A Camino de Santiago Hiking Retreat for Personal Growth and Transformation – A Journey Of Self-Discovery Through the French Countryside
In 7 days, reconnect with your authentic self, with your past and your future, and with nature while walking the Camino de Santiago in the south of France
also available as 5-day retreats
Walking the Camino de Santiago can literally change your life – you can find solutions to problems, answers to questions and clarity on the way forward – just as thousands of hikers have before you, for the last 800 years.
Hundreds of thousands (over 200,000 in 2018) of people from all walks of life make their way to Santiago de Compostela via one of the pilgrims’ routes each year.
For most, it is an unforgettable and life-enhancing experience.
Is walking the Camino on your bucket list? On this unique walking retreat, .everything will be taken care of for you.
You will sleep in the same bed each night, you do not have to carry a heavy backpack with you, and you will eat healthy, home-grown and homemade food – all you have to do is concentrate on experiencing everything that walking the Camino has to offer.
You will also learn more about walking meditation as a stress management strategy and will have the opportunity to taste some of the region’s excellent wines.
On Day 1, you arrive in the sun-blessed south of France in time for dinner, walk the Camino on days 2, 3, rest on day 4, walk the Camino again on days 5 and 6. and leave after breakfast on Day 7. At the end of at least two of your walks, you will have the opportunity to visit a local wine seller, where you can sample some of the best wines the region has to offer.
It’s easy to get here: just fly to Bordeaux or Toulouse and rent a car/use public transport to get to the retreat.
Ideal for solo travellers and couples. Also available as a 3-day or 5-day retreat
A warm welcome awaits you amidst the Saint-Mont, Armagnac, and Cotes de Gascogne vineyards in the sun-blessed southwest of France!
Description
Let Nature be Your Compass
Coming to a Camino de Santiago walking retreat here in this unspoiled and mostly undiscovered region in the southwest of France will enable you to get away from the hustle, bustle, and never-ending demands of everyday life, and allow you to recharge your batteries, reconnect with nature, unwind and declutter your mind, and increase your physical fitness.
You can even combine this retreat with the Detox Your Body, Detox Your Mind with Intermittent Fasting retreat if you want to lose a bit of weight!
The easy camaraderie between walkers, the breathtaking scenery, the mood-lifting effect of following in the footsteps of walkers who have walked the Camino these last 800 years, sleeping along the way in an ancient French farmhouse, and sampling the excellent food and wine of the region makes this retreat unforgettable.
Program
Day 1: Arrive in time for dinner
Day 2: On the first walking day, guests walk the Camino de Santiago de Compostela from Eauze to Manciet (11km.)
DAY 3 On the second walking day, guests walk from Manciet to Nogaro. (10 km.)
Day 4 is a rest-and-get-your-breath-back day.
Day 5: On the third walking day, guests walk from Nogaro to Lelin-Lapujolle (16km.)
Day 6: The fourth day’s walk is from Lelin-Lapujolle (D931) to Aire-sur-Adour and back to Nogaro by bus. (17 km.)
Day 7: Leave after brunch.
Optional add-ons (additional fee and subject to availability)
- Massage
- Relaxing Hypnotherapy Sessions
- Orienting NLP sessions
This is the perfect option for single travellers, couples, and small groups
- Who are touring the region and would like to spend a day or two of their holiday walking the Camino
- Who would like to walk a short distance of the Camino before committing to a longer walk
- Of writers, authors, novelists, playwrights, screenwriters, essayists, poets, composers and songwriters in need of inspiration
We look forward to welcoming you here!
Food
Our food is simple but delicious and we aim to give your digestive tract as much of a rest as the rest of you while feeding your body as well and as generously as your mind.
This is a celebration of the wonderful variety of fresh local produce available from our garden as well as from the local weekly fresh food markets.
In the morning we serve you a scrumptious brunch buffet, consisting of cereal, fruit, bread, confiture, honey, milk, yoghurt, typical cheeses and patés of the region. Tea and coffee are available from early, and throughout the day. You can also make sandwiches and take some fruit/yoghurt with you, to eat during your walk.
Dinner is served early and consists of a homemade soup (hot/cold depending on the season,) a healthy and hearty main course, often vegetarian and often heavily influenced by the cuisine of our Spanish neighbours, followed by something sweet, if required. Only water is served at the table.
Dinner on days 4 and 6 we have at a local restaurant to help regenerate the local economy post-COVID. The cost of this meal is not included – usually 15-30 euros, depending on your choices.
