The retreat guide Reviewed October 2026
Monastery retreats in the UK.
Find a rhythm that suits you.
Compare sixteen Christian and Buddhist places, with clear distinctions between monastery guest stays, guided retreats and quiet accommodation.
About this guide: An editorial guide based on current provider information, rather than first-hand assessments. Review My Retreat offers paid marketing services to retreat providers. Check details and book your stay directly with the host.
A guest of a community.
A monastery retreat gives you time alongside a religious community, often with opportunities for shared prayer or meditation, simple accommodation and periods of quiet. It can also involve practical work and a timetable that guests are expected to respect. The setting alone does not tell you how much silence, freedom or guidance to expect.
Choose the format first: a monastic guest stay, a guided retreat and a retreat-centre holiday are different bookings. This guide preserves sixteen Christian and Buddhist options, while making that distinction clear.
Some places below are working monasteries or priories. Others are spirituality centres or retreats connected with a religious tradition. They offer useful alternatives, but we identify them accurately so you can choose the experience you want.
Map of 15 UK monastery and retreat settings
The map shows fifteen locations from the sixteen comparison entries. Holy Isle remains unmapped because the dedicated retreat-centre location has not been established. Stanbrook at Wass is labelled as a quiet-day setting, with lodge bookings separate. Select a pin for its article section, official website, booking-format notes and Google Maps location.
Pins show the listed venue location. Confirm the correct entrance and arrival arrangements directly with the retreat.
The practical shortlist
Compare sixteen UK options.
Use the tradition and guest arrangements to narrow your search. These are current information routes, rather than a ranking or a live list of available rooms.
| Place | Location | Setting | What to check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buckfast Abbey | Buckfastleigh, Devon | Benedictine Catholic monastery | Monastery retreat quarters for men; women and couples enquire about separate facilities. Maximum seven days in the quarters, with stairs and no lift. |
| Ampleforth Abbey | North Yorkshire | Benedictine Catholic monastery | Guided and themed residential programmes. Choose an event and check its teaching, silence and booking status. |
| Worth Abbey | Turners Hill, West Sussex | Benedictine Catholic monastery | Guided, self-guided, creative, day and young-adult options. Programme participation and accommodation depend on the retreat. |
| Quarr Abbey | Isle of Wight | Benedictine Catholic monastery | Monastic guesthouse for retreat purposes, rather than ordinary holidays. Men and women have different room and dining arrangements; a separate family flat is available by enquiry. |
| The Bield at Blackruthven | Near Perth, Scotland | Christian retreat centre | Day visits, private stays and guided or creative retreats. A dedicated retreat setting, rather than a monastery guesthouse. |
| The Friars, Aylesford Priory | Aylesford, Kent | Carmelite Catholic priory | Simple guesthouse rooms in a historic priory. En-suite rooms are limited; confirm the meal and retreat arrangements. |
| St Mary’s Monastery, Kinnoull | Perth, Scotland | Redemptorist Catholic retreat centre | Residential retreats and individual private stays. The published minimum stay is two nights. |
| St Beuno’s | Tremeirchion, Denbighshire | Jesuit Catholic spirituality centre | Ignatian, individually guided and themed retreats. Introductory options explain the rhythm of silence and accompaniment. |
| Llannerchwen | Near Brecon, Powys | Society of the Sacred Heart retreat | Self-catered single-occupancy hermitages or cabins. Compare a self-led stay with an individually guided retreat. |
| Douai Abbey | Upper Woolhampton, Berkshire | Benedictine Catholic monastery | Guesthouse retreats, quiet days and group stays. Self-catering cottages are separate from the main guesthouse offer. |
| Pluscarden Abbey | Near Elgin, Moray | Benedictine Catholic monastery | Usually self-directed stays, with a two-night minimum. Separate guesthouses have different bathroom and catering arrangements. |
| Stanbrook Abbey | Wass, North Yorkshire | Benedictine Catholic community | Quiet days with packed lunches. Self-catering holiday lodges are a separate option while a guesthouse is being developed. |
| Amaravati Buddhist Monastery | Great Gaddesden, Hertfordshire | Theravada Thai Forest monastery | Community guest stays include work, shared activities and the Eight Precepts. Formal silent retreats use a separate booking route. |
| Kagyu Samye Ling | Eskdalemuir, Dumfries and Galloway | Tibetan Buddhist monastery | Dharma events, courses and personal stays have different booking routes. Personal stays can be booked online for up to six nights. |
| Holy Isle | Off Arran, Scotland | Buddhist-inspired retreat centre | Residential stays are linked to courses or retreats during the April–October season. Confirm island crossings before arranging travel. |
| Madhyamaka KMC | Pocklington, East Yorkshire | New Kadampa Tradition meditation centre | Residential retreats, courses and Rest & Reflect breaks. The level of silence and teaching varies by booking. |
Six different approaches
A closer look at the experience.
