COME AWAY WITH ME
SOON AFTER the third lockdown, we went on a family retreat of sorts in our bubble of three to The Bathing House. Set on a bend of the River Dart on the Sharpham Estate in South Devon, this one-bedroom historic haven is self-catering, private and next to a vineyard – the perfect mid-pandemic retreat when we were not officially allowed to do much. We took our own DIY retreat tools: a Vitamix blender, art supplies, yoga mats, bikes and guitar.
My 10-year-old daughter, Annoushka, was initially livid there was no wifi, but soon found herself writing stories and composing songs instead of playing the Roblox that had become a social lifeline to her. We knew mobile phone reception would be patchy, so Tom and I worked hard beforehand so we could fully embrace the disconnect and switch off.
The terrace overlooking the water became the setting for most things. My dawn yoga and Tom’s river dips, listening to the resident woodpecker and watching the early morning mist rise off the river. Family breakfasts, afternoon guitar playing, sketching and stone painting. Watching boats and paddleboards pass by, and herons and egrets swoop and dive. Lingering to talk properly as a family which, with our daughter in her last term at primary school, felt most precious of all.
We did get out. To walk the private estate trails, and cycle five miles to Totnes and back along a path with heart-lifting river views. To eat scrumptious food at the Cellar Door cafe and drink Sharpham wines. Mainly, we enjoyed the fact we were anywhere other than in our own house or garden, with nothing too familiar or taxing to annoy or unsettle us.
Annoushka slept well on a sofa bed in the octagonal tower dating back to the 1770s. It also serves as a charming sitting room with a log fire that kept us toasty. Tom and I were in the double bedroom, which has a pretty balcony.
Our break gave us the comfort, space and time we needed to rest and reconnect during this difficult time. Just what the retreat doctor ordered.
By decluttering expert Kate Emmerson