A Unique Hiking Adventure: The Redicover Your Natural Rhythm Retreat

Where stressed-out souls come to remember they’re human beings, not human doings

Slow down, relax, rest and recharge your batteries on this hiking adventure – in the heart of Gascony in the southwest of France

Picture this: You, seven days from now, practically floating back into your regular life like some sort of zen superhero. You’re that person who actually enjoys Monday mornings (we know, it sounds impossible), who handles office drama with the calm of a Buddhist monk, and who radiates the kind of inner peace that makes people ask, “What’s your secret?”

Spoiler alert: Your secret is that you finally gave yourself permission to hit the pause button of the hamster wheel.

Physically: You’ll bounce out of bed like a golden retriever who just heard the word “walk”—energised, refreshed, and practically glowing with that “I’ve discovered the fountain of youth and it’s called proper rest” vibe.

Mentally: Your brain will feel like someone finally decluttered the junk drawer of your mind. Sharp, clear, and ready to tackle decisions with the confidence of someone who knows the difference between urgent and important (hint: most things aren’t actually urgent).

Spiritually: Grounded like a centuries-old oak tree, purposeful like a pilgrim on a mission, and aligned in that magical way that makes everything else fall into place.

Escape to walk, read and rest at a 200-year-old farmhouse where the living is still simple, slow and low-stress.

“Silence isn’t awkward here—it’s sacred.” – Dr. Margaretha Montagu (who’s been known to have endless conversations with horses and considers this perfectly normal)

Immerse yourself in nature while hiking short sections of the Camino de Santiago de Compostela

You’ve probably heard of the Camino—that legendary walk across Spain that turns regular humans into philosophical wanderers with excellent calf muscles. Well, we’re offering you the “greatest hits” version: all the soul-searching and jaw-dropping beauty, minus the part where you carry your entire life on your back for weeks.

Think of it as Camino de Santiago: The Director’s Cut. We’ve kept all the transformative magic and stunning landscapes but added comfortable beds, gourmet meals, and the luxury of not having to worry about finding a place to sleep each night.

Over 200,000 people tackle the full Camino each year. Most come back changed. Some come back completely transformed. All come back with stories that start with “You’ll never believe what happened…”

What’s in Store

This isn’t your typical “find yourself” retreat where you sit in circles talking about feelings (though if that’s your thing, we won’t judge). This is a carefully crafted adventure that combines:

Camino Walking Adventures: We’ll transport you to your daily starting point like your personal pilgrimage chauffeur service. You get to focus on the walking, the thinking, and the occasional profound realisation about life. We handle the logistics.

Farm-to-Table Feasts: Every meal is crafted with the kind of love that French grandmothers are famous for, using ingredients so local they practically introduce themselves.

Walking & Writing Meditation: Learn to transform that anxious mental chatter into something productive—like the novel you’ve been threatening to write for years, or at least some decent journal entries that don’t start with “OMG, work was terrible today.”

Mindfulness with Horses: Yes, you read that correctly. Our Friesian and Falabella horses are basically four-legged meditation masters. They’ll teach you more about being present than any app ever could.

Your schedule? Arrive Saturday afternoon in time for a feast that’ll make you question why you ever thought meal replacements were a good idea. Spend six days walking, writing, reading, and remembering what it feels like to be human. Leave Friday late-morning as the best version of yourself you’ve met in years.

A Unique Stress Relief Retreat hosted by Dr Margaretha Montagu

Working 60+ hour weeks? Drowning in deadlines and back-to-back meetings? Feeling like you’re running on empty with no end in sight? If your stress levels are through the roof and you’re questioning whether this relentless pace is sustainable, it’s time to step away before burnout becomes your breaking point.

Enter Dr. Margaretha Montagu: The woman who turned burnout recovery into an art form.

After two decades as a medical doctor and nearly ten years hosting retreats, I’ve mastered the art of helping overachievers remember they’re allowed to breathe. My credentials read like alphabet soup (MBChB, MRCGP, MedHypDip, NLP Master Pract Cert, Prof Life Coach Cert, EAGALA Cert), but what really matters is this: I get it.

I’ve worked with enough driven professionals to know you’re probably reading this at 11 PM on a Sunday, convinced you don’t have time for a retreat but desperately needing one anyway. I’ve seen the impossible deadlines, the back-to-back meetings that make you forget to eat lunch, and the weight of responsibility that sits on your shoulders like an overpacked backpack.

Here’s what I know for sure: You don’t have to choose between success and sanity. You don’t have to burn out to prove you’re valuable. And you definitely don’t have to accept “constantly overwhelmed” as your permanent state of being.

