Alpine Writing Retreat

A writing retreat in the idyllic Swiss Alps

Make time and space for yourself: gain focus, find inspiration and hone your craft on this retreat led by an experienced tutor. Enjoy writing in unforgettable surroundings in the supportive company of like-minded people. Get your creativity flowing with a 1-hour morning workshop and follow with personal writing time. After lunch, enjoy a walk in breathtaking landscape. The afternoons offer you more time and space for your own writing, as well as invaluable feedback sessions. Tuition, accommodation, and meals are all included.

Why this retreat?

• For participants with some writing experience
• High degree of personal attention (max. 6 participants)
• Hosted by a published novelist with many years of creative and life-writing teaching experience. A tutor’s experience and skills distinguish the best retreats, enabling your individual goals to be addressed, irrespective of whether you’re multi-published or on your first project
• Outstanding testimonials (see here).

This retreat takes you to the spectacular Bernese Oberland: to the unspoilt Hasliberg area of the Jungfrau Region, which inspired Goethe, Turner, Conan-Doyle and Tolkien, among others. A vast choice of well-maintained paths on your doorstep allows you to enhance the day with a walk to stimulate your creativity. The village is easily reached by public transport from Zurich or Basel airports.

The retreat takes place in a large luxury apartment in a modern chalet in Hasliberg-Reuti, a postcard-pretty village at c. 1070 metres above sea-level. It’s an easy walk (c. 200 meters) from the flat to the local cafés, restaurants, shop and public transport. There you can also board aerial cablecars to explore the charming town of Meiringen in the valley or the high-alp meadows of Mägisalp (1710 meters above sea-level).

Where will I stay?

Three of the participants will stay at the apartment: you’ll have a double room put to single-occupancy use, with stunning views of the mountains (including the famous Wetterhorn, Wellhorn, Engelhörner and Eiger) and high in natural light. There are three bath/shower-rooms. A generous lounge with a log burner, and a large kitchen-diner, offer the perfect atmosphere for relaxing and chatting. The other three will stay at a nearby bed & breakfast of a comparably high standard: it has 4 rooms (with en-suite bathrooms), a lovely communal area (complete with tea and coffee makers) and a garden (with tables); it provides an excellent breakfast, too. Lunch and home-cooked dinner are provided for all. All activities, as well as lunch (at a lovely restaurant on days 2-6) and dinner, will be with the whole group.

Notable attractions are only a short drive away. They include the Reichenbach Falls of Sherlock Holmes fame, the Aare Gorge, Lake Lungern, the Giessbach Falls, the Rosenlaui Glacier gorge, the lakeside towns of Brienz and Interlaken, the historic Ballenberg open-air museum…

Price:

• CHF 1,700 inclusive of workshops, accommodation, meals and tourist taxes for the six nights (at the time of writing, CHF 1,700 are equivalent to approx. US$ 2,100 / Euros 1,810 / GBP 1,550).
• A 25% deposit is payable upon acceptance of a place on the retreat; and the balance 60 days before the start date  

To apply, email mvaleriavw [at] outlook.com