Beltane Retreat
May 5th-10th, 2026
Creative Practice, Storytelling & Gaelic Lore
Kyle of Lochalsh, Scotland
This retreat is for current students and by invitation.
Join rewilding facilitator Vanessa Chakour, Gaelic Cultural Activist Àdhamh Ó Broin, and chef Nicola Orr for an inspiring Beltane retreat. Together, we’ll dive into the roots of our own stories while exploring the rich cultural mythology of Scotland.
At the time of Beltane, the Gaelic fire festival, the land bursts with fresh growth, mirroring the energy of beginnings and the blossoming of creativity. Beltane honors fertility, vitality, and the union of elements. Traditionally marked with bonfires and ritual, the festival signals the turning of the season toward light and abundance.
Within our retreat, water lore flows alongside the season’s vitality—stories of Selkies and the sea reminding us of transformation, mystery, and the deep currents of imagination.
The setting for our retreat is near the magical Isle of Skye, where mountains meet the sea and the horizon opens wide. With nothing but nature in sight, you can wander along the shoreline, listen to the tides, or venture into the rugged hills. The landscape is a companion to your creative practice, offering both stillness and wildness.
Each day will include walks in nature guided by Gaelic lore, weaving myth and landscape together. We’ll also share daily (optional) martial arts practice in honor of Scáthach, Scotland’s legendary Warrior Queen and will work with local herbalism. In the evenings, we’ll gather around the fire—indoors or under the open sky—to share stories and song. You’ll be invited on two optional excursions to sacred sites in the Isle of Skye. This includes a trip to Dún Scáith, the Warrior Queen’s castle and training site - also known as the Castle of Shadows.
Overview
Our beautiful, intimate space in the Highlands has eight guest rooms, with ample space throughout the house to create and reflect without disturbance or interruption. Nicola will prepare three healthy, nourishing, and delicious meals each day. All the food will be as local, wild and organic as possible.
Breakfast and lunch will be buffet style so you can eat when you like and stay in the creative zone.
Vanessa will share martial arts practice each morning, and with Àdhamh, will offer walks before lunch exploring Gaelic lore, ritual and plant medicine. Later in the afternoon, creative workshops and craft discussions will be offered as well as two excursions to the Isle of Skye. All workshops and walks are optional. Ultimately, this is time and space for you.
Please note: We ask that you unplug as much as possible for this experience and leave phones in your room (or in our special cell-phone box) during group gatherings.
Rooms, Rates & A Note About Travel
Your contribution includes lodging, all meals, all workshops and retreat-excursions. We also offer transportation to and from the train station.
EARLY REGISTRATION RATE ROOM OPTIONS:
These early registration rates are $100-off and run through Imbolc. Payment plans are available. A $750 deposit is required to reserve your space.
Bedroom One - King bed and ensuite bathroom,
$3995 BOOKED
Bedroom Two - King bed and ensuite bathroom,
$3995 BOOKED
Bedroom Three - King bed, $3695
Bedroom Four - Double bed, $3595 BOOKED
Bedroom Five - Two twin beds BOOKED
Bedroom Six - Two twin beds BOOKED
Bedroom Seven - Two twin beds, $1995 per person ONE SPACE AVAILABLE
Bedroom Eight - Two twin beds, $1995 per person or $3495 as a solo room
There are 6 bathrooms, 3 bathtubs and 3 showers. One full bathroom and one half bath is en suite. You can also enjoy the outdoor sauna!
Travel: You can travel to the retreat via train ride to the Kyle of Lochalsh station from Glasgow or Edinburgh, or fly into Inverness and take the train ( shorter train ride). We’ll pick you up from the train station when you arrive. Alternatively, we can arrange a ride all the way there with a trusted friend for an additional fee. You’re welcome to arrive as early as 3pm to settle in on the 5th. Opening circle at 5:30pm will be our first group gathering, followed by dinner. Departures by early afternoon on the 10th.
Your Guides and Chef
Vanessa Chakour
Vanessa Chakour is an author, naturalist, herbalist, martial artist, and land steward whose work fosters intimacy with inner and outer wilds. Her multidisciplinary approach blends writing, plant medicine, movement, and ecological restoration, rooted in decades of study and land-based practice. A devoted student of nature, she studied ecology and herbal medicine in the Northeastern U.S., Costa Rica, and Scotland, and has been curating and facilitating rewilding retreats, workshops, and classes for over a decade. Earlier in her own journey of rewilding, Vanessa trained as a professional boxer in New York City and spent over a decade coaching others. Her latest book, Earthly Bodies: Embracing Animal Nature (Penguin 2024) explores inner and outer landscapes through the lens of wild animals. Vanessa connected with Nicola and Àdhamh over 8 years ago when in Scotland exploring her Gaelic Roots. They have been collaborating ever since and this is the 10th retreat they are offering together.
Àdhamh Ó Broin
Àdhamh Ó Broin hails from Cowal in Argyle and is of mixed Irish and Highland descent. He is the first person in 80 years to raise a family of fluent speakers of his local Gaelic dialect which remains on the verge of extinction. Àdhamh has absorbed a huge storehouse of lore over many years traveling the length and breadth of the Scottish Highlands, spending time with the few mainland tradition bearers who now remain. This experience has fostered a particular concern with the maintenance of the native cosmology of the Highlands and in particular with the manner in which the natural world has come to be viewed as incidental to the human experience. Although globally renowned for his work as Scottish Gaelic advisor to the Outlander film production, Àdhamh’s daily preoccupation keeps him much closer to home and the long-overdue decolonisation of Scotland’s people through reconnection with the carrying stream of indigenous culture, language, and spirituality.
Nicola Orr
Nicola began her career as a microbiologist. However, she felt drawn to travel and seeing an ad in a local paper over a decade ago, got her first job cooking in the French Alps. This is where her journey with food began. She was then called to use her skills in nutrition, wellbeing, and holistic health around the world and has traveled extensively to study and cook for retreats. Now grounding back home in Scotland, Nicola is integrating her teachings and experience to create nourishing and delicious food that blends science, ancient wisdom and reconnects us to land. She is committed to a sustainable lifestyle through foraging and ethically sourced food. Her passion is to empower people to heal themselves by giving them simple tools toward healing through food and rekindling the hearth in all homes.