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Join me for a one-to-one bespoke writing retreat in the beautiful city of York
What if…
What if you could design your own bespoke one-to-one writing retreat in the fairy-tale city of York?
What if you had access to tools, fresh insight, support and personalised feedback from an expert writing teacher and mentor?
What if it was flexible, lots of fun and designed to fit around your schedule?
Maybe group writing retreats are not practical for you or simply not your cup of tea?
My one-to-one writing retreats might be just what you’re looking for.
What exactly is a one-to-one writing retreat?
This is a special experience that we design together just for you.
You’ll spend a few days in the historic and atmospheric city of York, just a two hour train ride from London, and gateway to the moors and dales of the North Yorkshire National Parks, with their spectacular scenery, friendly people, picturesque towns and fantastic food.
In York, there are curious things to see at every turn. Explore York’s snickelways and secrets, and its many layers of history, which have inspired so many writers over the centuries. You’ll never be short of inspiration.
Walk the city walls, take a boat trip along the River Ouse or treat yourself to the finest North Yorkshire has to offer in the wonderful cafés and restaurants.
Choose the focus for your retreat…
Perhaps you want to hone in on a particular writing problem or challenge. Perhaps you need some support with working on an existing writing project or you’re seeking structure and inspiration to produce new work.
Perhaps you’d like to learn tools to help you to establish a creative writing practice that will nurture your health and wellbeing. Maybe you’re looking for an opportunity for some deep creative rest.
We’ll schedule a Zoom call before you arrive and together we’ll plan activities and a timetable that works for you and your writing.
I’ll help you to get clear on how you’d like to use your precious retreat time and how best I can support you.
Before you arrive, I’ll send you your bespoke schedule, including recommendations for accommodation, food and things to do (when you’re not writing).
Your retreat schedule might look something like this…
Day 1 (evening): Arrive in the beautiful city of York and walk or take a short taxi ride to your accommodation. (York is small and very walkable.)
I will meet you and accompany you to a special writing venue where we’ll spend a couple of hours working on our pre-agreed activities. You’ll enjoy dinner in one of York’s many fantastic restaurants or use the evening to focus on your writing.
Day 2: I’ll meet you for our next mentoring and writing session. We’ll review new writing you produced during the previous day and experiment with some prompts or exercises tailored to you. We’ll take a break, perhaps to walk the city walls or to share lunch and continue our writing conversations; and there’ll be plenty of free time for you to continue to write.
Day 3: We’ll meet for our final writing session, review and celebrate the progress you’ve made and plan next steps. There will be more free time for you to enjoy exploring the city or venturing further afield to the beautiful North Yorkshire countryside, small towns and coast.
What you need, in the way that works for you.
We’ll co-design your writing retreat to create the space that you need. You won’t need to fit in with anyone else’s timetable. You’ll have time to rest as well as write and you’ll return home with new enthusiasm for your creative practice.
Ever been on a retreat to find that, all too soon, you’re back in everyday reality, grappling with the same old problems and ‘stuckness’?
When you return home, I’ll follow up with a personalised plan designed to help you to integrate what you’ve learned into your everyday life.
❋ Frequently asked questions ❋
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No. I will make lots of suggestions and then you’re free to choose something that best fits your budget, tastes and circumstances. We can even make sure that you have your booking firmed up before agreeing your retreat dates.
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Yes, I’m happy to design something that works for two people travelling and staying together. However, I will need to work with you individually on your own personal writing, so please bear in mind that you’ll need to plan for individual writing sessions for each of you in your retreat timetable.
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Let’s talk! Some parts of York are very old with cobbled streets and high kerbs. Some buildings are not wheechair friendly. I want to ensure that my retreats are accessible to everyone and I can advise you about where to stay and how to ensure you can get the most out of your experience.
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CANCELLATION POLICY
All cancellation requests for paid bookings and events must be made in writing and sent via email to sophie@sophienicholls.com
Cancellation fees will be deducted from the full price on the following basis:
More than 6 months from the retreat start: 100% refund
Outside 90 days from the start: 75% refund
Between 89-30 days from the start: 50% refund
29-7 days from the start: 25% refund
Within 7 days from the start: no refund.
Because of the bespoke nature of the retreat and the time I spend preparing it, it is not possible to transfer your booking to another person.
It may be possible for me to hold your fees as credit towards a future retreat.
If the retreat has to be cancelled due to circumstances beyond my control, I will refund your money in full.
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The emphasis is on rest, fun and exploration, so I won’t assign any pre-work. However, we’ll discuss any reading that you might find helpful in our initial planning Zoom call.
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Please bring your favourite writing materials – notebook and pens, not just your laptop. You may also like to bring comfortable walking shoes and clothes for our unpredictable Yorkshire weather.
‘Sophie is a brilliant writing coach. She is very intuitive and has a way of identifying what’s needed to strengthen your work very quickly. She helped me to do more writing in three days than I’ve ever done before. As an academic, I am used to highly technical writing, but she helped me to think very differently about how to communicate my ideas.’
Walter Mérida, MeridaLabs
‘I would highly recommend Sophie as a book coach. She instils self belief and confidence and she has the gift of encouragement!’
- Rebecca Garnett
“Sophie Nicholls is an inspiration! She has been a part of my writing journey for several years now, and I have trusted her with my ideas and writing. Sophie is an outstanding teacher with deep domain knowledge of the craft of writing. As both a published author and respected academic she brings a wealth of experience to the process of writing and, most importantly, shares her knowledge without reservation. She is kind, gentle and nurturing and knows how to create 'safe spaces' within which developing writers can embed writing into their daily lives.’
— Peter Shah, Peter Shah Strategic Solutions
Ready to find out more?
Complete this short welcome questionnaire designed to help me to get to know more about you and your writing. If I think that my one-to-one writing retreat is a good fit for what you’re looking for, I’ll ask you to pay a deposit of £250 and we’ll schedule a Zoom call to plan your itinerary and discuss possible dates.
You’ll then book your accommodation and travel and I’ll ask you to pay the remainder of the retreat fee.
Book your one-to-one retreat
One-to-one bespoke writing retreat with Sophie
Limited availability for 2025-26!
One-to-one retreat in York
