Art & Nature Experience Days
Immerse yourself in nature...
As well as our residential retreaters we love to welcome those who can easily travel to this beautiful corner of Donegal to participate in Art and Nature activities a day at a time. Join us for a day or attend all four retreat days, enjoying daily guided art and nature activities and a delicious lunch from our organic walled kitchen garden.
Art Days, Nature Days & Design Your Own Day £100/€120
including lunch. See below for details.
Art Days
Start at 9.30am to meet your tutor / facilitator to find out more about what level of guidance you are looking for, materials are provided if needed, with a range of mediums. There are so many varied en plein air location sites on Glenalla Estate and native botanics in our fully equipped Old Laundry Studio if weather proves limiting. Choose from colourful forest sit spots in our 300 acre ancient forest and peat bog, waterfall, streams, ponds, formal gardens, neolithic stones and hill top landscapes for your morning and afternoon art sessions.
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You can explore and develop your art practice with guidance or independently whatever your experience level, from beginner to professional artist seeking a deep nature connection to capture on canvas.
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Day starts at 9.30am
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3 hours guided art session or independent once location chosen
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Organic lunch
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2.5 hours guided art followed by reflections and tea with cake
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Day ends at 5pm
Nature Days
Start at 9.30am to meet your Forest Bathing Guide and complete a registration form for your Forest Bathing / Shinrin Yoku experience in the forest. This lasts 2.5-3 hours, comprising a slow guided walk through the forest, pausing to use all of your senses to deeply connect with nature, followed by a 20-30 minute meditation and forest tea.
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Forest bathing promotes well being through reduced blood pressure, reduced anxiety and improved mood, putting us into a calm relaxed mode. It actively increases infection defence by boosting our immunity and cognitive function. We wrap up warmly for forest bathing whatever the season as we are walking slowly and pausing and stopping often which reduces body temperature as we enter a very relaxed state. If booking forest bathing further information and a ‘what to bring and what to wear’ list will be sent to you.
10am-1pm
Forest bathing
1:00-2.30pm
Organic kitchen garden lunch
2.30-4.30pm
Guided walk learning about native Donegal plants, their traditional Gaelic medicinal value and associated folklore
4.30-5.00pm
Tea and cake to end the day
“… and into the forest I go to lose my mind and find my soul...”
John Muir, 1880s