About the Retreat

Immerse yourself in the early Buddhist teachings and experience the Noble Eightfold Path as a perfectly complete, holistic training ~ something to be explored, enjoyed and allowed to unfold in its own time. Rather than striving, the emphasis will be on cultivating the conditions in which insight arises naturally, giving rise to inner joy and ever-deepening bliss.

At the heart of the retreat is the practice of letting go (vossagga) and the gradual refinement of happiness (sukha) described in the Suttas. Grounded on virtue and as this process matures, such wholesome happiness becomes increasingly independent of external conditions ~ stable, trustworthy and conducive to the ultimate happiness of Nibbana, where all craving and suffering ceases.

You will be in safe hands with our deeply compassionate and approachable teachers, who bring over seventy years (!) of combined monastic experience. Through storytelling, humour and wisdom, they create a warm and loving environment that supports deep yet relaxed meditation practice.

Set in the beautiful countryside of rural Dorset, the extensive grounds of Gaunts House allow for plenty of space to meditate, relax and surround yourself with nature and views of the huge lake. This retreat also includes inspiring teachings and guidance from both of our vastly experienced teachers, including teachings from the Early Buddhist Texts, silent and guided meditations, Dhamma talks and Q&A sessions. The schedule will be flexible and you will have use of two main halls, a large sitting room, library, dining room and grounds.

We are excited to be able to hold a retreat of such a length for the first time since 2018 and for the first time at this venue.

Location & Venue

Gaunts House is a large country house “from another era,” set in the beautiful Dorset countryside. The quiet environment is very conducive to peaceful meditation practice. If you bring walking boots you can go on lovely walks and explore the forested areas and lake (without getting too muddy!). We will have sole use of the centre, which will allow you to meditate with minimum distraction.

The venue is comprised of multiple buildings, three of which we will be using. The accommodation and dining room are in the Main House, additional accommodation is in the Stable Block and the meditation hall is in the Barn Theatre. The Barn Theatre is located just outside the main building and it is a short walk from the Stable Block. Please see the map below so you are confident that you understand the layout.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION! 

1. Please be aware that Gaunts House has limited accessibility, as most rooms and toilets are on the first, second or third floors. The nearest toilets to our meditation hall (the Barn Theatre) are located in the Main House on the first, second and top floors. This means you need to be fit enough to walk up and down stairs (there is no lift!) several times a day and between meditation sessions to go to the toilet!
2. Gaunts House has a “Mobile-Free” policy. You must give your phone to our retreat manager for safe-keeping until the final day of the retreat.

Accommodation & Facilities

1. Bedrooms & Bathrooms

Shared rooms are allocated at our discretion on a same-sex basis, with consideration given to health and age. In order to support stillness and investigation of one’s own inner world, family members, friends and couples will not be able to share a room. Most shared rooms have two or three beds with plently of clean shared bathrooms in the main corridor.

If you require an accessible room, please state that in your application. There are a limited number of single and shared rooms with en-suite bathrooms. Those with a genuine medical need will be given priority.

Rooms in the Main House look out to a view of either the lake or beautiful big trees, giving the feeling of truly being with nature.

If you need to use the toilet between sessions, you will either need to go to your room or to the common toilets, mostly located on the first and second floor in the main building, so please consider your physical ability.

2. Meditation Hall

The meditation hall is located in the Barn Theatre. It is a spacious, peaceful building surrounded by trees and is just outside the Main House.

Mats and basic chairs will be provided for sitting, but please bring your own cushions, as we cannot provide them for this retreat.

You are welcome to practice walking meditation in a separate room called The Ballroom, or on one of the many forest paths or the grass lawns around the buildings.

3. Dining Room

The Dining Room is located on the ground floor of the Main House. It’s an elegant, spacious room with a view of the grounds on one side, where you can enjoy a relaxed meal.

Hot water, tea and milk will be provided in the Tea Station by the Garden Door. You are advised to bring a thermos or takeaway cup if you think you may like to have tea in between meals.

