Recent Guest

Curious writing-inspired objects as well as books on the creative process populate the writer’s retreat to inspire you throughout your creative holiday. And you’ll receive a complimentary bottle of bespoke poetry pills, courtesy of the Poetry Pharmacy, on arrival.

If you’re in need of a boost, add a 90-minute author coaching session in-person with Julia to your booking which you can schedule during your stay (available on weekdays, subject to availability). Or you can book a one-to-one creative walk in the Dyfi Valley with local photographer Brad Carr during your writer’s retreat (subject to availability, see FAQ below for more information).

We have a three-night minimum stay policy at the Writers’ Cabin. You can choose either to stay from Friday – Monday (3 nights); Monday – Friday (4 nights); Monday – Monday/Friday – Friday (7 nights), or Friday to Monday (10 nights). The price includes the option to enjoy one complementary session in the spacious sauna. Check availability and book now via the calendar below.

If there are dates you want to stay that don’t align with our availability / length of stays, please reach out via the contact page to see if I can accommodate your request. Want to know what other guests think of the writer’s retreat? Read our testimonials here.

Highlights at the writer’s retreat:

• 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 during your writer’s retreat
• Be romanced by nature on a one-to-one nature-based walk with Brad Carr
• Enjoy your complimentary bottle of bespoke pills from the Poetry Pharmacy (just 40 miles away)
• Umpteen plug sockets, including USB mean you can keep all your writing devices fully charged
• Relax in the large private garden, or escape to Eryri (Snowdonia) National Park; the Park border is just a 10-minute drive away, with several beaches also within easy reach

The Cabin has been hand-built by local craftspeople and is inspired by North American design. The larch it’s constructed with was felled from a woodland across the lane and the cabin is built to a extremely high environmental specification. It is fully insulated with double-glazed windows and a radiator, so you will stay snug during your stay nd won’t have to worry about indoor air quality issues associated with wood-burning stoves.

The writer’s retreat comfortably sleeps up to two people, based on two sharing the double bed or one sleeping in the double and one on the pull-out sofa bed. It includes a kitchen with a two-ring hob, fridge, microwave and all the utensils you’ll need (but do note that there is no oven).

We have hosted creatives on their writer’s retreat bringing their Arts Council-funded projects; academics writing up their PhDs; comedians finessing their stand-up routines ahead of the Machynlleth Comedy Festival, poets completing their collections and novelists dreaming up their protagonist’s next adventure. All creatives are welcome!

The spa-inspired shower room, toilet and sauna are in an adjacent building, down a short flight of steps just 15 yards away. You can download our access document here which is available in plain text, large print or on a coloured background format, upon request.

Extras during your writer’s retreat may include:

• Supplementary sauna sessions are available subject to availability, upon arrangement during your stay (£45 for a 90-minute session)
• An author coaching session can be added at the check-out for mid-week guests (£90 for a 90 minute session)
• Book an additional one-to-one creative walk with local photographer Brad Carr in the Dyfi Valley subject to availability (£85 for 90 minutes, book direct with Brad)

Booking with us helps us to collaborate with writer development partners on hosting authors who wouldn’t otherwise be able to access a writer’s retreat.

Good to know:

• Easy to get to via public transport: a remote setting, yet only three miles from Machynlleth. The town is served by direct trains from Birmingham with guest pick up/taxis available
• Three-night minimum stay
• Author coaching with Julia is £90 (available weekdays only, subject to availability)
• Owners live on-site, about 60m from the writer’s retreat. They are available if any issues arise. The Cabin has been carefully orientated towards the mountain range and screened by trees, so you will feel secluded
• Pull-out single sofa bed should you like to bring an extra person or colleague (note there is no door between the bedroom and study)
• The shower room, toilet and sauna are in an adjacent building, down a short flight of steps just 15 yards away

Listen to Kathryn Tann’s podcast This Place to hear more about the background to the writer’s retreat – and also to eavesdrop on the soundscape which surrounds the Writers’ Cabin…

FAQ