From Troubled to Triumphant: The CrossRoads Retreat

A CAMINO DE SANTIAGO WALKING ADVENTURE

Standing at a crossroads, struggling through a big life change or stuck in the middle of a life crisis, have you realised that you need to take some time out to rest, reset, relax and reboot, before your sky-high stress levels permanently damage your health?

Maybe it’s burnout finally catching up, escalating relationship difficulties, an unexpectedly complicated career change, a finally unavoidable retirement, a mind-numbing relocation, the piercing loneliness of an empty nest, a life-arresting health scare, the soul-wrenching loss of someone precious, the cross-country relocation, or the promotion that somehow feels like a trap.

Are 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.

What makes this retreat so valuable?

It is hosted by a retired medical doctor: Dr. Margaretha Montagu – the woman who turned life crisis survival and burnout recovery into an art form.

After two decades as a medical doctor and nearly as many hosting retreats, I’ve mastered the art of helping you remember you’re allowed to breathe once in a while. 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.

You know what? 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.

Whatever life crisis you are dealing with, whether you are climbing corporate mountains, running your own business, facing an empty nest, navigating relationship difficulties or processing a loss and juggling problems that multiply like rabbits, this retreat is designed to restore you.

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

My life’s work is to help people like you cope with the stress generated by life challenges and changes. We go through the same major life changes again and again, until we learn the lessons each life change offers us. I understand how challenging these changes can be, both personally and professionally. I know what it feels like—the uncertainty, the insecurity, the anxiety, the overthinking. In the last 30 years, I have been through more than 20 life transitions, sometimes more than one at the same time. It hasn’t gotten any easier, but I’ve gotten better at coping with it.

Instead of helping people “survive” big life changes, I help them interpret them.

I can’t promise life-changing breakthroughs, but when life has knocked you off course, a couple of days of walking the Camino can often be enough to help you find your bearings again.

This Camino de Santiago Crossroads hiking retreat (5-days 4-nights) is your permission slip to press pause, recalibrate your inner compass, and internalise how exceptional, powerful, gifted, beautiful, strong, generous, appreciated, valuable, talented, brilliant, admired, respected, courageous, special, caring and lovable you STILL are.

This seemingly endless Life Change of yours? It’s temporary. You’ll get through it. My generous, intuitive, patient, powerful, warmhearted horses will help you. So will walking part of the magical miracle-working Camino de Santiago de Compostela.

Limited availability for 2026: September – only one room left, October – only 2 rooms left

This retreat will take you from

UNCERTAIN TO UNSTOPPABLE

POWERLESS TO PURPOSEFUL

DOUBTFUL TO DETERMINED

INSECURE TO INVINCIBLE

This retreat is for you if:

• Your idea of self-care has evolved beyond green juice and bath bombs. You need something with more… substance.
• Everyone calls you “the strong one,” and you’re exhausted from holding up the sky. There’s a whisper inside saying “something’s shifting” — but you can’t quite hear it over the noise of your calendar notifications.
• You’d rather have a root canal than sit through another rah-rah team-building exercise. You’d prefer to wander through ancient woods than network over canapés.
• You’re allergic to quick fixes and motivational platitudes. You want to work on yourself, not just a new morning routine.
• You’re standing in that liminal space between chapters — no longer who you were, not yet who you’re becoming. It’s uncomfortable and also kind of thrilling.
• You need clarity that cuts through the fog, resilience that actually lasts, and the inner compass to make your next move feel right — not just look right.
• You want a place where you can drop the performance, skip the elevator pitch, and simply be yourself while you figure out what comes next. No judgment, no jargon, just honest space to breathe.

At the end of this retreat, you will feel:

Physically: Vibrantly alive, bursting with energy, fully rested, profoundly relaxed, rejuvenated, refreshed with all your batteries fully recharged

Mentally: Grounded and centred, free from the uncertainty and insecurity a life transition generates, confident in your ability to manage stress during this life transition, motivated to embrace the changes you’re facing, and clear on how to tackle challenges and find solutions to your problems.

Spiritually: Calm, peaceful and serene, inspired and uplifted, with a renewed sense of purpose, a clear idea of who you are now and what matters most to you as you boldly move forward into your sensational next chapter.

The aim of this 5-day retreat is to help you develop effective coping strategies to use that can be incorporated seamlessly into your personal and professional life so that you can get through this life change (and any future challenges, changes and crises) and live a long, happy, healthy and fulfilling life, full of purpose and meaning – in alignment with your unique talents, values and ideals.

