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Below are residential retreats with significant time in silence or which relate to developing this spiritual practice. |
At the top of the page is information about silent retreats or with a related, specific theme.
Lower down are details of and links to retreat centres that offer frequent silence-based retreats and Ignatian Guided Retreats (IGRs), from weekends to 30 days.
Silent Retreats or retreats with a specific theme
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Weekend Lent Retreat
A Journey into God's Love House of Prayer, East Molesey KT8 0PB with Audrey Hamilton, Fri 13th-Sun 15th March Join us for a time of silence and stillness as we journey through Lent and explore our deepening intimacy with Jesus as beloved disciples. There will be times of guided reflections and space for personal and community prayer with poetry, music and Scripture. Audrey is a facilitator and contributor to Spiritual Direction courses at Boars Hill, London Centre for Spiritual Direction and the Cockfosters Centre for Spirituality in North London. |
Cost: from £240
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Three-day Holy Week Retreat
An Individually Guided Holy Week Retreat House of Prayer, East Molesey KT8 0PB Tues 31st March-Thurs 2nd April, led by House of Prayer team As we journey through Holy Week, this silent retreat offers a time of deeper listening to God who is present in our daily living and experiences. There will be times of community prayer. A trained spiritual director will be available for daily individual meetings to accompany you through the retreat. |
Cost: from £230
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WCCM retreat on Mystics
Approaches to Meditation: Enriching Guidance from the Wisdom of the Mystics with Prof Peter Tyler, 28th April-3rd May, Bonnevaux, France The retreat invites you to ‘return to the centre of the heart’ as we meditate together with mystics from within Christianity and beyond, drawing on their wisdom to go deeper into our original source in the divine on all levels: body, heart, mind and soul. As well as scriptures, the Spanish and Rhineland mystics and the desert elders we'll encounter important insights from the Buddhist, Hindu and Sufi mystical traditions. |
Cost: from €600 euros
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Weekend individually guided retreat
Longing for God Fri 1st-Sun 3rd May, House of Prayer, East Molesey KT8 0PB A silent individually guided retreat for busy people, those who have not made a retreat before, or for anyone who simply needs time and space to stop, breathe, and pray. A trained spiritual director will be available for daily individual meetings to accompany you through the retreat. Above all, this retreat is a time of listening to God who is present in the experiences of prayer and daily living. |
Cost: from £230
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WCCM teaching retreat
Deepening Meditation: Launching Out with Stefan Reynolds, 12th-17th May, Bonnevaux, France For beginners in meditation and those with experience to deepen practice without going out of our depth. We will be meditating in community and under the guidance of mystics and meditators who have already explored the depths. We will explore who Jesus is for us – the human expression of the way, our companion on the way, the one who dwells in our hearts as we walk it… What does it mean to travel with him, in the Spirit, to the Father? A balance of teaching, regular meditation, time in quiet and personal meetings. |
Cost: from €600 euros
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WCCM teaching retreat
Poets, Prayer and Vision: Meditating and Poetry with Rowan Williams, 21st-26th June, Bonnevaux, France The great 17th century English poets John Donne, George Herbert and Henry Vaughan, were all familiar with the literature of contemplative practice. These sessions will look at some of the background they shared and then reflect in detail on a handful of significant individual poems as a way into silence and receptivity. The rhythm of the day will connect with the essentials of a God-centered life which will have lasting benefits long after the retreat itself. |
Cost: from €600 euros
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Eight-day IGR Retreat
Going Deeper: Individually Guided Retreat House of Prayer, East Molesey KT8 0PB Friday 3rd-Friday 10th July, led by House of Prayer team A silent individually guided retreat for those seeking a longer break to spend time in quiet prayer and reflection. A trained spiritual director will be available for daily individual meetings to accompany you through the retreat. Above all, this retreat is a time of listening to God who is present in the experiences of prayer and daily living. |
Cost from £735
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Contemplation & Alexander Technique
The Words was Made Flesh: Contemplation and the Alexander Technique House of Prayer, East Molesey KT8 0PB with Margaret Meehan, Thurs 30th July-Sun 2nd Aug The Alexander Technique is holistic and allows us to release extra tension so that we can become more present in the moment, not only in stillness but also in action. The main principles of the technique will be taught, and the use of the breath to symbolise the Holy Spirit will be explored, as well as maintaining spiritual poise when transitioning from contemplation to movement. |
Cost: from £360
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Weekend individually guided retreat
