Nature Facilitation Practical Info

Dates

Tuesday 20th May (11.45am) to Sunday 25th May 2025

Arrivals and Departures

Arrivals: Please aim to arrive on site from 11.45am on Tuesday (and no later than 12:15pm). This will give you time to set up your tent and familiarise yourself with the site. We will start gathering at 12:45pm at the Outdoor Classroom.
Departures: We will finish by 4pm on Sunday (but please also allow time afterwards to take down your tent).

Travel

By car – Please go to Hawkwood College, Painswick Old Road, Stroud GL6 7QW. Phone number - 01453 759034. For more detailed directions, click here. Location on googe maps is here.
By public transport – Hawkwood College is a 5 min drive from Stroud train station. You can either walk from the station (about 30 mins) or take a taxi. We will create a WhatsApp group for shared taxis a week before the course.
If you are running late on the day or need to contact us, please text or call our camp phone - 07921 182315.
On arrival at Hawkwood College, make your way to the camping area below the main college building. To get there: drive through the main gates and up the hill, passing a roundhouse on your left. Take the right hand fork (following the sign for reception) and drive to the end of this road. The main college building will be on your left and the flat, grassy area to the right is where you can camp. You can stop just above the camping area to unload, and then please drive to the car park to park (follow signs) before pitching your tent. Once you have pitched your tent, feel free to walk around the grounds of the college. Camper vans can head straight to the car park.
We will be meeting at the Outdoor Classroom at 12:45pm. Looking up at the college from the camping area, you will see a wooden bench and sign up to the right. Between the bench and the sign, you will find a small gate into the walled garden and orchard. Walk through the gate and keep heading uphill. At the top of the orchard you will see another gate on your right. You have arrived!

Accomodation and Facilities

We will be camping in the beautiful grounds of Hawkwood College. There is an exquisite compost toilet in the woods (you’ll see!) and very basic washing facilities (we provide a solar shower and a private place to hang this up).
If your body needs more comfort in order to be able to participate fully, feel free to contact Hawkwood College and see if they have a room available for you to book. This will come at an additional cost, which you will need to pay directly to the college.

Kit List

Comfortable & casual outdoor clothes including waterproofs (both jacket & trousers)
Warm layers for the evening (fleeces etc.)
Outdoor shoes
Hats (sun hat / woolly hat – depending on the weather)
Wrist watch (preferred) or other simple time keeping device that is not your phone. Please borrow one from friends or family if you don’t have your own.
Sun cream, environmentally friendly toiletries, anti-viral hand sanitiser
Earplugs & eyemask (if you're a light sleeper)
Water bottle, bowl & mug
Torch / headtorch with working batteries
Notebook & pen / pencil
Something special, colourful and celebratory to wear for our last night
Instrument(s) if you're musically inclined – or any other creative offerings you may wish to contribute around the fire!
All your camping stuff: tent, sleeping bag, pillow, ground matt, etc.
Blanket and (optional) cushion to sit on that you don’t mind being outside
Bivy Bag. If you don’t already have one, we suggest investing in one. We recommend getting a Gortex second hand bivvy bag (such as here) – they are great things to have for sleeping out in nature! Don’t worry if you can’t get one for whatever reason, as we have some spares.

Food and Drink

We will be cooking up delicious, hearty and healthy breakfasts & dinners – concocted with fresh (mostly organic) vegetarian ingredients.
Please note that lunches are not provided on this course. Make sure to bring your own lunch for Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday (there are no catering options on these days and nowhere close to the site to buy food). Please pack everything you need to prepare and eat your lunch (inc. chopping knives).
Optional catering for Friday, Saturday and Sunday lunch. From Friday onwards we organise optional catering (delicious vegan, gluten free meals), which you can buy directly from a very talented local cook called Sam. This is priced at £6 mains and £4 optional desserts. We will share a menu nearer the time and you don’t have to order in advance. On arrival, you can choose catered lunch or opt to continue self-catering (bear in mind that there is no fridge on site, so make sure to bring food that will keep!).
You might want to supplement meals with snacks you bring yourself (but we request that these are vegetarian if that works for you).
There will be a bottomless supply of tea available to keep you energised throughout! Please note this is an alcohol free event.

Digital Detox

One of the things that people find most beneficial about our retreats is the opportunity to enjoy a multi-day digital detox. We encourage you to get any last minute correspondence done before you arrive on site, as we will invite you to lock your phone in a box when we first gather on Tuesday. We also recognise that this is not possible for everyone (particularly those with care responsibilities) and can explore what feels possible and good for you.
If you’d like to be contactable during our week together (e.g. in case of an emergency), please do share our camp phone number with friends or family – 07921 182315.

Date for your Diary

By completing this course, you are invited to join the allumni of over 150 nature facilitators who regularly connect, collaborate and support each other. As such, those who finish this course in May are invited to join us over summer solstice for a magical blend of connection, co-creation and celebration. The dates are Thu 19th to Sun 22nd June 2025. More details can be found here.