The photographs show the named places. An evening photograph or archive image illustrates the setting, rather than the conditions on your travel dates.
Pluscarden Abbey
Moray, ScotlandPluscarden offers a stay alongside a Benedictine community, shaped by prayer, reading and work. Retreatants can attend the daily liturgy and spend time in the surrounding countryside. The usual arrangement is a self-directed visit, rather than a retreat with a daily meeting with a director. Women’s, men’s and group guesthouses have different facilities, so ask for the details of the accommodation appropriate to you.
Keep in mind: The minimum stay is two nights. The abbey does not make a fixed charge; donations are welcome. Confirm meals, rooms and any guidance before booking.
Worth Abbey
West Sussex, EnglandWorth’s retreat programme offers several ways to encounter Benedictine life, including self-guided stays, themed weekends, creative events and day retreats. That choice matters: a programme of talks and shared prayer will feel different from an independent period of reflection. Read the particular event description and its age or experience requirements, rather than treating every stay at the abbey as the same package.
Keep in mind: Some events have specific audiences, including young adults. Ask about silence, liturgy, accommodation and participation in Communion.
Amaravati Buddhist Monastery
Hertfordshire, EnglandA guest stay at Amaravati means joining the daily life of a Theravada Buddhist community. Meditation sits alongside cleaning, kitchen tasks, garden work and other shared activities. Guests follow the Eight Precepts and the community schedule. This is different from the monastery’s formal silent retreat programme, which has its own application system and accommodation arrangements.
Keep in mind: Choose the monastery guest route or the Retreat Centre route before applying. A community stay is not necessarily silent throughout, and longer visits need agreement. Amaravati encourages first-time guests to stay four to seven days and offers guest stays free of charge.
Kagyu Samye Ling
Eskdalemuir, ScotlandSamye Ling offers guest accommodation within a working Tibetan Buddhist monastery. You can enquire about a Dharma event, a hosted course or a personal stay, with separate booking procedures for each. Personal-stay accommodation includes vegetarian meals, while course tuition and accommodation may be charged separately. Quiet hours are observed, but a general guest booking should not be assumed to be a formal silent retreat.
Keep in mind: Personal stays can currently be booked online for up to six nights. For a course or Dharma event, use that event’s enquiry form rather than the personal-stay system.
The Bield at Blackruthven
Near Perth, ScotlandThe Bield is a Christian retreat centre rather than a working monastery. It remains a useful alternative if you want a retreat programme, private stay or creative approach to reflection without specifically seeking monastic guest hospitality. Its programme includes guided and quiet formats, and the experience will depend on the retreat you choose.
Keep in mind: Compare a named retreat with a private booking. Check accompaniment, meals and room arrangements directly.
St Beuno’s
North WalesSt Beuno’s is a Jesuit spirituality centre, with retreats rooted in the Ignatian tradition. Its individually guided programmes combine personal prayer and silence with regular accompaniment. Introductory retreats help newcomers understand that pattern before committing to a longer stay. Choose it for the guided retreat format, rather than assuming it operates like an abbey guesthouse.
