Would you give up your phone, your voice, and your small talk for a full weekend? Writer Angela Garwood did exactly that at Gayles, a converted family farm in Eastbourne, where phones are handed in and silence is the whole point. Eighteen guests, mostly women, spent the weekend walking, doing yoga, meditating, and eating meals together without saying a single word. Led by Roz Robinson, a 66-year-old yoga teacher and former psychotherapist, the retreat bans talking, alcohol, Apple Watches, and even strong perfume.
The surprise wasn’t that it felt awkward. It felt freeing. Garwood says she felt genuinely connected to a group of strangers, even in total silence, and that the quiet surfaced both difficult thoughts and a deeper sense of calm. She left reenergised, with a new plan to build stillness into her everyday life.“We look for answers out there, when really the answers are in here,”Robinson says.
This isn’t just one person’s experiment, either. UK wellness tourism grew 79% annually between 2020 and 2022, and Condé Nast Traveller named silent travel a top trend for 2024. With notifications and noise everywhere, a weekend of nothing might be the ultimate luxury. So we have to ask: could you actually do it, or would the silence drive you up the wall?
About the Author
Local Lawton
Local Lawton is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.