What my guests are saying about this retreat (and why they keep coming back:)

Limited availability for 2026: September – only one room left, October – only 2 rooms left

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+)

Highlights of the Crossroads Retreats

• Walk part of the often life-changing Camino de Santiago de Compostela to gain clarity about your future while practising walking meditation to help you focus your mind.
• Connect with my Friesian and Falabella horses, who are mindfulness masters, during equine-guided mindfulness and meditation sessions to benefit from their intuitive and authentic wisdom. If you have always been fascinated by horses, and longed to connect with them on a deeper level but have always been intimidated by their size, this will be an unforgettable experience. We work with the horses from the ground, the horses are not ridden during the retreat.
• Enjoy the very best food that Gascony has to offer – mindfully: Paella with an African twist, Tagine à la Française, Ratatouille aux 7 Epices served al fresco…your taste buds will think they are in seventh heaven.
• Stay in an authentic half-timbered 200-year-old French farmhouse, on the edge of an ancient forest, surrounded by the peaceful sounds of nature, in the heart of the Armagnac and Cotes de Gascogne wine region in the southwest of France. In your cool, light and airy room, you’ll be able to sleep deeply, undisturbed, for as long as you need to wake up feeling fully rested, refreshed and rearing to get going!
• Discover the laid-back French way of life: the French live happy and healthy lives well into their nineties because they cope with stress by focusing on être (being) instead of faire (doing) or avoir (having) as represented by the Slow Food and Slow and Sustainable Travel movements.
• End your days by stargazing and communing with the universe by doing Yoga Nidra last thing at night (there is barely any light pollution here) to remind you of the infinite possibilities and innumerable opportunities that await you.
• Indulge in a leisurely brunch on your last day – because you’ll have a lot to celebrate and celebrating victories – big or small – make your life meaningful!

Every activity has been carefully chosen to empower you not just to survive this life challenge, but to thrive while you are going through it, and make the most of the resources naturally available in the exceptionally glorious and gorgeous Gascony region.

Enough free time is available for resting, relaxing and recharging your batteries. If you prefer to skip an activity, you are more than welcome, all arranged activities are optional. The program is not set in stone and might be adjusted according to the weather etc.

Here’s how your adventure will unfold:

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

Day 2: Ease into your pilgrim stride with a gentle 11km (7 miles) 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: Manciet to Nogaro – a breezy 10km (just less than 7 miles) that leads you to a town that’s been doing its thing since the 11th century. The Romanesque church is so photogenic that it practically demands its own Instagram account. Another 2.5-4 hours of wandering this wonderland.

Day 4: Village Walk – Visit the closest enchanting medieval village (more about the 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. Before you set off on this walk, we spend some quality time with my Friesian and Falabella horses: walking, breathing and meditating with them. Evening includes dinner at a local bistro where you’ll experience rural French life, authentic and undiluted. Budget 15-30 euros for a meal that’ll ruin you for chain restaurants forever.

Day 5: Farewell Brunch, where you’ll savour the delicious local flavours one last time. As you toast to your transformation with 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.

The retreat includes two 45 min mentoring sessions (the first on day 2 and the second on day 3) as well as free access to the Reconnect with Nature: An Online Journaling Course Inspired by Horses

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.

Limited availability for 2026: September – only one room left, October -only 2 rooms left

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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.

When can you come to a CrossRoads Retreat?

We’d love to welcome you to our little part of paradise here in the sun-blessed southwest of France on the first and third Saturday of every month from March to November.

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How much does a CrossRoads retreat cost?

At the end of this retreat, you’ll feel intensely alive, profoundly rested, serenely contented, positively radiant, irrepressibly energetic, bien dans votre peau…  and at least ten years younger. The new you grabs every second of every minute of every hour of the day and squeezes every last ounce of meaning out of it.

Prepare to be a different person by the time you have to tear yourself away from this profoundly restful and peaceful haven to return home.

The CrossRoads retreat is a once-in-a-lifetime retreat. This potentially life-changing 5-day 4-night retreat includes accommodation, most meals, transport, activities, coaching and coaching materials and costs 1699€ for a single bedroom and 3299€ for 2 people in a double bedroom. To ensure participants get the attention they need, no more than four participants attend each retreat. Payment Plans are available. Please read the Terms and Conditions before booking. Full payment is due 30 days before the retreat starts

Think of asking your employer to pay for this resileince building 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.

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“But what if…?”

I know that little voice. I’ve heard it myself many times. Let me save you some scrolling and answer some of your questions. More FAQ

“I don’t know anyone else coming.” Neither does anyone else, three days before the retreat starts. And the majority left with a WhatsApp group they still use.

“I’ve never really been a horse person.” You don’t need to be. Interacting with Loki and his band of deliquents is entirely optional.

“Is this instead of therapy?” No. This isn’t a replacement for professional support, and I’ll never pretend it is. Think of it as the reset that makes everything else — including therapy, if you’re in it — easier to integrate.

“I’m an introvert, will this be too much?” This retreat was built by one, for people like you. Long walks, plenty of solitude, no forced group bonding exercises. You can be as solitary as you like.

“Will I be able to manage the walks?” This is a walking retreat for people who do not walk long distance regularly. Several 80+ year old have managed with aplomb. It’s about experiencing the Camino, not rushing from the starting point to the end point of the day’s walk.

Still have a question I haven’t answered? That’s what the “Book”-button is for. I read and answer every single enquiry myself.

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 margarethamontagu@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 attending this retreat.

©MMontagu