Welcome to our Partner Hotel:
The Tower Guest House, York, UK!

Our base for this creative writing retreat is the Tower Guest House and as there are just 8 rooms, we will have the entire hotel to ourselves! Bedrooms have either Victorian or classic Chinese décor and all have writing desks and coffee-making facilities. A ‘full English’ or continental breakfast is included, and the breakfast room will also be the location for our writing workshops each morning. The Tower Guest House is an easy 10-minute stroll from the centre of the city, or if you prefer, a bus leaves from directly outside, every 15 minutes.

All rooms have a double or queen-sized bed with en suite facilities (some with showers, some with baths). One room has easy ground floor access for a writer with mobility challenges, and another has two single beds, making it ideal for writers who would like to share, to reduce costs. Just enquire about this option when you book your space.

Meals on our Retreat

The Tower Guest House provides a full breakfast each morning. York offers a wealth of restaurants, cafes and bakeries to suit all tastes and budgets, so we’ll walk out into the city for lunch and dinner. You may wish to join the group for great food and conversation… or find a quiet corner in one of the medieval inns, and write through an afternoon or evening.

Sightseeing Opportunities

You may choose to focus on your writing most afternoons – but you’ll also have the chance to join with other writers to take two afternoon excursions. Visit Haworth, the village home of the famous Bronte sisters. Soak up the evocative mood of this famous moorland village, tour the Brontes’ childhood home, and hike on the moors.

The second half-day trip will be to Whitby, with its alluring Dracula connections! Enjoy this pretty seaside town and explore the ruins of Whitby Abbey, overlooking the sea. Time permitting, we’ll take a bus to Robin Hood’s Bay, enjoying the winding streets and beach before heading back to York.

Our retreat is not a package tour, so writers have the option of joining these trips, or remaining in York to write and explore.

on the cab trips, too.

How to Reach us

York is located on the direct train line from Kings Cross Station in London (2.5 hours) and Manchester International Airport in the north (under 2 hours). The UK rail network is inexpensive, trains are clean and reliable, and tickets can easily be booked before you leave, at www.thetrainline.com

You can easily combine our retreat with an extended stay in England – perhaps to spend a few days in London. We’re also happy to connect writers who may wish to travel elsewhere with a friend, after the retreat. From York’s famous railway station, a taxi to the door of our guesthouse costs about five pounds.

If there are enough writers arriving into Manchester Airport before 1pm on the first day of our retreat, it may
be cost effective to take a taxi, with the cost shared between participants.