4. Food and drinks

Food will be simple vegetarian with a vegan option. Tea and coffee is available around the clock. During this retreat we will abstain from eating in the evening, to support the deepening of meditation practice. Please therefore note that only breakfast and lunch will be provided. 

If you require food in the evening for medical purposes, please ensure that you bring along simple snacks such as flapjacks or nuts, that can be disreetly kept in your room.

What Will I Need to Bring?

• Meditation cushion(s) (we cannot provide cushions for this retreat, only mats)
• Flask (for hot water/tea) and water bottle
• Torch/flashlight
• Comfortable, warm clothes and a shawl
• Warm jacket & a raincoat/umbrella
• Outdoor boots & indoor slippers
• Toiletries (soap, shampoo, toothpaste, etc.)
• Hair dryer
• Any snacks for medical purposes only

Tentative Retreat Schedule

Friday 13th November:
15:30 – 17:00 Arrival & settling in
18:00 – 19:00 Light dinner or own snacks
19:30 – 20:00 Orientation talk (silence begins!)
20:00 – 21:00 Dhamma talk & guided meditation (Ajahn Brahm)

Saturday 14th – Thursday 19th November:
06:00 – 07:00 Meditation
07:00 – 08:30 Breakfast
08:30 – 10:00 Teaching & guided meditation (Ajahn Brahm)
10:30 – 11:30 Personal practice/ group interview (one per retreatant from Sun 15th – Thurs 19th)
11:30 – 12:30 Lunch
12:30 – 14:00 Rest
14:00 – 15:00 Personal practice
15:00 – 15:45 Guided meditation (Ajahn Canda or Ajahn Brahm, alternately)
16:00 – 17:00 Word of the Buddha Class (Ajahn Brahm or Ajahn Canda alternately)
17:00 – 18:00 Personal practice
18:00 – 19:00 Tea break
19:00 – 19:45 Group Meditation
20:00 – 21:00 Q&A

Friday 20th November:
06:00 – 07:00 Meditation
07:00 – 09:00 Breakfast & pack up personal belongings
09:00 – 10:15 Closing talk & metta meditation
10:15 – 11:15 Anukampa discussion & dana talk
11:30 – 12:30 Lunch
Departures by 14:00

Retreatants must pack up on the last day of the retreat at 09:00 and leave promptly by 14:00.

Getting There

The site’s remoteness is part of what it makes it so special, but it does mean that some planning is required if arriving by public transport.

By Air: London Heathrow or Gatwick, Bristol, Exeter, Southampton or Bournemouth.

By Coach: From All Airports there is a Coach service to Poole https://www.nationalexpress.com/en/offers/cheap-coach-tickets Then continue by taxi from your last stop to reach Gaunts House. See “Local Taxi” section below.

By Train: London Waterloo, Bristol Temple Meads to Bournemouth or Poole. Then by Coach: London Victoria and Hammersmith and most cities to Bournemouth or Poole. By Bus: 13 from Bournemouth or 3 from Poole to Wimborne. Then continue by taxi from your last stop to reach Gaunts House. See “Local Taxi” section below.

By Train: Our closest rail station is Poole but there are also travel options from Southampton and Salisbury. Then continue by taxi from your last stop to reach Gaunts House. See “Local Taxi” section below.

By Bus Travelling Via Salisbury: BUS 20 SALISBURY-BLANDFORD FORUM: Ask the driver to drop you at the Handley Cross roundabout. The bus leaves Salisbury (Endless Street, stop D) at: 08:40, 13:10, 16:10, 17:50. Monday to Saturday, 25 minute journey, no service Sundays.Timetable here https://bustimes.org/services/20-blandford-forum-salisbury Then continue by taxi from your last stop to reach Gaunts House. See “Local Taxi” section below.