We cater for most diets (Vegetarian, Gluten Free, Nut-allergy-friendly, Low fat, Sugar conscious, Egg-free, Dairy-free) if you have any intolerances, allergies or dislike some ingredient or food, please let me know during your booking, at the latest two weeks before your arrival.
Retreat Leader
M Montagu
After working for 20 years as a medical doctor in a variety of specialities including psychiatry and general practice, I came to the conclusion that many diseases have their roots in my patients’ inability to handle stress effectively. Instead of treating stress-related illnesses, I decided to look at practical ways that my patients can use to prevent stress from ruining their health. I studied a number of alternative therapies including hypnotherapy and NLP, and eventually combined my education and experience to create the transformational virtual and residential retreats that I host in the south of France.
Dr M Montagu MBChB MRCGP MedHypDip NLP Master Cert Prof Life Coach Cert Counseling CertEAGALA Cert
Location
The venue, deep in the heart of Gascony, less than two hours’ drive south-east of Bordeaux, near a small town called Eauze, is located on several acres of lush, green meadows and is surrounded by vineyards, woods, orchards, and sunflower fields. Secluded but not isolated, this 200-year-old farmhouse is only 3km from a typical local town with all amenities.
Further afield, you’ll find vineyards, sunflower fields, more woods, more sunflower fields, medieval villages, bottomless lakes, orchards, and of course, the Camino de Santiago de Compostela.
The authentic Landaise farmhouse, some 200 years old and lovingly restored, is set on two levels, with two bedrooms on the ground floor and one on the first floor with glorious views of the surrounding woods, meadows, vineyards and sunflower fields. Some of the bedrooms on the ground floor have doors directly onto a patio and into the garden. Each has a small seating area. There are several seating spots in the garden.
The heart of the house is the kitchen-sitting room, delightfully cool in the summer, and extended by a shaded patio into the garden and snug and warm in the winter, heated by a Godin wood burner.
The bedroom has two comfortable beds and a view of the garden, woods, meadows, and the horses’ paddocks. Fresh towels and linens, an iron and ironing board (used only very rarely!) and a hairdryer are provided.
There is ample, safe, off-road parking.
Free access to high-speed internet.
In only a few other places you will find all the ingredients of a perfect holiday combined with such abundance as in Gascony: fabulous food, outstanding wine, generous people and the breathtaking beauty of mountains, rivers, lakes and medieval villages perched on hilltops.
Weather
The climate in the summer months resembles that of the Mediterranean coast with long, sunny days and balmy evenings when it is possible to sit out comfortably into the early morning hours.
This part of France is protected from the harsh Atlantic winds in winter by the heavily forested department to the west of it, the Landes. It is sheltered from snow in winter by the Pyrenées and it enjoys mild and early springs, beginning at the end of March. The long, lazy summers, continue well into October and finally often end with an “été Indien” (warm autumn) before the onset of winter in late November.
Drenched for nearly 9 months of the year in sunshine, Gascony is excellent for outdoor recreational activities and almost year-round al-fresco dining. While good weather cannot be guaranteed, during the summer months, it is often very hot during the day and temperatures reach into the high 20s °C, with spring and autumn temperatures hovering in the low to mid-20s °C.
Mid-summer is very hot and dry, the temperatures often exceed 30°C. The annual rainfall varies from more than 900 mm in the southwest of the department to less than 700 mm in the northeast. Even the weather conspires to make this the ultimate place to relax!
How to get here (flights, airport transfers, buses, trains)
Airports
The most convenient way to travel here, depending on where you are coming from, is by air. Several of the low-cost airlines fly to airports close to us. Our closest airports Toulouse-Blagnac Airport (TLS), and Bordeaux Airport (BOD)– both just under 2 hours away (by car.)
Car rental
We highly recommend renting a car on your arrival at a local airport or train station, especially if you intend to stay with us a couple of days before or after a retreat as the region has much to offer a discerning tourist.
Other Options
From Toulouse airport, there is a train to Auch (50 min from us by car), and from Bordeaux airport, there is a train to Mont de Marsan (45 min from us by car). Airport shuttles and trams connect the airports and train stations. From both these train stations, there is a bus service to Eauze/Nogaro via Aire-sur-Adour. In addition, there is now an excellent carpooling website in France that several of our guests have used successfully. It is called Blablacar and one could possibly get a lift, sometimes all the way to Eauze/Nogaro from the airport for less than 10 euros. We pick up our guests from Nogaro at no additional cost.
