Residential Arvon Plus: Non-Fiction

This is our first course featuring a new format – Arvon Plus – which is fully catered and enables you to stay on for two additional days of writing, once the tutored part of the course has ended. Arvon Plus courses run from Saturday to Saturday.

Does writing serve a function with a world in flux, as borders harden, as ecosystems unravel? This course answers with a resounding yes. Our lives, our cultures, our world, all continue to be shaped by story. On this non-fiction writing course, award-winning writers Sophy Roberts and Adam Weymouth will explore the techniques, skills and courage that you need to find meaningful stories of your own and shape them into something both compelling and impactful.

You will be encouraged to take risks, to blur the boundaries between nature and travel, between travel and memoir, reportage and history – to find the best way to tell the best story. This also means blurring the boundary between the writer and the world, to discover how the personal can engage with the pressing questions of our time by listening deeply and writing honestly to engage a contemporary reader.

The workshops will explore the genres of travel, nature, memoir and more, and blur the conventional boundaries that separate them. You will cover research, character, structure, voice and editing. You will explore ethics and truth. And hopefully discover how your work can make an impact  – and endure — in a world changing at breakneck speed.

*Please use the expandable links below to reveal timings and further details of the course schedule.

Single room: £1,500

Concessions: £1050

As part of our effort to increase participation in the arts, we offer limited concessionary places at a 30% reduction. You can select this option at checkout if available.

Physical Access at The Hurst:

The Hurst is the only house that is fully accessible to wheelchair users. There is access to every room via a lift. All communal spaces, including workshop spaces, have level access. There are no steps on the ground floor. All door frames measure the required 825mm, although the fire doors installed reduce this width slightly. All door handles are at an accessible height, with power sockets located at 500mm from the floor. There is an accessible toilet on the ground floor.

For additional detailed information on physical access in bedrooms, kitchen, shared spaces and the grounds please visit our dedicated access page.

Please see our access page for general access information for residential courses.

Our grants scheme may be able to cover a portion of your course fees. Disability costs and additional living/support costs are taken into account when considering your grant application. You may also be entitled to concession pricing on selected courses.

If you have any questions or concerns and want to chat to a member of staff prior to booking please contact us on access@arvon.org

The Hurst is a place you can write, far away from daily distractions. The house and gardens, surrounded by the forest-covered Shropshire Hills, were the former home of playwright John Osborne.

The 19th century building has been given a thoroughly 21st century renovation. All 16 bedrooms have a single bed, en-suite bathroom and are lift accessible. There’s plenty of space to relax and write throughout the house, including the main workshop room with a library.

All your meals are provided, locally and sustainably sourced wherever possible. Help yourself to breakfast, our team will prepare lunch, and dinner is prepared in groups each evening using the delicious recipes and ingredients provided.

The grounds boast redwoods, wild orchids, surrounded by the forest-covered Shropshire Hills, designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The house sits within 26 acres of woodland, with a spring-fed lake and inspiring walks.

See here for more information on The Hurst.