CLOCKHOUSE RETREATS

Shropshire

Give your writing the time and space it deserves with Arvon’s dedicated Writers Retreat at The Clockhouse. The building has four apartments for writers, each with bedroom, study-lounge and bathroom. All food is provided for you, so you can spend your time as you please.

Everything in The Clockhouse has been planned to help you focus on your writing, away from day-to-day distractions. Walk in the beautiful landscape, share your triumphs and challenges with fellow writers over dinner together, or just sit at your desk and write. Whether you’re starting something new, or pushing on to finish something, make time to free your imagination with a writing retreat. Your length of stay can be six days, or four days. If you wish to stay for longer, you can book multiple retreats back-to-back, and stay on the ‘turn around day’ between retreats for free.  We offer a discount for bookings of more than two consecutive six day retreats: please see details in the Prices section below. If you wish to book as a group of up to four writers, please contact us at The Hurst: thehurst@arvon.org.

Facilities include

  • four comfortable, accessible, self-contained apartments, each with bedroom, study-lounge and en-suite bathroom
  • cosy shared lounge with log-burner
  • shared kitchen-diner with all food provided – help yourself to fresh local produce and home-cooked meals
  • 26 acres of woodland, a spring-fed lake and inspiring views of the Shropshire Hills
  • Wi-Fi
  • easy walks to the local village with pub and shop

The first floor apartments, Mary Webb and Wilfred Owen, are at a slightly higher cost due to their exceptional views of the Clun Valley to the east, and the high level of natural light in the studies and bedrooms. If you require an accessible bathroom on the first floor due to a disability, concessions are available: please contact The Hurst.

The second floor apartments, A E Housman and Bruce Chatwin, are characterful with vaulted ceilings and timber beams. Views in these apartments are more limited.

CLOCKHOUSE APARTMENTS

Mary Webb

Wilfred Owen

A E Housman

Bruce Chatwin

We offer these apartments at an increased fee due to their exceptional views of the Clun Valley to the east, and the high level of natural light in the studies and bedrooms.

Facilities include

  • Four comfortable self-contained apartments, each with bedroom, study-lounge and en-suite bathroom
  • cosy shared lounge with log-burner
  • shared kitchen-diner with all food provided– help yourself to fresh local produce and home-cooked meals
  • 26 acres of woodland, a spring-fed lake and inspiring views of the Shropshire Hills
  • Wi-FI
  • easy walks to the local village with pub and shop

We offer these apartments at an increased fee due to their exceptional views of the Clun Valley to the east, and the high level of natural light in the studies and bedrooms.

Facilities include

  • Four comfortable self-contained apartments, each with bedroom, study-lounge and en-suite bathroom
  • cosy shared lounge with log-burner
  • shared kitchen-diner with all food provided– help yourself to fresh local produce and home-cooked meals
  • 26 acres of woodland, a spring-fed lake and inspiring views of the Shropshire Hills
  • Wi-FI
  • easy walks to the local village with pub and shop

Characterful accommodation with vaulted ceilings and timber beams. Views in these apartments are more limited.

Facilities include

  • Four comfortable self-contained apartments, each with bedroom, study-lounge and en-suite bathroom
  • cosy shared lounge with log-burner
  • shared kitchen-diner with all food provided– help yourself to fresh local produce and home-cooked meals
  • 26 acres of woodland, a spring-fed lake and inspiring views of the Shropshire Hills
  • Wi-FI
  • easy walks to the local village with pub and shop

Characterful accommodation with vaulted ceilings and timber beams. Views in these apartments are more limited.

Facilities include

  • Four comfortable self-contained apartments, each with bedroom, study-lounge and en-suite bathroom
  • cosy shared lounge with log-burner
  • shared kitchen-diner with all food provided– help yourself to fresh local produce and home-cooked meals
  • 26 acres of woodland, a spring-fed lake and inspiring views of the Shropshire Hills
  • Wi-FI
  • easy walks to the local village with pub and shop

This retreat has been quite special, enabling me to write more in the first three days than I had in the previous three months. The greatest gifts for a writer are time and space to write. The Clockhouse gave both in abundance.

— Patience Agbabi

What a glorious week at The Clockhouse! The views alone are worth the trip, and the magnificent Arvon food, the delightful company, the country walks made it a fantastic week of writing, reading and thinking.

— Naomi Alderman

The conversion of The Clockhouse is stunning. Everything has been planned with writers and writing in mind. I got a lot of work done.

— Michael Symmons Roberts

My week at The Clockhouse was exceptionally productive. Distractions were at a minimum and the sense of life going on beyond the Clun Valley actually acted as a powerful incentive to write while there was time to write.

— Jonathan Davidson

There is space on this retreat to both read and write, the big rooms you are given give you time to dream while the beautiful countryside provides walks and inspiration.

— Clare Mcphee

I absolutely loved everything about the Clockhouse. No complaints! The food was fantastic, the staff were helpful, and the other writers based here were great company. Thank you so much for providing this. We have nothing that compares to this in the US.

— Retreat Visitor

Explore The Clockhouse centre

Learn more about the Clockhouse centre here. Take a look inside the accommodation, explore the grounds and learn more about transportation and food in our FAQ.