What’s Included In This Package
- 6 nights accommodation in an authentic half-timbered landaise farmhouse
- Wholesome brunches, delicious dinners (except dinner on days 4 and 6) Option at brunch to make sandwiches to have during the walk
- 4 unforgettable days walking the Camino de Santiago
- Introduction to Walking Meditation
- Meraki Morning Program
- Transport to and from the starting and end points of the Camino on each walking day
- Wifi connection
What’s Not Included In This Package
- Transport costs to local airports (flights) – there are 5 international airports (Toulouse, Bordeaux, Biarritz, Tarbes and Pau) less than 2 hours drive from us
- Transport from local airports to local train stations (Auch and Mont de Marsan) to Nogaro or Aire-sur-Adour
- Personal Health Insurance and/or Travel Insurance (we highly recommend insurance cover in case you need to cancel)
- Additional activities not included in the itinerary
- Option to add a massage at the end of the walk (subject to availability)
- Extra day/night bed-and-breakfast (€79)
- Dinner on days 4 and 6 ~ we have these meals at restaurants nearby to support local small business owners (15-30 euro, depending on your choices)
- Alcoholic beverages
- Additional coaching, hypnotherapy and meditation sessions
Responsible Travel
- It is important to me that the holidays I offer do as little damage to the environment as possible, while at the same time contributing to the local community’s economy. I feel more like the custodian than the owner of this property – I feel very privileged to live here. As its custodian, my intention is to look after it to the very best of my ability and to preserve it for generations to come. In the meantime, I share the exceptional natural beauty, the rich cultural heritage and the nurturing tranquillity of my house with my guests without harming the natural environment and helping environmentally-aware local producers at the same time. Recommendations for guests:
- Turn off your lights when you leave your room
- Turn off your computer when not in use. Conserve energy by using your computer’s “sleep mode” instead of a screensaver.
- Unplug unused electronics (even your mobile phone)
- Conserve water. Take a shower rather than a bath and take shorter showers – using less hot water means using less energy
- Recycle paper, plastic and glass – separately
- Buy organic food – chemicals used in modern agriculture pollute the water supply, and require energy to produce.
- Use cloth/paper/reusable bags/a basket when shopping instead of plastic or paper bags.
- Buy minimally packaged goods
- Buy produce that is in season
- Always ask before you take pictures
- Support the local community economically by buying what you need, whenever possible, directly from the producer: often from a neighbour, a small local business or a market.
Cost
7-day-6-night package including accommodation, brunch and dinner (option to make sandwiches at brunch for later), walking meditation instruction, transport to and from each day’s walk, pick-up and drop-off in Nogaro at start and end of the retreat:
- in a private room €1089
- in a double room (2 people) €I989
So seize this exceptional opportunity to spend a few nights with us NOW…to help you make your trip a special one, please let us know you are coming by making a reservation. A warm welcome awaits you amidst the Armagnac, Saint Mont and Cotes de Gascogne vineyards in the sun-blessed southwest of France.
Ready to make a reservation? To pay your deposit and secure your booking, please contact us with the dates of the week that suits you at welcome2gascony(at)gmail.com to inquire about availability.
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Cancellation Policy
Deposit
To secure your booking, a non-refundable 25% deposit is required. As the group is very small, only a paid deposit will guarantee your attendance. If your retreat is fully booked, you will be offered a place on the waiting list. Your deposit is transferable to another person for the retreat you booked, subject to approval.
Final Payment
The balance of payment is due 30 days prior to the start of your retreat. Reservations made less than 30 days before the retreat starts, must be paid in full. Please note: Due to the extensive and expensive preparation that goes into each of these retreats, I cannot offer refunds, so I highly recommend that you purchase adequate travel insurance to cover any unanticipated changes in your travel plans. Any cancellation made in writing less than 30 days before the retreat starts, or once the retreat has started, will result in a total loss of funds. Depending on availability, you can choose to transfer your booking to another date without incurring any additional fees, within the same calendar year.
I reserve the right to cancel the retreat if it is not meeting the retreat minimum (if I do so your deposit is refunded in full). I reserve the right to determine if you are a good fit for this retreat (if not, your deposit will be refunded in full). I reserve the right to cancel the retreat for personal reasons (if I do so your deposit/full payment will be refunded in full).
This cancellation policy is firm therefore please do not make any travel arrangements until you receive your registration confirmation.
Please read our terms and conditions