Whether you’re climbing corporate mountains, running your own empire, managing teams, or juggling projects that multiply like rabbits, I’ll show you how to thrive under pressure while keeping your humanity intact.

No matter how overwhelmed, stressed, confused, insecure, threatened, lost or downright terrified you feel right now, I can help you to feel calm, clear, and confident in your ability to handle whatever comes next and empowered, without sacrificing your physical or mental health.

A Warm Welcome in Sun-Soaked Gascony

This 200-year-old authentic Landaise farmhouse has seen more history than your average museum and accumulated more charm than should be legally allowed. Nestled among Armagnac and Côtes de Gascogne vineyards, it’s the kind of place where you arrive frazzled and leave wondering why you ever thought city living was a good idea.

The rolling countryside doesn’t just look like a painting—it actually makes you feel like you’re living inside one. Fair warning: you may find yourself using words like “bucolic” and “pastoral” in casual conversation after this.

What Our Graduates Are Saying (And Why They Keep Coming Back)

Ever wanted to tackle the legendary Camino de Santiago but aren’t quite ready to commit to the full pilgrim lifestyle of blisters and backpacks? Well, buckle up your hiking boots (lightly) because I’ve got just the thing for you – a taste of the Camino that won’t leave you crying for a foot massage.

You get to walk in the footsteps of 900 years’ worth of wanderers (though thankfully with better shoes than they had), all while based in a cosy French farmhouse that’s seen more history than your high school textbook. It’s like time-travelling, but with fairly modern plumbing and excellent food!

More testimonials (40+)

Here’s how your hiking adventure unfolds:

Day 1: Rock up anytime after 4 PM for dinner at 7 PM. Pro tip: Don’t fill up on bread beforehand – you’ll want room for a three-course dinner!

Day 2: Ease into your pilgrim stride with a gentle 11km stroll from Eauze to Manciet. It’s a bit like a walk in the park, if that park stretched for 11km and was steeped in centuries of history. Time: 2.5-4 hours (depending on how many photos you stop to take – and trust me, you’ll want to take plenty).

Day 3: Vineyard Walk – Explore the immediate surroundings of the farm: walk for miles, from one lush vineyard to another, from one farm to another, stop for a wine tasting and/or a picnic – or walk for 10 minutes, come back to the farmhouse, take another walk later…today you can walk as much or as little as you want – or spend the day reading under you favourite 200-year-old oak tree (choose from Merlin, Morgana, Melchior or Methusalé).

Day 4: The “Earn Your Pilgrim Stripes” day! Choose between the full 28km hero’s journey or the more reasonable 18km route from Nogaro to Aire-sur-Adour. Then hop on the bus back because we’re enlightened pilgrims, not masochists. Evening includes dinner at a local spot where you’ll experience rural French “nightlife” (spoiler: involves more eating than dancing). Budget 15-30 euros for a meal that’ll ruin you for chain restaurants forever.

Day 5: Village Walk – Visit the closest enchanting medieval village where half-timbered walls whisper stories from 1400 years of unbroken history. Here, where Roman settlers first planted vines in sun-drenched soil, generations of winemakers have crafted their liquid poetry for centuries—and that ancient tradition continues today. You can meander through narrow stone passages, discovering hidden treasures at your own perfect pace, or simply surrender to the profound tranquillity back at the farm, where time seems to slow and your soul can finally exhale.

Day 6: Manciet to Nogaro – a breezy 10km that leads you to a town that’s been doing its thing since the 11th century. The Romanesque church is so photogenic it practically demands its own Instagram account. Another 2.5-4 hours of wandering this wonderland.

Day 7: Farewell Champagne Brunch, where you’ll savour the delicious local flavours one last time while sharing stories, laughter, and newfound connections with your retreat family. As you toast to your transformation over perfectly brewed coffee/tea, you’ll carry the warmth of these precious final moments—and the rested and refreshed new version of yourself—back into the world. The retreat ends at 12h00.

None of the activities is mandatory. If you prefer to skip an activity and just relax and read, you are more than welcome. The program is not set in stone and may be altered according to circumstances, e.g. inclement weather.

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Is the Rediscover Your Natural Rhythm Retreat the right retreat for you?

This stress management retreat is perfect for:

• Solo travellers who want meaningful company without the overwhelming group dynamics
• Parent-teen duos looking to bond without theme park crowds (minimum age 16)
• Couples who want something more romantically enriching than binge-watching Netflix
• Small groups seeking a unique, unforgettable shared experience
• Writers, artists, and creatives hunting for inspiration (spoiler: you’ll find it everywhere)
• Camino-curious folks not ready to quit their jobs and walk across Spain for six weeks
• Anyone wanting a test drive before committing to the full pilgrimage experience

Think of it as Camino de Santiago: The Highlight Reel – all the soul-searching, mood-lifting, and breathtaking views, but with a comfy bed waiting for you each night. Plus, you get to sample the glorious local food, because let’s face it – that’s half the reason we travel to France anyway!