Keep in mind: Discuss previous retreat experience and preparation with the centre. A published programme does not guarantee an available place.
Monastery, retreat centre or lodge?
Accommodation alongside daily religious life. Prayer, precepts, silence, meals and chores can shape the day. Personal guidance may need a separate request.
A specific programme with a teacher or spiritual director. Check experience requirements, duration, whether talks are included and when silence applies.
A cottage, cabin or lodge can provide a quiet base. It does not automatically include catering, guided practice or entry to a residential programme.
For example, Stanbrook currently offers quiet days while its guest facilities develop; its self-catering lodges are a separate booking. Llannerchwen offers individual self-catered hermitages. At Amaravati, a monastery guest stay differs from a formal silent retreat at its Retreat Centre.
Before you book.
- Ask what participation means. Establish the timetable, expected services or meditation, precepts, work and quiet periods. Religious hospitality can have commitments beyond keeping noise down.
- Confirm the accommodation for your party. Rooms, bathrooms and dining arrangements can differ for men, women, couples, groups and families. A general welcome is not a promise that every room is available to everyone.
- Check access to the actual room. Historic buildings may have steps, limited bathrooms or long routes between accommodation and worship spaces. Buckfast’s monastery quarters, for example, have no lift.
- Separate costs and inclusions. Ask whether a quoted amount covers accommodation, meals, tuition or a suggested donation. Donations do not necessarily cover travel or other expenses.
- Arrange guidance if you want it. A private stay may be self-directed. Do not assume daily spiritual direction or meditation interviews are included.
- Confirm travel after acceptance. Holy Isle stays are seasonal and its crossings depend on arrangements from Arran. Island accommodation and ferry bookings need to fit together.
Pack the items requested by the house. Some provide all bedding and towels; others ask you to bring linen. Include suitable clothes for worship, sitting, practical tasks and outdoor paths, according to your programme.
Questions people ask.
Do I need to belong to the religion?
Some communities explicitly welcome guests from many backgrounds. Others have programmes or accommodation with specific requirements. Read the host’s welcome and ask about practice expectations before applying.
Is every monastery retreat silent?
No. A guest stay can involve shared work, conversations and communal meals. A formal silent retreat has a more specific agreement about communication. Ask whether silence applies overnight, during meals or throughout the programme.
Can I stay for one night?
Minimum stays vary. Pluscarden and St Mary’s Kinnoull publish two-night minimums, while other places have particular arrival days or event dates. A quiet day can be an alternative if you only have a short time.
Are monastery retreats free?
Some communities accept donations; others charge for guest accommodation or programmes. Pluscarden makes no fixed charge and welcomes donations. Check the host’s own terms, including meals and any separate tuition costs.
Can I stay for several months?
A short guest booking does not establish permission for a long stay or ordination. Extended residence usually requires an application, experience of the community and specific agreement. Read our guide to extended Buddhist monastery stays.
Sources and review notes.
Substantively reviewed on 24 October 2026 against the linked official guest and programme pages. We corrected accommodation restrictions, updated Llannerchwen’s website and distinguished working monasteries from retreat centres. The original sixteen options remain, with current booking formats made explicit. Photographs are credited to their provider or named archive. Check the host’s current details before reserving travel.
For a correction, use our contact form. Programmes, prices, eligibility and accommodation can change; a listing does not confirm availability.
Choose your next step
Choose the rhythm.
Then choose the room.
Begin with the kind of practice and daily life you want. A short visit or quiet day can help you decide whether a longer stay would suit you.
Compare 16 placesKeep exploring
About Rob Horsfall
Rob has been interested in spirituality since visiting India in 2002. After completing his philosophy studies at university, he continued studying the Buddha's teachings in Sri Lanka. He returned in 2011 and now spends his time developing Review My Retreat, studying acupuncture and integrating insights from different spiritual traditions into everyday life.
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