Muncaster Castle, Lake District
Thursday 11 to Monday 15 March 2027
Led by Fools: A Writing Retreat at Muncaster Castle
A Pelumbra retreat for reflection, creativity and critical insight.
A place for deep writing in foolish times.
Join us for four days of writing and quiet inspiration in the remarkable setting of Muncaster Castle — an ancient stronghold on the edge of the Lake District, where centuries of story, struggle, and subversion are etched into every stone.
This is a Pelumbra retreat: designed with care, lightly held, and shaped by years of experience supporting writers, thinkers and change-makers to find clarity, voice and courage in their work.
At Muncaster, we take inspiration from The Fool — not the simpleton or the hedonist, but the wise fool who speaks truth to power, who exposes pretension, who dares to say what others won't. The fool as riddler and trickster: mischief-maker, truth-teller, the human presence amidst the machines.
But The Fool cuts both ways. History is full of fools who gained real power — and the consequences were rarely comic. When foolishness crosses from disruptor to despot, from provocateur to ruler, it curdles our laughter. And then there is the fool within: that inner trickster who trips us up, undermines our best-laid plans — yet sometimes whispers yes to something unexpected, risky, alluring, and perhaps more alive than anything we'd carefully chosen. This retreat sits with all of that tension honestly. It invites you to write from the place where humour, honesty, and imagination meet — and where the stakes of folly, in our institutions, our politics, and in ourselves, are very much alive.
And Muncaster is no folly: it's a real castle guarding the ancient harbour at Ravenglass, developed by the Romans as a gateway to the western valleys and fells of Cumbria — which rise, still and watchful, above the castle and its beautiful gardens.
For those exploring folly, wisdom, and the strange theatre of now
This retreat is open to writers in all forms — poetry, fiction, essays, screenplays, blogs, academic work, and hybrid genres. You may be:
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Developing long-standing writing projects and seeking space to focus
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Exploring the absurdities of power, leadership, or institutional life
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Reflecting on ecological grief or new ways of being in nature
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Writing into paradox, politics, or personal transformation
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Wondering how wisdom and foolishness coexist — in systems, societies, or selves
Whether you're grappling with serious themes or playing with lightness and form, this is a space where your work can grow — quietly, deeply, and among thoughtful company.
What you can expect
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Space to write — long stretches of unstructured time to pursue your own project
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Gentle prompts and shared sessions (always optional)
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Writing salons in haunted chambers and firelit corners
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Philosophical walks and reflective rambles
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Conversations with fellow writers
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One-to-one sessions with facilitators Ed Gillespie, Jay Griffiths, Emma Watton and Jonathan Gosling
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A closing feast for the senses and the spirit
We combine seriousness with lightness, quiet with conversation, solitude with solidarity — trusting that unexpected connections will emerge through presence, play, and perspective.
Why Muncaster Castle? Why The Fool?
Muncaster has been home to the Pennington family since 1208. According to legend, it also housed Thomas Skelton, jester and ghost — the original Tom Fool, who still watches over the grounds. His legacy is more than mischief: he reminds us that folly can be a mask for insight, that truth can come clothed in laughter, that speaking out sometimes begins with being strange — and that when fools are given too much rope, or too much power, the results can be dangerous as well as illuminating.
In our time — when foolishness too often takes the form of denial, destruction and distortion — this retreat invites a different kind of folly: one that draws on courage, humility and imagination, and knows the difference between the fool who serves truth and the fool who merely serves himself. And perhaps, too, the courage to follow one's own inner fool somewhere genuinely new — into the writing that hasn't yet been written, the insight not yet risked.
Facilitators: Ed Gillespie, Jay Griffiths, Emma Watton and Jonathan Gosling
Ed, Jay, Emma and Jonathan bring a rare mix of ecological urgency, literary desire and writerly insight to the retreat's creative container. Expect provocation, generosity, and the kind of companionship that makes hard thinking a pleasure.
Two current generations of the Pennington family (the 31st and 32nd to live here) welcome us to the castle, along with Muncaster’s resident Fool, Josh Payne, who will riddle you to rights, and set your poems to music.
Let your Fool guide your questions. Let the castle keep your focus. Let your writing grow in silence and in good company.
Join us at Muncaster. Write with ghosts. Reflect deeply. Speak freely.
Let the Fool guide your questions. Let the castle keep your focus. Let your writing grow in silence and in good company.
Join us at Muncaster. Write with ghosts. Reflect deeply. Speak freely
Thursday
Saturday
Monday
Friday
Sunday
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Writers' Meet & Greet
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Castle Welcome
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Time to settle in, tea/cake/fruit
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Introductory Workshop
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Welcome drinks and dinner
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Breakfast
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Writing Session 1
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Break
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Writing Session 2
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Lunch
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Writing Session 3
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Afternoon Tea
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Optional workshop / Writing Session 4
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Drinks & Dinner
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Breakfast
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Writing Session 5
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Break
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Writing Session 6
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Lunch
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Writing Session 7
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Afternoon Tea
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Optional workshop / Writing Session 8
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Drinks & Dinner
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Breakfast
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Writing Session 9
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Break
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Writing Session 10
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Lunch
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Writing Session 11
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Afternoon Tea
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Optional workshop / Writing Session 12
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Celebration Dinner
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Breakfast
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Writing Session 13
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Break
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Closing session
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Onward travels
Accommodation
Whether you arrive by train or by car (or tramp over the high fells of the Lake District), your first view of Muncaster Castle will both captivate and inspire you. With a range of accommodation options all within easy reach of the Castle, you will be spoilt for choice.