PRICES

2023 fees, for retreats taking place from January 2023:

6-day retreats (Tues – Mon)

1st Floor Apartment: £985*

2nd Floor Apartment: £880*

4-day retreats (Thurs – Mon)

1st Floor Apartment: £690*

2nd Floor Apartment: £615*

For retreats taking place from July 2023:

6-day retreats (Tues – Mon)

1st Floor Apartment: £1005*

2nd Floor Apartment: £900*

4-day retreats (Thurs – Mon)

1st Floor Apartment: £704*

2nd Floor Apartment: £630*

* All prices above include VAT at 20%

For bookings of more than two consecutive 6-day retreats, we offer a 10% discount on the third and subsequent retreats. Please email thehurst@arvon.org to take advantage of this offer.

New - Grants available

Details

Update 17th November 2022 – we have now allocated all the available grants for retreats at The Clockhouse. Some may possibly become available as a result of cancellations. If you would like to be put on a waiting list to be considered for a grant should this occur, please email grants@arvon.org

For the first time we are able to offer a small number of grants towards the cost of retreats at The Clockhouse. These awards are aimed at professional writers on a low income, and may include:

• emerging novelists, poets, playwrights and screenwriters
• those working part-time in other spheres in order to support a writing career
• published writers who have achieved recognition for their writing
• recent graduates starting their writing career

Grants of £500 are available for retreats taking place up to the end of March 2023. If you are a UK resident and are unable to afford the full price of a retreat, we encourage you to apply:

To apply for a grant, you must first book on a retreat, and then send us your completed grant application form (please see the links below for the form). We will hold a place for you while we assess your application. You do not need to pay anything to book your place. Payment will only be required once we confirm your grant application is successful.

We encourage applications from D/deaf and/or Disabled people, and factor in any additional living/support costs when considering your grant – see here for information about accessibility on Arvon courses. See here for details of our general grant fund terms and conditions.

If you’re having difficulty downloading or completing the grant application form, due to access reasons, and would like help to complete the form over the phone, please call 020 4529 4970 or email access@arvon.org and we can call you.

F W Reckitt Grant Application form (Word)

F W Reckitt Grant Application form (PDF)

BOOKING

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Booking details

  • Six-day retreats at The Clockhouse are Tuesday (noon) to Monday (noon).*
  • Four-day retreats at The Clockhouse are Thursday (noon) to Monday (noon)*
  • The retreat fee includes full board accommodation (not including alcohol).
  • To secure your place, you will need to pay a deposit of £200 at the time of booking.
  • You are welcome to pay in instalments via our online booking system.
  • The full balance of your retreat fee is payable no later than six weeks before the retreat starts.
  • Please note that pets are not permitted.
  • We do not currently offer grants for Writers Retreats.
  • No guests or visitors are permitted within The Clockhouse during your stay.
  • Parking is available at The Hurst. For travel details to The Hurst see here.
  • The building is wheelchair-accessible throughout, with level access to all floors and a lift. There is also one apartment with a height-adjustable desk and fully accessible wet-room.

Travel to The Clockhouse

By train / taxi

There are rail connections to London, Wales, the North and South-West England from Craven Arms station, eight miles away.

The nearest station is Craven Arms, eight miles from The Hurst. It is a fairly well-serviced station on the main line between Manchester and Cardiff, with rail connections to London, the North and South-West England.

You will need to book a cab to collect you. Below are the numbers of local companies we recommend. The journey takes around 20 minutes so please bear this in mind when you are planning your trip.

Rez’s Cab – 07487 899102

Wolfcar – 01584 856690

Rocket Ron – 07890 904732

By car:

Details on how to travel to The Hurst by car can be found here. We have plenty of free car parking available at The Hurst.

Arrival & departure times

You should plan to arrive between 1.30 and 3.30pm. An Arvon staff member will give a short talk about the centre at 4pm. Please note that we are not able to receive you here at the Clockhouse before 1.30pm. Similarly, we ask you to vacate the accommodation no later than 10am on your day of departure.

Food

All your food will be provided during your stay at The Clockhouse. Please note that due to Covid19 we have changed the catering arrangements as follows:

  • We provide the ingredients for simple breakfast in the apartments, along with a small fridge, and tea/coffee making facilities.
  • There will be set times for lunch (1pm) and dinner (7pm) when a member of Arvon staff will be present to prepare and serve meals, and wash up afterwards. The layout of the kitchen/diner has been altered to allow for social distancing. We will provide meat, vegetarian and vegan options but for all other dietary requirements please feel free to bring what you need with you.

If you wish to drink alcohol, you can purchase wines and beers from a local wine merchant or bring your own supplies. There is also a general store in Clun, the nearest village, with a good range of alcholic drinks.

Communications

There is a reasonable mobile signal for EE and Vodafone at The Clockhouse but on other networks, the coverage varies. There is Wi-Fi available throughout the building. There are also two printers located in communal areas.

Facilities

Towels will be provided and there is a washing machine and tumble drier in The Clockhouse. The Clockhouse will be cleaned weekly, after writers have departed, and not during the period of your stay. You will have access to the 26 acres of Hurst grounds and gardens so do bring some suitable footwear.

The local area

The Hurst sits within The Shropshire Hills, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. There are some wonderful walks, in every direction. We will provide local maps and recommended walks.

Accessibility

The building is wheelchair-accessible throughout, with level access to all floors and a lift. There is also one apartment with a desk that can be adapted to accommodate a wheelchair, and fully accessible wet-room. Please let us know your accessibility needs on booking, and we will do our utmost to accommodate your requirements.

Guests

As The Clockhouse is a retreat space we ask that you do not invite any guests into The Clockhouse during your stay there.

Pets

We are sorry but pets are not allowed at The Clockhouse.

If you have any additional questions please feel free to be in touch either by phone or e-mail –

thehurst@arvon.org / 01588 640 658