The Poiema Retreat House offers a quiet and hospitable environment within the beautiful surroundings of the Lake District, holding space for retreatants to encounter God, as they take time away from the demands of daily life to reflect and pray.
We normally offer individual residential retreats with a 4-night stay, with occasional 2-night ‘long weekends’ as part of our programme. We offer occasional Silent Individually Guided retreats, and themed retreats including an Easter retreat and the Buttermere Camino weekend.
There are opportunities for self-guided retreats or individually guided retreats (IGRs). Retreat guests on an IGR are accompanied by a spiritual director or guide, who will meet with you daily to help you explore God’s presence and work in your life, and offer material for prayer and reflection. If you are coming on a self-guided retreat but would appreciate meeting with a spiritual director at some point during your stay, please let us know when you book. Please see our retreats page for further details and availability.
Guests are welcome to arrive from 2.30pm, and if possible before 5pm. The retreat ends after breakfast / Morning Prayer on the final day.
Accommodation
Our residential retreats are full-board accommodation and we have three guest bedrooms available, one small single room and two with twin beds. All our rooms are available for single occupancy. Bed linen and towels are provided, and facilities for making tea and coffee are available in each room. There is shared use of a bathroom and shower room.
Guests have use of a comfortable lounge, dining room, chapel and garden. Art resources and a small library of books are available. Lakes and mountains (or fells) are a short walk from the house for those who like to venture further afield, and guidance and a selection of resources are available for walks.
At the heart of the Community & Retreat House’s life is our daily rhythm of prayer, meeting three times a day in the Chapel. We warmly invite our guests to join with us for these times.
Meals
An important part of a retreat is enjoying good food! Our meals are home cooked, and we are able to provide vegetarian and vegan food. We may not be able to cater for all food intolerances and allergens; please let us know, prior to booking, if you have particular dietary requirements, so that we can let you know if we can help. As well as our shared meals, packed lunches can be arranged if you would like to eat while enjoying an excursion into our beautiful surroundings.
Residential Retreat Donations
The retreat house runs on a donations model basis, and details of suggested donations for our residential retreats and also for Spiritual accompaniment can be found here.
Programme / Rhythm of the Day
| From 7:45am | Breakfast (self-service) |
| 8.30am | Morning Prayer |
| 12:20pm | Lunchtime Prayer |
| 6:30pm | Evening meal (main meal) |
| 9:00pm | Compline / Night Prayer |
| 10pm | House in Quiet |
How to find us
All our details are included on our contact page.
Enquire about a retreat
If you’d like to join us on a residential retreat, check our available dates on the retreats page, then get in touch here to find out more or to make your booking!