November to December 2023
scroll down to see the Nether Springs programme from January to August 2024
Below is an overview of all that will be happening at Nether Springs in November and December, followed by more details of each retreat, or joining in opportunity. If you want to find out more about a retreat you are interested in, please click on the month during which the retreat is offered and you will find further information and the booking form you will need to complete, in order to participate.
What happens after you have completed the booking form?
You should receive an acknowledgement of your booking within a few days, which will also indicate whether or not there is a place available. We ask that you also leave a ‘holding deposit’ at that time.
Suggested Donations
As a registered charity, The Northumbria Community Trust does not ask for a set fee to cover the cost of a retreat. Instead, we invite donations to support the life and work of the wider Community as a whole. As the weekly and monthly costs of running the Community are substantial, we would greatly value your integrity and generosity in this regard.
Many retreatants welcome a suggestion as to what might be an appropriate donation. This is always a difficult question to answer. However, for your guidance, the suggested donation is indicated against each retreat in the programme. We ask that you make as generous a donation as is possible without risking hardship. Through the work of the Community, the generosity of those who can afford more will benefit those who have less.
If you would like to make a donation to the life and work of the Northumbria Community , please follow the link below.
2024 Retreats – January to August
Information about retreats at Nether Springs
Please read this information before registering your interest in a retreat at Nether Springs. Here you will find information about:
- retreat times (when each retreat begins and ends)
- suggested donations for retreats and how to donate
- overview of January to August 2024 retreats
- links to forms to register your interest in a retreat
- Quiet Days information – more to come soon!
- how to travel to Nether Springs
Retreat Times
Please pay careful attention to the dates of retreats as they may end at different times then you are used to. All retreats have an arrival time of between 3 and 5pm with coffee and tea available from the welcome team in that time. The first thing on the programme is Evening Prayer at 5:30pm.
- Monday to Thursday retreats – end after lunch
- Monday to Friday retreats – end at 10:30am
- Wednesday to Friday retreats – end after lunch
- Friday to Sunday retreats – end after lunch
- Friday to Monday retreats – end after lunch
- Quiet Days – from 9am to 6pm
Retreat Donations
We are grateful to all who give generously to the life and work of the Northumbria Community and, as the costs of running the Community are substantial, we value your integrity and generosity in this regard.
As a registered charity, we do not ask a set fee to cover the costs of a retreat. Instead, we invite donations to support the life and work of the wider Community as a whole.
However, many retreatants welcome a suggestion as to what might be an appropriate donation so we have suggested amounts below and in the details of each retreat. You may notice that these have increased in the light of the current situation, but our heart is very much to still welcome those with more limited means. We ask that you make as generous a donation as is possible without risking hardship. Through the work of the Community, the generosity of those who can afford more will benefit those who have less.
Our suggested donation for retreats is £80 per night, £90 if it is an Individually Guided Retreat. This is based on full board in an ensuite room and means:
- Monday to Thursday retreats – £240
- Monday to Thursday, Individually Guided – £270
- Monday to Friday retreats – £320
- Monday to Friday, Individually Guided – £360
- Wednesday to Friday retreats – £160
- Friday to Sunday retreats – £160
- Friday to Monday retreats – £240
- Quiet Days – £30 (inc. lunch)
For families, we suggest one adult makes the full donation for that retreat (e.g. £240), the spouse/partner and children under 16 make a half donation (e.g. £120) and children under 8 are free.
If you would like to make a donation to support the life and work of the Northumbria Community please follow the link below. If you are UK tax payer, please do consider increasing your giving (at no cost to you!) by filling in a Gift Aid form. You can find out more information about giving HERE.
Find more information about any of our Nether Springs retreats by clicking the appropriate link below.
Retreats by Month
Retreats by Type
Quiet Days
More information about these days will be coming soon at which point the link below will be active – watch this space!
It may well be possible to welcome individuals or groups for a Quiet Day at other times. Please email office@northumbriacommunity.org if you have an initial enquiry or suggested dates.
Travel Information
You can travel to Nether Springs in all sorts of ways! Here’s the map showing the Northumbria Community at Acton Home Farm. It’s best to use the Satellite view to see an aerial photograph as the small lane that give access to Nether Springs does not appear on a Google map.
By foot: there are footpaths and lanes coming in from Felton, Guyzance, Newton on the Moor and Swarland.
By bus: X15 (Arriva) from Newcastle or Berwick-upon-Tweed. You can find that timetable here or plan your journey at Traveline. From the bus stop in either direction, you can walk the half mile down the lane to Nether Springs or we will likely be able to collect you from the bottom of the lane: lane to Nether Springs.
By train: trains arrive into Alnmouth train station from the north and the south at around 3pm every day. You can plan your journey at Trainline. We can arrange to pick you up around this time or drop you off (from about 11am or 2pm, depending on what time the retreat ends), but we have limited capacity to do this, so please wait for us to confirm this with you before booking your ticket.
By plane: Newcastle is our nearest airport, about a 45 minute drive or with rail connections to Alnmouth. Edinburgh is also easily accessible, about a two hour drive or with rail connections to Alnmouth.
By ferry: there is a regular ferry route from Amsterdam to Newcastle.
By car: the postcode is NE65 9NU but that alone won’t get you here so please follow the directions below. We are ‘operation.soggy.named‘ on What3Words.
from the south:
- Follow the A1 North of Morpeth and take the second turning to Felton (the first turning takes you through Felton Village).
- After 100m, turn left down Acton Lane – signposted to Acton and Old Felton. This turn is marked with a dead-end sign and is just before a bus shelter. Please drive slowly down this lane. We recommend 20mph.
- Follow Acton Lane for about a mile until you reach a fork in the road. The road to the left is a private road to Acton House only. Please don’t take it.
- Take the road/track to the RIGHT, past Acton Hall Cottage, and follow it to the end where you will reach a LEFT turn to Acton Home Farm.
- Follow the farm track to Acton Home Farm for about ¼ of a mile until you reach woodland on the right. The road then forks in three directions. Take the MIDDLE road which bends a little to the left.
- The gravel car park is just to the left, in front of the house.
- Park and walk up the steps and go straight ahead to reach our welcome lobby.
- For guests with limited mobility, when the road then forks in three directions, follow the track to the LEFT, which goes up an incline by the side of the house. Accessible parking is on your right.
from the north:
- Follow the A1 South beyond Alnwick and after about 9 miles, take the first turning to Felton, to the left.
- After 100m, turn left down Acton Lane – signposted to Acton and Old Felton. This turn is marked with a dead-end sign and is just before a bus shelter. Please drive slowly down this lane. We recommend 20mph.
- Follow Acton Lane for about a mile until you reach a fork in the road. The road to the left is a private road to Acton House only. Please don’t take it.
- Take the road/track to the RIGHT, past Acton Hall Cottage, and follow it to the end where you will reach a LEFT turn to Acton Home Farm.
- Follow the farm track to Acton Home Farm for about ¼ of a mile until you reach woodland on the right. The road then forks in three directions. Take the MIDDLE road which bends a little to the left.
- The gravel car park is just to the left, in front of the house.
- Park and walk up the steps and go straight ahead to reach our welcome lobby.
- For guests with limited mobility, when the road then forks in three directions, follow the track to the LEFT, which goes up an incline by the side of the house. Accessible parking is on your right.