Dates TBD
England, United Kingdom
With Inc. is hosting its third annual soul care retreat in a beautiful country with rich history shared in a group setting. Join a group of twelve women, plus your guides for the week, Beth Fadelle, Virginia Bousquet and Beth Wayland, for a pause from regular life. Cathedrals, stunning parks, and the bucolic countryside will create a backdrop for us to take a moment to ask God to speak to us in a personal way. With a mixture of experiential excursions and moments of quiet reflection, we will guide your time around the theme of community with the Trinity and with one another.
Who Is This For?
This soul care retreat is designed for any woman feeling worn out, disappointed, tossed around by life, or struggling to find rest. Perhaps you can relate to some of these things:
- I’ve lost my appreciation for the beauty of life.
- I’m so tired of being the one to always plan everything.
- I’d like to just sit back and enjoy the moment.
- This monotonous routine is exhausting.
- I just need some encouragement.
Join us in England for nine days of adventuring, community, rest, and enjoying the beauty of this magical place.
The Experience
Do not spoil the wander with haste! – J.R.R. Tolkien
Our Trip Theme
Our theme for the trip is embodied in these words:
Awake
Sacred Space
Nearness
Where We’ll Travel
We’ll start in London and visit sites like St. James Park and Westminster Abbey.
While in Oxford we will look at the lives of The Inklings (CS Lewis, Tolkien…) and the beauty and challenge of community. Without the community of the Inklings we wouldn’t have Narnia or Lord of the Rings. We’ll be staying at Christ Church College, which is one of the 38 colleges that comprises Oxford University.
It’s popular for being the place where Harry Potter was filmed. The dining hall (The Great Hall) in the movies was modeled after Christ Church’s dining hall. We will get to have our breakfasts in The Great Hall. I stayed here two years ago and just being on the grounds feels like you are a character in a novel. Which reminds me, Lewis Carroll also lived at Christ Church. History is all around you at Oxford.
He stood staring into the wood for a minute, then said: ‘What is it about the English countryside — why is the beauty so much more than visual? Why does it touch one so?’
– Dodie Smith
We’ll also be traveling into the countryside to spend two days in the Cotswolds, which is known for its quaint cottages and beautiful scenery.
The Schedule
We will arrive in London by Thursday, September 22nd (take an overnight flight leaving Wednesday evening from America) and depart Friday, September 30th. Below is a sample schedule to give you an idea of what to expect and what’s included.
Day 1 – Thursday, September 19th
- Arrive in London
- 4:00 PM Check into our accommodations
- Dinner together and getting to know you time
Day 2 – Friday September 20th
London
- Kensington Gardens for time together & reflection time
- High Tea (you’ll need a dress for this)
- Free time
- Time together post-dinner
Day 3 – Saturday, September 21st
London
- Time together in the morning
- Free time
- Evensong at Westminster Abbey
Day 4 – Sunday, September 22nd
Oxford
- Check out of London House
- Walk part of The Cotswold Way
- Arrive at Christ Church mid-afternoon and check in to our rooms
- Free time to relax and explore Oxford
Day 5 – Monday, September 23rd
Oxford
- Breakfast in The Great Hall
- Reflection time around Oxford
- Lunch at The Vault
- Free afternoon
- 5:00PM Meet at Magdalen for reflection as we tour the grounds and walk Addison’s Walk
- Punting
- Dinner on your own
Day 6 – Tuesday, September 24th
Oxford
- Spend time at The Kilns where C.S. Lewis lived and wrote The Chronicles of Narnia
- Visit Holy Trinity Church where Lewis attended and is buried
- Free evening
Day 7 – Wednesday, September 25th
The Cotswolds
- Breakfast in The Great Hall
- 9:30 AM Check out and get on a minibus
- Drive through the Cotswolds stopping in villages along the way
- Arrive at Barnsley House by dinner
- Free evening
Day 8 – Thursday, September 26th
The Cotswolds
- Time together over breakfast
- Free day at the Barnsley House & Gardens (time for a spa treatment, beautiful grounds to take walks)
- Dinner together and sharing
- Debrief that night after dinner
Day 9 – Friday, September 27th
Travel Home
- 7:00 AM Check out and head to the airport
- Fly back to our homes
Your Guides
Virginia Bousquet
Virginia (aka V.A.) is a native Houstonian who has lived in the Nashville area for 28 years. She’s been involved in mentoring women all of her adult life in structured and unstructured ways, doing paid and unpaid work. Some people describe her as a guide, listener, facilitator, and spiritual companion who walks alongside. Her desire is to hold space and hope for and with others on their spiritual journeys.