In the nearby coastal village of Ravenglass, you’ll find The Pennington Hotel, its whitewashed facade offering a warm, Cumbrian welcome. The moment you step inside, you’re greeted by a crackling fire and the soft hum of conversation drifting from the bar. Your room offers a unique blend of comforting touches and historic appeal, with plush bedding, a relaxing ensuite, and views over the 16th century cottages out to the sea. This option will suit those wanting the amenities of a good hotel. It’s a 30-minute walk or a 7-minute drive to the castle.
The Coachman’s Quarters are tucked inside Muncaster Castle’s grounds. Your room sits within a Victorian stable block, now beautifully restored with cozy furnishings, rustic beams, and views onto the castle’s estate. Here, you wake to birdsong echoing through the misty gardens (you may also hear the owls and other raptors from the nearby aviaries) and the rustle of leaves from the towering trees outside your window. You wander before breakfast, when the gardens are yours alone—deer might watch you from the shadows, and the morning light catches on spiderwebs strung like silver between the rhododendrons. Breakfast is served in the Stables café - also for those staying at the School House. It’s a 2-minute walk to the castle.
Alternatively, you may prefer the Old School House, just outside the main castle gates. This is where, for over 100 years, local children from the village were educated. The conversion retains the traditional elegance and charm of a school; and includes a range of single, double and ‘family’ rooms, along with plenty of social spaces. With the Lake District fells rearing steeply behind the school grounds, you can take a short walk to a fresh (cold) water tarn. The Stables café (for breakfast) and the Castle itself are a 10-minute stroll along the camelia and magnolia lined driveway.
The main rooms of the Castle will be ours for the duration of the writing retreat, and we’ll have lunches and dinners in the main hall and dining room. The library, long gallery and billiard room offer different settings for writing, and there are several other spaces in the grounds – including the old dairy and at least two summer houses. Some people prefer to write at their accommodation (easiest for those in the Coachman’s Quarters or Old School House), and some might choose to wander the grounds or settle beneath a giant sequoia or ancient chestnut in the grounds.
Whichever you choose— the welcoming bustle of The Pennington Hotel; the scholarly echo of The School House or the serene seclusion of the Coachman’s Quarters—your stay is steeped in the magic of Muncaster.
Registration & Cost
To register and for any questions about the Retreat, write to emma@pelumbra.com
The fees include:
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Writing workshops
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Accommodation for 4 nights/5 days
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All your meals: 4 breakfasts, 3 lunches, 4 dinners
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Morning and afternoon refreshments
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Use of wi-fi, sitting rooms, library, gardens, and local know-how
Fees for 2027
All rooms are ensuite unless specified. Accessible bedrooms are available on request.
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The Pennington Hotel-Double bed £1800
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The Pennington Hotel-Suite £2000
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The Coachman's Quarters-Double bed £1700
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The Coachman's Quarters-Bunk bed. Shared room of 3 people single sex, shared adjacent shower room. £1100
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Old School House-Double bed £1500
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Old School House-Double bed, shared bathroom £1400
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Old School House-Single bed £1250 (fully booked)
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Old School house-Single bed, shared bathroom £1150 (fully booked)
All fees are exclusive of VAT
Fees do not include airfare, travel insurance, additional accommodations or personal expenses.
Outdoors at Muncaster
As you step through the gates of Muncaster Castle, the world seems to transform around you. The air grows sweeter under ancient trees, and the sound of birdsong echoes across 77 acres of gardens that have enchanted visitors for centuries. You follow a winding path through carpets of bluebells in spring, where the delicate flowers ripple like a blue sea under the towering oaks. Turning a corner, you find yourself in the Sino-Himalayan garden, where rare rhododendrons and towering magnolias bloom with bursts of pink and white, filling the air with their heady scent.
Walking along the Terrace Walk—once described by John Ruskin as “The Gateway to Paradise”—you pause to take in sweeping views over the rolling Eskdale Valley and the distant peaks of the Lake District fells, their silhouettes softened by morning mist. In the meadows below, families spread blankets for picnics. The Weapons Hall, where visitors can take part in Archery, Axe Throwing and Crossbow skill sessions or tiptoe along the Enchanted Trail, discovering fairy doors hidden in ancient tree trunks.
Deeper into the gardens, the canopy opens to sunlit lawns where red kites circle overhead, and the Hawk & Owl Centre hosts breathtaking flying displays that draw gasps of delight. Between adventures, there are quiet moments too: benches tucked into hidden glades, the gentle rustle of leaves overhead, the soft ripple of water in shaded ponds. As the day draws on, the gardens invite you to linger—to explore every secret path, breathe in the changing scents of the seasons, and lose yourself in a place where history and nature weave a story you’ll never forget.