Why The Rediscover Your Natural Rhythm Retreat is One-of-a-Kind

This isn’t just a walk—it’s your chance to remember who you are underneath all those responsibilities and deadlines.

What makes this special? You get the legendary Camino experience without the usual hassles. No fretting about accommodations, meals, or whether your backpack weighs more than a small car. All the logistics are handled so you can focus on what matters: reconnecting with something bigger than your inbox.

Spend days walking ancient paths and evenings unwinding in a farmhouse that’s seen more history than most museums. Nestled among meadows and timeless woods, this place doesn’t just let you reconnect with nature—it practically insists on it. And while you’re at it, you’ll rediscover something even more important: your authentic self.

Whether you’re here for the history, scenery, inspiration, or food (or all of the above), this retreat offers a Camino experience that’ll leave you planning your return before you’ve even left.

This retreat is not just a getaway—it’s an extraordinary experience.

Rediscover Your Natural Rhythm Retreat Dates for 2025 and 2026

• November 15 – 21, 2025
• December 6 – 12, 2025
• March 14 – 20, 2026
• April 4 – 10, 2026
• May 2 – 8, 2026
• June 6 – 12, 2026
• July 4 – 10, 2026
• September 5 – 11, 2026
• October 3 – 9, 2026

If you cannot make these dates, please email me at welcome2gascony@gmail.com. The retreat starts at 16h on Saturdays and ends at 12h on Fridays.

Where is this little farm and how do you get here?

Maison Meraki is a 2-hour drive south-east of Bordeaux, and 2 hours south-west of Toulouse, between two small towns: Eauze and Nogaro.

The easiest and most effortless way to get here is to rent a car at Bordeaux, Toulouse, Biarritz, Pau or Lourdes airport. It’s much cheaper now than it was pre-COVID. It is highway nearly all the way here, and the road signs are clear, even if you don’t speak a single word of French.

If you prefer to use public transport, the best option is to fly to Toulouse, take the train to Auch, and visit the impressive cathedral with its exceptional hand-carved choir. When you have had a scrumptious lunch at one of the sidewalk bistros on the square in front of the cathedral, you take the bus to Nogaro, where you’ll be picked up and transferred to the retreat.

The most entertaining and cheapest way to get here is by getting a lift from the carpooling website, BlaBlaCar(dot)fr, which is available in English. Direct transfers by taxi are available either from the airport or from the train stations, but are expensive and need to be booked well in advance.

Fringe Benefits

• Pre-retreat chat with your retreat host.
• A 40-page e-guide “Make Your Next Retreat Your Best Retreat Ever“, that you can use to enrich your retreat experience
• A Certificate of Completion that mentions the kilometres walked on the Camino
• A Camino de Santiago scallop shell
• A 10% discount on your next retreat (valid for booking within 12 months) – this discount is only available to this retreat’s graduates

How much does this hiking adventure cost?

By the end of this retreat, you’ll feel intensely alive, profoundly rested, serenely content, positively radiant, and irrepressibly energetic. The new you grabs every moment and squeezes every ounce of meaning from it.

Investment in Your Future Self: €1,999 for single occupancy, €3,899 for double occupancy. Your stressed-out self will thank you. Your future self will thank you. And honestly, everyone around you will probably thank you too.

Payment plans available. Full payment due 30 days before retreat start.

Please read the Terms and Conditions before booking.

Think of asking your employer to pay for this transformational stress management retreat; you can motivate your application by mentioning that, according to Forbes, approximately 70% of people experienced burnout in the last year. Work-related consequences include job dissatisfaction, decreased productivity, poor performance, professional mistakes, absenteeism, quiet quitting and resignations, resulting in a high turnover rate. Although conditions at work may also need improvement, a retreat focused on stress management, led by a medical doctor, can contribute significantly to preventing burnout in employees.

Are you ready for an unforgettable retreat that will leave you feeling vibrantly alive, full of joie de vivre, deliciously indulged and profoundly relaxed from the top of your head to the tips of your toes? There are a limited number of these transformational retreats per year and only 3-4 guests per retreat. Contact me at welcome2gascony@gmail.com to inquire about availability and to pay a 450€ deposit to secure your spot.

Imagine how different your life will be in a year’s time if you decide to change your life by investing in this unique hiking adventure.

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©MMontagu Description frequently adjusted.