Virginia is married with two adult sons, one with special needs. She is a spiritual director and a soul care coach. She also substitute teaches, plays tennis, and volunteers. Her favorite treat is a locally made small-batch chocolate bar created with dark chocolate, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper.
Beth Fadelle
Beth has worked with Beth Wayland and With Inc. on numerous occasions and in many different contexts. Beth F and Beth W (“the Beths”) have co-led regional workshops on emotional health, a MidSouth regional women’s ministry leaders conference, and a small group soul care retreat for women in US campus ministry. They have also designed and facilitated international soul care retreats in Paris and London – for missionary leaders working overseas.
Beth F is a shepherd. She’s passionate about developing people holistically and is specifically attuned to ministry leaders and missionaries. Beth F is herself a ministry leader and in her 25 years has experienced the gamut of stages and seasons – from zeal to apathy to renewal to burnout. Beth enjoys offering language that can help people more fully embrace the way God has designed them – both their strengths and limitations. She believes deeply in rhythms of work and rest and play. She is a counselor and ministry leader in Nashville.
Beth Wayland
Beth calls Knoxville, Tennessee home. She has worked in ministry settings for 21 years. In 2012 Beth graduated from Richmont Graduate University with her MA in Counseling. She specializes in spiritual direction and loves looking at what Scripture has to say about caring for our souls and relating to and with one another.
The Details
We’ve reserved spots for 12 ladies to join us on this soul care adventure!
The cost includes all lodging, breakfasts, 1 lunch, 3 dinners, excursions (admission to The Kilns, Magdalen College, punting, Lewis’s church, park fee, London excursion), in-country bus travel (mini-bus in Oxford, bus from The Cotswolds to the airport), materials, our guides for the week.
Cost: $4950
Additional expenses not included are your airline ticket, tube/rail ticket to get around London, transportation from the airport to London lodging, lunches, 5 dinners, and optional spa services in The Cotswolds.
We strongly encourage you to purchase travel insurance. You can research here the different options.
Our Accommodations
London
Palace Garden Terrace in Kensington
This is a large house that located next to Kensington Palace and Hyde Park. The location is incredible. You can walk everywhere if you choose. Everyone will share a room with someone here.
Oxford
Christ Church
We will be staying in dorms on the historic Christ Church College campus. The plus of this lodging is that everyone gets their own room.
The Cotswolds
Barnsley House & Gardens
This country house retreat is surrounded by gorgeous gardens. Everyone will share a room with someone for these final two nights.
Payment Options
Attendees will be the first twelve to register and pay the $1000 non-refundable deposit below to hold your spot. After the $1000 deposit, you have the option of paying in increments of your choosing or you can pay the entire balance upfront to receive a $100 discount. We ask that whenever possible, please pay using the eCheck option to help us reduce processing fees. Full payment must be received by August 1, 2024.
Payment Schedule:
- $1000 deposit to hold your spot
- Payment of $2000 due by April 1st
- Payment of $1200 due by June 1st
- Final payment of $750 due by August 1st
If something happens due to Covid-19 and we have to postpone the trip, any payment already made will automatically be transferred to the postponed trip, whenever we are able to reschedule. If you wish to cancel, your deposit and other payments are non-refundable:
- If cancellation occurs on or before April 1st, your $1000 deposit is non-refundable.
- If cancellation occurs after April 1st, your $3000 payment is non-refundable.
- If cancellation occurs after June 1st, your $4200 payment is non-refundable.
- If cancellation occurs after August 1st, your $4950 payment is non-refundable.
These payment cutoffs help us ensure we can make all the reservations and other advance arrangements necessary for the trip.
You can download the liability waiver here.
I (Beth) know I have given you a lot of information, but read it over, pray and let me know what you are thinking or if you have questions. We know God is going to meet us in a special way. Click here to email Beth.