Writer’s Retreat in the Cotswolds

Our group of writers gather for breakfast at Abbots Grange, Broadway, Cotswolds, December 2025

I’d been looking for a writer’s retreat for a while. A place where I could escape to work on my novel in peace and quiet. Away from my eleven-month-old miniature poodle who nips at my socks, and barks a painfully sharp "Arf!" to retrieve his ball that's rolled under the couch (he has me trained well!). Away from my husband and friends and family and precious granddaughter. I needed time to get the first draft of my novel to completion.

An ad for GoandWrite’s writing retreat in the English countryside landed in my Instagram feed. Images of roaring fires, quaint pubs, and ancient towns proved difficult to resist. After meeting the leaders via Zoom, I was offered the last slot available – and on a leap of faith – took it.

After a brief stop in London for some sightseeing, I was on to Abbots Grange, a 17^th century manor house in the town of Broadway in the Cotswolds for eight nights in December. The retreat participants took up every bedroom at the manor, so we had the place for our exclusive use. Our group of nine women writers bonded quickly, eating breakfast together in the paneled dining room, then writing in the great room. This room boasted soaring ceilings with beams crafted from the property's own trees hundreds of years before, and a fireplace with a mantle as tall as my forehead. The wood fire, tended by the staff throughout the day and evening, cast a warm and festive ambiance that complemented the Christmas decor. At the center of the room was a huge Christmas tree aglow in white lights. When not writing, some took walks across the rolling fields, or headed to the center of town to shop or dine. The group went on literary themed outings to different towns in the area, dined at a 15th century pub that had fireplaces in every room, exceptional food, and doorways that I barely fit through (I'm 5'3")!

I've never been able to dedicate eight straight days to my writing. Life always gets in the way. But here, in this retreat amongst an incredibly supportive group, I worked hard and left with far more than I came with. I have nine new writer friends and got my novel nearly to the end. I finished the first draft shortly after I got back home.

I've yet to fully process this magical experience, but I know this: I've never given myself a better gift. I'm already perusing GoandWrite's website, seeking my next retreat destination.