Via Poole: BUS NUMBER 4, STAND E POOLE – WIMBORNE. Bus Number 4 leaving from stand E in Poole bus station and run’s every 30 minutes to Wimborne. https://bustimes.org/services/4-poole-broadstone-merley-wimborne Then continue by taxi from your last stop to reach Gaunts House. See “Local Taxi” section below.

Local Taxi: 01202 888888/884444 (approx. £25 from Bournemouth, £22.50 from Poole and £8 from Wimborne)

Car Share: Life’s a journey – share it! We ask you all to consider your environment and the effect your travel has on it. We will provide a ride-share spreadsheet so you can arrange to offer a lift or share a taxi with fellow retreatants.

Parking is available for those who are driving. For navigation, please use Google Maps and enter “Gaunts House Retreat, Petersham Lane” instead of using the post code to bring you straight to the main building.

Cost

The total amount for the residential retreat is between £680 – £890 per person depending on the room type:
• Single en-suite room (£890 per person)
• Single room with shared bathroom (£800 per person)
• Twin en-suite room (£760 per person)
• Twin or triple room with shared bathroom (£680 per person)

Please note that the retreat cost is for the venue hire only, which includes accommodation, meals, and use of the meditation hall, other rooms and grounds. No fee is taken for the invaluable teachings! The retreat is organised entirely by hard-working, good-hearted Anukampa monastics and volunteers, to keep costs as low as possible.

Ajahn Brahm is kindly coming all the way from Perth in Western Australia to England to support Anukampa Bhikkhuni Project’s charitable aims – of spreading the Dhamma and developing Anukampa Grove. As the first residence for bhikkhunis in the UK, Anukampa Grove gives women an opportunity to practice as bhikkhunis and provides a place for our warm-hearted and diverse community to practice and serve alongside spiritual friends. The volunteers who organise these retreats give their time freely, helping us keep costs as low as possible.  At the end of the retreat, there will be an opportunity to donate towards the running costs of Anukampa Grove and requisites for the resident nuns.

If you would like to contribute to sponsoring costs for Ajahn Brahm, Ajahn Candā and Samanerī Upacālā please donate here, reference: ‘monastic costs.’

We may be able to offer some financial assistance to those of limited means through our bursary fund, collected entirely through the generosity of others.

You are welcome to donate to our bursary fund here.

Application Procedure

1. Please ensure you read all the above information carefully first, and then fill in the application form below. At this stage you will not be required to make a payment.

2. After submitting your application, you should receive an acknowledgement email immediately. If you do not see it, please check your junk or spam folder. We recommend adding our email address (bookings@anukampaproject.org) to your contacts to ensure our emails are not filtered as junk. If you do not receive the email, please contact us.

3. We aim to approve your application within two weeks. If you are applying for waiting list, we will only contact you if there is space available.

4. Once your application is approved, your registration fee is needed to secure your place. Upon receipt, your ticket will be automatically emailed to you.

We will allocate your room based on the room type you selected in this application form. When it comes to payment you must stick to the room type you originally chose in this application form, because we have organised the room chart on the basis of your choice and cannot change it at the time of payment!

If the room type is no longer visible to you below, it means the room is currently taken and you can apply to be on the waiting list. If you specifically need a single room, please state your reason. If a single room becomes available in the future, we will contact you to let you know.

Cancellation Policy

Due to the cancellation policy at Gaunts House, the registration fee is refundable minus £150 until 13th August 2026 only.

After 13th August, no refund will be given, unless someone on our waiting list is able to take your place. If your ticket can be taken by someone else, you will be refunded minus £150. Whilst we will make every effort to offer your ticket on, we are sorry that this cannot be guaranteed.

Health and community care: Please do not attend if you feel ill (e.g. if you have any symptoms of Covid or any other viral infections).

All ticket proceeds go toward covering venue hire, food and other arrangements. Any excess will go toward general running cost of Britain’s first vihara (residence) for bhikkhunis, “Anukampa Grove.”

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