Forgather Seaside Retreat 2025

 
 

Vitamin Sea…

In April this year, we enjoyed the ultimate seaside retreat, for some deep relaxation, nourishment and moments of wonder shared with a great group of folk.

Our retreat home this April was Tors Park, nestled against the rugged Exmoor coastline, with wooded grounds and panoramic views of Lynmouth harbour. The few days we planned were designed to be like a soothing hug, an antidote to our always-on lifestyles to give us time to relax, re-energise and reflect.

Running from Thursday to Sunday, this three-night trip included a string of magic moments to both challenge and warm the soul: from cliff top hikes and wild swimming to a foraging adventure, yoga sessions, stargazing and an invigorating sauna and guided ice-bath plunge.

We took time to unwind in Tors Park’s luxury apartments in North Devon designed with rejuvenation and reconnection in mind. Each with its own kitchen, wood burning stove, terrace and deliciously comfy bedrooms. Our ‘hub’ for our chef-prepared meals and evening conversations was the epic Ocean Terrace and group yoga took place on the tented deck, with a breathtaking view over the sea. 

We spent our time out enjoying nature, relaxing our bodies and minds, and enjoyed a feeling of community with a great group of people. Guests joined solo, as a couple, or with a friend or loved one. We had plenty of time for conversation and connection, but also quiet moments carved out for reading, spa treatments or just looking out to sea.

See some of our photos from Retreat 2025 below.

Tors Park, Lynmouth, North Devon

Luxury apartments in North Devon, perched on a wooded cliffside. Tors Park offered incredible riverside and sea views over Lynmouth Bay and the picturesque fishing harbour. We were lucky to have some fantastic weather, and explored the local area.

What they say about our retreats…

“Thank you so much for the wonderful experience. Your incredible organisation and kindness made the entire weekend truly enjoyable. Great location, delicious meals and above all a great group of people! The yoga sessions brought a sense of peace and relaxation that was much needed. Most of all the woodland walk was a magical experience that gave me a deep connection with nature that I will forever cherish.”

- Amber Vodegel, Digital Health Tech Entrepreneur

“As a retreat virgin, I didn’t know what to expect and some of the activities sounded a bit out of my comfort zone. But boy… how wrong was I? If you’re working crazy hard and need a break or thinking of a change and working out what to do next, I can’t think of a better way to spend a weekend. Thank you Forgather for organising and creating such a positive space filled with wonderful people and helping us explore what really matters.”

- Alex Eavis, CEO / CPO for Social Impact & Mission Driven Tech Businesses

“It’s the little things that make a trip away special. A personal touch, genuine warmth from your host, gorgeous location with treats in your room, attention to detail, accommodating of individual preferences, delicious food. This retreat had all that and more. I felt genuinely better and happier afterwards.”

- Jose Adams

“A peaceful and enriching pause from the hurly burly of life with wonderfully interesting people, excellent food, and thoughtful speaker guides. And of course managed beautifully, as you’d always expect from the Forgather team. I loved it.”

- Alice Lankester

“So nice to have a few quiet days in nature with good people, great food, traditional craft, and a bit of yoga and foraging. Perfect!”

- Celia Francis

 
 

Hosts & Contributors

(Click name to read bio)

  • Rachel is Events Director at Forgather, where she manages and delivers live, virtual and hybrid events for clients in the tech and innovation ecosystem. Whether it’s an intimate dinner for software founders, a large-scale conference or awards ceremony, or a CEO offsite in the countryside, community and connection is the thread that runs through all our events.

    Working with so many founders and CEOs, we often see people overstretched, exhausted and facing burnout – so wellness, and tools to tackle these problems is an important element of many of our events. Forgather’s retreat series was born out of a desire to explore this passion for wellbeing further, and bring together our community to find space to relax, decompress, embrace nature and find peace in simplicity.

    Rachel devotes her spare time to enjoying nature, hiking, travel and fitness. She lives in Clevedon, near Bristol with her husband and two small children, who she hopes will grow up with a love of camping and the great outdoors.

  • Belinda is the founder of Forgather. We’ve spent the last 15 years designing events for organisations championing business and innovation - from Balderton, Boardwave and Microsoft to The Times and Unilever.

    Much as we love working with clients, our favourite events have always been our own passion projects. Back before it was a ‘thing’, we co-hosted the Mindfulness Summit with Calm, whilst the annual Snowball ski retreat continues to forge new friendships and make a difference to a vibrant community spanning Europe.

    Engineering serendipity is a favourite phrase, so when Rachel started talking retreats, I was right behind her and have loved adding to the pot from my own experience. Whether on a yoga mat (ideally with a view of sea) or on nicely sprung dance floor, there’s nothing better than being in the ‘flow’.

  • Violet is a 550 hour trained yoga teacher, trained in Hatha, Yin, Advanced Vinyasa and teaching children. Her classes offer variations for those wanting to go deeper, or take a slightly lighter class. Whether it is a hot dynamic Vinyasa Flow or a deep Yin class, she loves to focus her classes around themes and a deep connection to the breath. She invites people to arrive on the mat, let go and surrender deep into their bodies.

 
 

  • Dave is an author, photographer, forager and explorer of historic sites and natural places.

    He contributes to (amongst others) BBC Wildlife, BBC Countryfile, the Guardian and the website Wildbounds. Dave has authored six books, including Amazon top ten best-seller, Wild Ruins and the comprehensive foraging guide, Where the Wild Things Grow. He runs foraging courses through Wild Food UK in Devon, Somerset, Hampshire and Wiltshire.  

  • Alice is a chef, home economist, recipe developer and food stylist.

    She began her career in food within the music industry, cooking and baking around the UK and Europe for the likes of Arctic Monkeys, Robbie Williams and Lorde. She founded plant-based bakery Lovely Buns in 2019 but has since focused her energy into evolving her food career into new avenues.

    Alice has catered retreats, supper clubs and events; styled on publications including Stylist Magazine and John and Lisa’s Kitchen and worked as a home economist on TV shows including John & Lisa’s Weekend Kitchen, Mary Berry’s Foolproof Dinners and Roux Down The River.

    Alice is at her happiest when cooking for people and loves working with seasonal ingredients to create flavour packed, veg-focussed menus.

  • Xanthe is a lover of wild spaces and leads nature connection and outdoor education groups including bushcraft, wellbeing and leadership events. Her work includes running Ancestral Skills & Forest School groups, programme creation and facilitation for the rewilding eco retreat Embercombe, leading at events with WildWise and supporting creative practice camps for the charity Lifebeat.

    Xanthe holds various yearlong outdoor leadership training certifications including: 8 Shield’s Art of Mentoring, Forest School, animism and numerous WildWise courses, including Call of the Wild and Tending the Green Fire. She has a BA/ BSC degree in Business and Psychology, following which she worked in teaching, tutoring and mentoring. She creates safe, inclusive spaces for groups to be curious, explore, relax, rejuvenate, co-create and learn together. Xanthe additionally managed a thriving community health food store for eight years, becoming a finalist in multiple national awards.

    Xanthe is dedicated to deepening her personal relationship with the natural world, through vision quests and rites of passage and by holding tree planting days, earth ceremonies and fireside circles.