Longing for God Fri 7th-Sun 9th August, House of Prayer, East Molesey KT8 0PB A silent individually guided retreat for busy people, those who have not made a retreat before, or for anyone who simply needs time and space to stop, breathe, and pray. A trained spiritual director will be available for daily individual meetings to accompany you through the retreat. Above all, this retreat is a time of listening to God who is present in the experiences of prayer and daily living. |
Cost: from £230
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5 day retreat on Holy Isle (off Arran)
The Breathing, Creating Life of All with Neil Douglas-Klotz 3rd-7th September, 2026, Holy Isle, off the Isle of Arran, Scotland An experience of chanting, moving and meditating with the Aramaic Prayer of Jesus (the Lord's Prayer) with the originator of this meditative work. In our time together, we will also share an individual, silent Aramaic body prayer. Whether or not you have joined in an Aramaic Jesus retreats previously, this is a wonderful doorway into Jesus' native spirituality and way of meditation, combining simple chanting with contemplative, body-based awareness, either sitting in silence and/or with gentle circle dance movement. |
Course cost: £295
Bed & full board: from £148 |
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Weekend WCCM-style meditaiton retreat
Silence & Stillness: Music & Dance House of Prayer, East Molesey KT8 0PB with Briji Waterfield, Friday 20th-Sunday 22nd November Are our times of prayer an escape? Do the strains of daily life just cause us stress? Or is there a way we can enter into deepening levels of silence and stillness and effortlessly move into the music and dance of daily life? There will be extended periods of meditation and silence and time for input and group discussion. Suitable for those who have a regular practice of meditation AND those who wish to learn how to meditate in the Christian tradition. |
Cost: from £240
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Advent Retreat, 2026
Waiting, Watching, Awakening House of Prayer, East Molesey KT8 0PB with Christopher Chapman, Friday 20th-Sunday 22nd November The Christian year begins with waiting: the stark season of Advent – a time to be in touch with our deepest desires and needs. It is a season of longing directed towards Christ, revealed as God-with-us, Emmanuel. Advent is a season of waiting, but in hope and in expectation. Drawing on the message of the prophets, poetry and insights from the Christian spiritual tradition, we will explore the invitation Advent holds for us. This retreat will be held in silence. |
Cost: from £240
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Midweek Individually guided retreat
Advent: IGR Tues 15th-Thurs 17th Dec, led by the House of Prayer team House of Prayer, East Molesey KT8 0PB A silent individually guided retreat for busy people, those who have not made a retreat before, or for anyone who simply needs time and space to stop, breathe, and pray. A trained spiritual director will be available for daily individual meetings to accompany you through the retreat. A time of listening to God who is present in the experiences of prayer and daily living. |
Cost: from £230
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Centres for regular silence-based retreats & IGRs
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SCOTLAND
Ignatian Guided Retreats (IGRs), or self-directed silence The Bield at Blackruthven, near Perth On an individually guided retreat, your guide is there to help you listen to and find God’s presence in the circumstances of your life. You will usually have a daily meeting with your retreat guide. Alternatively, you may choose to be in silence or part-silence during your retreat. You may wear a 'Silence' badge available from reception so others will know that you are in silence. |
Cost: from £70 a night
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SOUTH of ENGLAND
Ignatian Guided Retreats (IGRs), Centering Prayer and more! The House of Prayer, East Molesey, KT8 0PB This well-loved retreat centre in Kent has a huge range of residential retreats planned throughout 2023, from mid week or weekend silent retreats to 8 day more intensive silent retreats. Some are led by Centering Prayer practitioners, others by people from the WCCM tradition and others by the House of Prayer's own ministry team. These retreats are always in demand so do book early. |
Cost: £200-£700
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SOUTH WALES
Self-guided and IGR Retreats, from a weekend to 30 day Llanerchwen Retreats, Brecon, Wales Llanerchwen is known as a special place by all who go there, often over many years. It is almost unique in the UK, offering individual hermitage spaces, some in wooden cabins and others in small buildings. All are set in beautiful surroundings and in a very quiet location in the hills above Brecon. Each hermitage has its own self-catering facilities. There is a newly built art cabin and a chapel. Spiritual accompaniment is available where requested. |
Cost: £55 a night
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NORTH WALES
Weekend, 4 6, 8 and 30 day retreats St Beuno's, Flintshire, Wales Availability from early October. New dates being added. St Bueno's have resumed residential Retreats. Some will be fully guided Ignatian Guided Retreats (IGRs), from weekend retreats to the full 30 days Ignatian Exercises. Other different retreats, from walking to art, are also planned. Early booking is advised. Their programme listings also include ON LINE retreats. |
Cost: from £130 but
bursaries are available |
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You can search the entire website here.
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