How it all began . . .

As a believer in serendipity, I look for patterns and cues to help me learn and grow . . .

In August 2011, I ‘found’ Allonby by chance in my search for respite – to have a safe place to stop, rest and reflect.

I was grieving the loss of my father whose death in 2009 remained emotionally painful and raw for me. Finally facing up to my own health issues (including exhaustion from over-working), I realised I needed to do something about my current state of imbalance. I was tired, over worked, stressed and too busy giving attention to others than myself.

So the idea of giving myself permission for quiet time and space, to step away from my busy Nottingham world, was a very attractive option. I wanted to experience a simpler routine and 3 nights felt enough to start with. I hoped that not only would my energy levels begin to recover, but I might begin to feel better within myself.

I also knew I wanted to find a way to start writing again as I’d felt stymied for months – with my creativity feeling out of reach, and at times, dried up.

Originally I had booked to stay in Keswick as it was a familiar tourist resort with plenty of amenities and places to visit. However, within 24 hours of arriving at my hotel, it all felt ‘too busy’ and I knew there was somewhere else I wanted to be. I met many kindly strangers who kept mentioning a magical place by the sea and that inner voice prompted me to find this place for myself. Upon arriving in Allonby, immediately I knew that I’d ‘come home’.

Walking along the beach, I felt a tremendous sense of space, peace and connection with nature’s beauty. With all five elements simultaneously within reach, I began to feel so much better and energised as though I was in a completely different place to the one I’d known for the past 2 years.

Conversations with local residents talked about the village’s history, its connections with the Quaker movement, and Allonby’s reputation as a healing and restorative place. And they were right – that night, I began to write again and I felt my pain finally beginning to change – as my words flowed, so did my tears.

So began my love with magical Allonby as a place for rest, recuperation and creative exploration with nature.

In my professional work as a creative depth psychotherapist, I experience clients who long for a space to retreat by the sea; to find time to be with themselves and with like minded others; to reconnect with nature. Many of my clients are facing life transitions and menopause, coupled with challenging times of profound change and turbulence within their personal and professional lives. Common themes include seeking life purpose, meaning and reconnection with their inner-Self spirituality, to live a simpler life and experience the elemental world. Themes also familiar to what I myself was longing for a decade earlier.

And so began my next vision…. to create a space for those seeking a safe and beautiful retreat space to be, to write their book, paint their masterpiece, dance to their own rhythm and become rejuvenated and aligned within once again.

In September 2021, Swan Cottage came into my life and the rest is history . . .