WHERE
Brimpts Farm | Dartmoor, Devon
WHEN
30th October - 2nd November 2025
Arrival time: 6pm Thursday 30th October
Departure time: 9:30am Sunday 2nd November
ABOUT
Our 2025 Autumn Singing Retreat will be held at Brimpts Farm near Dartmeet in the heart of the beautiful and wild Dartmoor National Park. This incredible location has been carefully selected to create a cosy hide-away as the days get shorter, where you can immerse yourself in singing around the log burners, looking out onto the epic backdrop of the moors. There is a real sense of getting away from it all as you take the track up to the house.
The Hayloft is the main communal space within the barn building and is a beautiful, large room with high ceilings and wooden beams where you will eat meals together and where we will spend our evenings singing songs around the log burner.
Workshops will take place in the school room just across from the main house.
All bedrooms are en suite and you have the option to choose from double occupancy (based on two sharing) or a dorm room.
Our retreats are technology-free so that participants can be present in the moment and create a safe, singing bubble away from the outside world.
WHAT'S NEW?
On this retreat we are able to offer two single-occupancy rooms.
We are delighted to be able to offer a HOT TUB, SAUNA and POOL ROOM as part of your stay. This is a brand new element to what we offer and a chance to add in some deep relaxtion to your singing weekend.
Over the past couple of years we've carefully redesigned the structure of the Autumn Retreat to reflect the time of year, placing the more energetic workshops earlier in the day, keeping your evenings free for relaxing and enjoying each others company.
We've chosen a location that creates a sense of cosiness as the temperatures drop and the nights draw in. As always, we create a cosy and safe singing bubble away from technology and the hustle and bustle of daily life.
WORKSHOPS
Workshops will include lots of easy rounds and loop songs, breath explorations and singing technique workshops. You will also learn more challenging, unique arrangements of traditional and contemporary folk songs, written by Julu and Heg, in four part harmony. You are invited to explore your voice in a supportive and safe setting, develop new skills and discover sounds you didn't know you had!
YOGA OR BREATHWORK SESSIONS
(yoga OR breathwork depending on which tutors are in attendance - currently TBC)
Yoga/breathwork warm up sessions on Friday and Saturday will be run by one of our experienced teachers. The aim of these sessions is to set your body up for singing, opening up the breath and stretching out the body so that you can get the most out of your voice.
These sessions are designed for complete beginners, so no prior experience is needed to take part. For these sessions you will need a yoga matt and loose fitting clothing.
These sessions create a fantastic balance from the engaging and stimulating singing sessions and are a way to bring greater awareness of your body in preparation for singing.
WALKS
There will be guided walks across the spectacular moors and woodland river paths, where you can take in breath-taking views and enjoy the amazing scenery that Dartmoor has to offer. The difficulty level of these walks are moderate, but can be challenging if the weather is wet.
We strongly advise good quality walking shoes and wet weather gear is essential (the weather on Dartmoor is incredibly changeable).
We try to cater for all abilities so please speak to one of the team about the walks if you are unsure about the difficulty level. If you prefer not to walk, you are welcome to rest at the farm house by the fire.
Walks are undertaken at participants own risk.
EVENING SONG SHARES
Evenings are a chance for some fun, informal singing/playing with a drink in hand! Julu and Heg will facilitate song shares and singarounds with chorus-driven songs. Join in, share a song of your own or just sit back and listen and take in the atmosphere. Bring your instruments and song books if you have them!
Remember that our retreats are a no-technology zone so bring paper and pens and print outs of any songs you wish to share.
CABARET
On the final night of the retreat there will be a cabaret where you are invited to share something (only if you want to - there is no obligation to join in). The cabaret has evolved into a beautiful and special part of these retreats, where our participants get to show each other some of the small group songs learnt over the weekend as well as have a go at performing. We encourage everyone to dress up and make this part of the weekend extra special!
ACCOMMODATION
Brimpts Farm offers modern, comfortable accommodation which has been designed for large groups. All rooms have en suite bathrooms and a combination of single beds in dorms, some bunk beds, twin rooms and some rooms with double beds. We have a range of different options to choose from depending on whether you are in a group, coming on your own or coming as a pair. All rooms have a kettle and mugs - bring your own tea and coffee.
ROOM TYPES
- One person, single gender dorm (some with bunks)
- Two people, private room (some with doubles, some with twin beds)
HOT TUB AND SAUNA
Brimpts Farm Barn has an outdoor hot tub with amazing views of the surrounding fields and moorland as well as a sauna for you to relax in. There is also small indoor games room with a pool table.
FOOD
All your meals will be provided for you. Enjoy delicious home-cooked vegetarian food throughout your stay as well as a glass of wine with dinner. Vegan options available. You will need to bring your own alcoholic drinks for the evenings.
IMPORTANT: Please note, because our kitchen is small and we cook communal meals, it is not possible for us to 100% guarantee that all allergies can be catered for. We can usually cater for gluten, dairy and nut intolerances but anyone with severe allergies or anything more complicated than those listed need to contact our team BEFORE booking at folksingingretreats@gmail.com
TEAM
The team for this retreat will be Julu & Heg and Bogi the dog! Additional team members TBC.
INCLUDED
- Three nights accommodation
- Singing workshops
- Morning yoga OR breathwork sessions
- Delicious home-cooked food throughout your stay
- Tea & coffee
- Wine with dinner
- Two stunning guided walks
- Facilitated evening song shares and singarounds
- End of retreat cabaret
NOT INCLUDED
- Travel to and from Brimpts Farm
- Personal travel Insurance
- Alcoholic drinks (apart from a glass of wine with dinner)
- Extra snacks of your choice
If you would like any further information, please email us at folksingingretreats@gmail.com. Full detailed itinerary will be provided on arrival. Essential information including directions and arrival infoirmation will be sent out a few weeks before the retreat.
Autumn Retreat 2025 | Dartmoor, DEVON (from £365)
Customers shall pay Suthering Singing Retreats £100 as a non-refundable, non-transferable deposit, due for each person named in the booking, as part of their initial payment.
In the event of cancellation by the customer, regardless of the circumstances, the following refund fees, minus the deposit, apply. The deposit is non-refundable, as mentioned above:
- Cancellation 8 weeks or less prior to commencement, 0% refund
- Cancellation up to 8 - 12 weeks prior to commencement, 50% refund (less the deposit) only if Suthering Singing retreats is able to fill your space. If the space is not filled, 0% refund.
- Cancellation more than 3 months prior to commencement, 100% refund (less the deposit)