Planning your retreat

Retreats & Events

Visiting St Beuno’s

St Beuno's is a large Victorian Grade II* listed building with spacious public areas and beautiful grounds, located in the Vale of Clwyd with spectacular views of the coast and the Snowdonia mountains. Beyond our grounds, there are many public footpaths so you may wish to bring sturdy outdoor shoes or boots, a backpack and a raincoat, as the weather can be quite unpredictable.

It is an hour’s walk to the nearest shop so we keep a small stock of reasonably priced snacks, sell basic toiletries and medicines and also have a well-stocked bookshop.

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Your room

Whether you are in a simple, standard or ensuite room, you can be assured of a comfortable stay. Ensuite rooms have a shower and toilet in an ensuite room. Standard and Simple rooms have a washbasin in the room and the use of shared bathrooms. Simple rooms are smaller than Standard. Towels, hand soap and bedding are all provided. We only have a limited number of hairdryers to borrow so you may find it easier to bring your own. Wi-Fi reaches all of the main house rooms, including the lounge and the library but there is no Wi-Fi in the cottages.

Visitors with limited mobility

We make every effort to meet the needs of all our guests but our buildings and facilities do have certain limitations on account of their age and the fact that we are based on a hillside. There is lift access to the main rooms and there is a fully accessible bathroom on the ground floor near to several of our standard bedrooms. Please discuss any particular needs with us before booking and we will endeavour to make your stay as easy for you as possible.

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Catering

Our chefs provide a daily changing menu of home-cooked meals and this menu is displayed by the entrance to the dining room. You will be offered breakfast, lunch (with dessert) and an evening meal every day.

Special diets

We can meet some of the catering needs of guests with certain medically diagnosed allergies and special diets - these include gluten free or dairy free diets and nut or shellfish allergies. Given the scale of our catering and the limited budget within which we operate, it is no longer possible for us to offer substitute dishes for those with other allergies, though we can of course inform you about allergens in our dishes. We ensure that there is sufficient fruit, bread, salads and vegetables for people who are not able not to eat a particular dish.

All dietary needs should be raised when booking. It may not be possible for us to meet special dietary needs that are only made known to us on arrival. If we have agreed to cater for a particular diet, we respectfully request that guests take the food that has been provided for them (and is labelled with their name) and do not request what is offered to other guests.

Making an Individually Guided Retreat

One-to-one Spiritual Direction

The directors for this retreat are directors who work in St Beuno’s and are trained in Ignatian Spirituality. You will meet with your spiritual director each day and the focus of this meeting to talk about your prayer and your experience of God.

It is helpful if you keep a journal or notes during the retreat and take some time to prepare for meeting with your director. Your spiritual director will listen and offer resources for prayer as you journey through the days of the retreat.

More about Individually Guided Retreats

Prayer during the retreat

Your retreat is an individual experience and you and your director will listen together to what God is inviting you to in these days of silence and prayer. You will have the opportunity to discuss with your director how you pray and how you wish to structure your days during your retreat. Apart from the one-to-one meeting with your director and scheduled meals, the structure of your day is very free.

Reading is not encouraged so please avoid seeing your retreat as the time to read all those books which you have always intended to read but never got around to! We invite you to not use your devices during your days of retreat to fully embrace the silence.

All are invited to join us for our two daily occasions of praying together, Mass at 17:45 and a time of silent prayer in the main Chapel after the evening meal.

New to retreats? Here are some starting points

Health

Local doctors are willing to see St Beuno's retreatants if necessary. The nearest hospital is fifteen minutes drive away. The nearest chemist is in St Asaph. National Health Service treatment is available to British citizens and for citizens of countries in the European Economic Area (EEA) for free.

British Citizen

If you are a British citizen you will need the name and address of your doctor at home and will need to register as a temporary patient.

EU national

If you are an EU national you should bring a valid European Health Insurance card and also the name and address of your doctor at home. You should also make sure that you have adequate travel and health insurance for your visit as an SHIC does not cover all healthcare costs. If you do not have an EHIC, you can request a Provisional Replacement Certificate (PRC) from the relevant authority where you live.

Non-EU nationals

Non-EU nationals will normally have to pay for medical consultations. We strongly recommend that you take out adequate medical/travel insurance.

Please note that medical prescriptions from doctors overseas are not valid in the UK. We suggest you bring your own supply of medicines (particularly inhalers, which cannot be purchased here without a UK doctor’s prescription). All dental services have to be paid for.

Laundry Facilities

For those of you staying on longer retreats, there is a laundry room in the main house with washing machines, drying facilities and irons for your use. We do ask for consideration of the environment and our electricity bill by washing small, individual items by hand and using line drying whenever possible. We also ask for a donation towards the cost of running our laundry facilities.

How to get to St Beuno’s

Practical instructions on how to get to St Beuno’s by car, by train, coach or air.

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