WILDERNESS RETREAT: SCOTLAND
Earlier this year I spent a couple of weeks on the road travelling and exploring new wild places in the UK and mainland Europe. As some of you will remember, back in September we were way up north on a recce for our upcoming event. Our destination was the private Island of Eilean Shona, located just off the west coast of Scotland - 1300 acres of jaw-dropping wilderness landscape - accessible only by boat. The island is home to herds of wild deer, otters and rare sea eagles and was the inspiration for Peter Pan’s Neverland after J M Barrie rented the island in the 1920s.
In our busy modern lives we rarely experience real time out from work, technology and the stress of the daily grind. It isn't often that we get the chance to reconnect with nature in an intimate and restorative way. Part of the motivation behind launching Fire + Wild was to provide people with the opportunity to spend meaningful time in nature and rediscover their connection to the land.
Until now, our events have offered guests a short-term refuge from busy lives, a doorway back into nature and a restaurant without walls. Next year we taking this several steps further with our first Wilderness Retreat which will take place Saturday 12th - 19th September 2020. The idea behind the retreat is to truly immerse our guests into the landscape with a week of activities, workshops and feasts. Eilean Shona is remote, car-free haven and the island offers a real opportunity to switch off and sign out completely.
We’ve gathered a team of friends and experts who will guide you through seven days of curated experiences. Days will be filled with foraging walks, hiking, fishing, deer butchery, whisky tasting and wild swimming with lunch on the beach or out the forest. In the evening, dinner will be cooked on an open wood fire, with wine pairing and wild cocktails. The food experience will be designed to reflect the incredible wild ingredients found on the island including red deer, wild mushrooms, coastal herbs, freshly caught fish and seafood. The Wilderness Retreat is a week-long celebration of everything Fire + Wild stands for.
The experience has been designed to strike a balance between raw adventure and relaxed luxury for our guests. Eilean Shona is home to several private cottages each set on its own plot of wild paradise throughout the island, overlooking the loch where 16 guests will unwind for the duration of the retreat.
We will of course be making many more announcements over the next few weeks including details of some the experts, producers and other guests who will be joining us during our time on the island. If you want to join us please head over the RETREATS section of our site. Sign up to our mailing list and we’ll keep you posted with all the updates as and when we announce….