Retreating to Tilton House

Are you a yoga teacher seeking a venue for weekend or week-long treats? Body & Soul escapes author Caroline Sylger Jones on one of her favourite yoga retreat venues in the UK: Tilton House in the South Downs. 

One of my favourite retreat venues in the UK is Tilton House, a large and lovely white-painted Georgian house with four acres of calming gardens and inspiring views up to the South Downs, now a National Park.

It's the former home of the economist John Maynard Keynes and his Russian ballerina wife, Lydia Lopokova, who apparently liked to dance on its lawns by moonlight.

The house remains an energising and carefree place to stay, thanks to film-makers Polly and Shaun, who lease the property from the Firle estate.

Yoga spaces
The house is becoming a popular venue for weekend yoga retreats, and in 2009 is being used by teachers such as Kirsty Norton (www.kirstynorton.co.uk), Liz Eley (www.yogaliz.biz), Suzy Daw (www.suzannadawyoga.co.uk) and Jo Tytherleigh (www.jotytherleigh.com).

Tilton House is also the venue for the brand new Baoli breaks, led by yoga therapist Michaela Olexova (www.thebaoli.co and www.thebaoli.com/details/baoli-breaks/27).

Polly has plans for a dedicated yoga space, but for now yoga usually takes place in The Blue Room, a large, wooden-floored reception room with garden views which is flooded with natural light and painted a nourishing deep blue.

There's an open fire at one end, which can be lit on chillier days, and a fair amount of wall space for teachers who need it. If there are fewer than ten students, you can also use the wooden-floored library built by Keynes, which is reached across a pretty courtyard and attached to a light-filled conservatory.

Inside and out
There are 9 individually-decorated bedrooms, two with ensuite shower rooms, and locally hand made Wellingham Herb Garden complimentary soaps.

In the grounds you'll find a fire pit, a tennis court, hammocks strewn between trees, and writing tables graced with little pots of flowers and set in private nooks. A teepee is available for treatments.

Pampering
Teachers can bring their own therapists, or use local therapists, who offer a range of holistic treatments.

I have found Victoria Auton an especially giving and good therapist on both my visits to the House - she offers traditional thai yoga massage, hand and foot reflexology, holistic massage, aromatherapy, Indian head massage and reiki, and charges £45 per hour (tel 07802 865 838, Victoria.auton@googlemail.com).

Food
Wherever you eat your meals, you get a view of the South Downs. Meals are cooked fresh from the kitchen, by Nic from The Secret Restaurant in Brighton (www.thesecretrestaurant.co.uk), using as much from Tilton House's vegetable gardens as possible. Vegetarian and vegan menus can be personalized to your taste.

What's around
Lewes and Brighton are short drives away, though I can't think why you'd want to go to either place on a retreat weekend here.

There are gorgeous circular walks from the House along the flint paths and grassy tracks of the South Downs Way, and cycle hire can be arranged. Keynes was a key figure in the Bohemian Bloomsbury group, which included Vanessa Bell and her sister Virginia Woolf.

Bell's inspirational, hand-decorated country retreat, Charleston Farmhouse, is a 10 minute walk away (see charleston.org.uk), while the gardens at Woolf's Monk House, a short drive away, are also a delight (www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-monkshouse).

Booking as a yoga teacher
The yoga weekends cost teachers £185 per student, which includes 6 meals, 2 nights accommodation and pick ups from Berwick Station. Polly and Shaun will also help you advertise your retreat, and be hands-on hosts throughout it.

You need to pay a 20% non-refundable deposit to secure the date, and the full balance two weeks before the retreat is due to start. The yoga teacher gets a free room, but is required to pay £50 for food.

To book a yoga weekend, you need to have a minimum of 10 people (and a maximum of 14); to book a yoga week you need a minimum of eight.

Contact details:
Tilton House
Firle
East Sussex
BN8 6LL
01323 811 570
info@tiltonhouse.co.uk
www.tiltonhouse.co.uk

More venues...
For more inspiring retreat venues, check out Caroline's books, Body & Soul escapes and Body & Soul escapes: Britain and Ireland, compendiums of places to retreat and replenish around the world (see www.carolinesylgerjones.co.uk).