A 40 acre nature reserve of wild flower meadows, nature trails, a lake, a pond, woodland bursting with birdsong, and a wildlife garden, nestling between the beautiful Cambrian mountains and just a short drive from the Cardigan coast, frequented by dolphins and seals.
(Next retreat June 17th-19th 2016)
(Originally seen on Wordpress Walktallpilates holiday blog)
Wild flower meadow
The pond, looking atmospheric
The hide by the lake. You will see otters -if you are lucky!
This is where we held the recent Walktallpilates weekend break. What more could you want? Perhaps some great company, comfortable rooms, along with some relaxing, inspiring, dynamic Pilates classes thrown in!
This is the first time we had done any catering, with some trepidation I might add, but it all went very well, and the feedback was that everyone felt very well looked after.
A number of us were gluten-free, so I made a delicious gluten-free cherry and almond cake with the help of Doves Farm gluten-free flour mix. I was having kittens as I thought the cake wasn't cooked in the middle - it had sunk slightly, however, I,m happy to say it was perfect, and very moist!
So I was able to greet everyone with tea, coffee and cake (not to mention biscuits) as they arrived on Friday afternoon.
Guests settled into their rooms - twins and doubles - in the Eco Lodge, a light, warm building constructed from sustainable wood, complete with a Sedum roof, biomass boiler, and log burners.
Twin. Locally made Welsh blankets, plus downy duvets and super comfortable mattresses.
Double room looking through the floor to ceiling French windows from the verandah
Guests on verandah running the whole length, front and back of the lodge.
The Lodge features verandahs running the whole length of the front and back of the building, the back looking out onto trees, birds, horses, the front looking out to the courtyard, fields, meadows and rolling green hills.
The lodge, with wood ready for burning
After an early evening Pilates session, followed by shepherds pie home-made, of course! - we settled down to a peaceful night in the incredibly comfortable beds, the kind you don't want to get out of...
Saturday morning I enjoyed teaching a 2 hour Pilates session. Some people were worried they would find it too much, but ended up by asking me to do 2 hour classes on a regular basis back in our home town of Bristol!
Your wish is my command!
Fits of giggles as we stand on tiptoe squeezing the ball up and down
My partner did a wonderful job of providing the extensive brunch that we tucked in to after all that alignment breathing, centering and physical activity, making sure the wood burner blazed away in the background, what a treat. There were no vegetarians or vegans on the weekend, but we do cater for them too!
Brunch nearly ready, bacon cooking, coffee brewing, fire lit!
Ah brunch, hurry up with that bacon!
During the afternoon everyone did their own thing, walking, exploring, going for a run along the coast path (impressive!) and generally relaxing.
The Lodge is self catering, so that evening some of the group cooked and enjoyed a bottle of wine, while others went out for the delights of a curry in Lampeter a few miles away.
The final day saw me standing on the verandah, in my dressing gown, watching the house martins perform breathtaking aerobatics, followed by with another 2 hour class, (not in my dressing gown) observed this time a by a little bird, which I later found out to be a Redstart.
After scoffing another scrummy brunch it was homeward bound, our lungs filled with fresh air, our bodies pleasantly worked, Pilates technique deepened, and minds relaxed. Then back to Bristol for more weekly Pilates classes. And not long to the next Pilates holiday, click on the word "Bournemouth" below for more details.
The next Pilates weekend to look forward to is June 17th-19th 2016.
Final photo opportunity, smiles all round
