One Day Writing Retreat Dorset

Maybe there are themes you’re interested in exploring but you’re not sure how to find your way in. Perhaps you’ve been working for months on a project, and you’d like the chance to see it with fresh eyes. Or maybe you've just been meaning to put pen to paper for an age and this seems like a good time. Join us for this one day writing retreat at an event space in Cafe D'Urberville in Sherborne, Dorset, where you’ll have the chance to closely examine your ideas and launch them into the next phase, getting you closer to finishing your story, developing your novel or simply having a clearer idea of what you’re trying to achieve.

Over five hours (with a lunch break either at the delightful Cafe D'Urberville itself or somewhere in historic Sherborne if you fancy a wander) you’ll have time to take a deep dive into your story ideas through writing exercises and group discussion. Joanna Quinn, Sarah Leipciger and Peggy Riley will help you navigate your way to a better understanding of the stories you want to tell and how to tell them. We will look at developing our ideas; blocks to writing; characterisation and plot.

Timetable

Your day with us will look like this:

10:00: Arrival and check-in, teas and coffees

Workshop 1: 

10:15 - 11:15:

11:15 - 11:35 - tea break

11:45 - 1:00 

Lunch break: 1:00 - 2:00 

Workshop 2: 

2 - 3:15 

3:15 - 3:35 - tea break 

3:45 - 5:00 

About Cafe D'Urbervillle:

Cafe D'Urberville is "a cosy nook of Dorset serving award winning coffee, homemade bakes, high vibes lunch and speciality cocktails. A place to meet friends for those lovely long lunches, a takeaway treat with a difference or an event space to host special celebrations. Our hospitality has even gone so far as to earn us the title of Best UK Café, as crowned by the esteemed Muddy Stilettos."

Parking & Accessibility:

The D'Urberville building dates back to 1658, and while beautiful, is unfortunately not the most accessible. The event space we are using is located on the second floor, which requires climbing 30 or so stairs. 

Cafe D'Urberville does not have onsite parking, but is in the centre of Sherborne and you will find ample car parking nearby. Both the Culverhayes Car Park and the Old Market Car Park are a five minute walk from the cafe. The cafe is also just a five minute walk from Sherborne Railway Station which is on the main line between London Waterloo and Exeter St Davids.

Travel Information

Sherborne is a picturesque town situated on the Dorset and Somerset border, with a range of medieval buildings and historic sites to discover, including an Abbey and two castles! Cafe D'Urberville is in the town centre and there are many options for travelling to Sherborne by railway, coach or road. The cafe is just a five minute walk from Sherborne Railway Station which is on the main line between London Waterloo and Exeter St Davids.

South Western Railway operates a direct service taking about 2 hours and 15 minutes from London Waterloo to Sherborne. There is a direct service from Exeter, with other locations in the South West such as Plymouth and Torquay requiring at least one change at Exeter St. Davids station. 

National Express coaches stop at Yeovil Bus Station which is less than 5 miles from Sherborne. Direct coach services from London Hammersmith take around 2 hours and 45 minutes.  When you arrive at Yeovil, you can either travel from Yeovil to Sherborne by taxi or take a local bus. To plan your bus journey, visit the Traveline website. 

If you are travelling by road, Sherborne is situated on the A30 between Shaftesbury and Yeovil, 10 miles south of the A303 at Wincanton. There are no motorways in Dorset, however the nearest motorways to Sherborne are at the M3 from London via the South East, the M4 from London via Oxfordshire and the M5 from Birmingham. Most of the car parks are open 24 hours and some offer free overnight parking from 6pm until 8am. 

If you are driving an electric vehicle, there are three chargepoints at Old Market Yard car park, two chargepoints at Coldharbour car park and another two chargepoints at Culverhayes car park. Some of the hotels and self catering accommodation in Sherborne also offer EV charging for their guests. You can view the charging station locations on the Zapmap website or App.

For more information, go to the Visit Dorset page about Sherborne.