Milford Retreat 2024 - at Gladstone's Library, Hawarden, Nr. Chester

Milford Retreat May 2024 - Report by Jacey Bedford

This was our first retreat at Gladstone's Library in North Wales, just a spit over the Welsh border and only 8 miles from Chester. I'd been to Gladstones before, on a three day retreat organised by Shona Kinsella from the British Fantasy Society, and a bunch of us had taken a brief trip there on our last Milford at Trigonos. Making the move from a longstanding venue was not something we did lightly, but due to the Society of Authors discount that Gladstones offers we were able to offer a much better weekly rate for both the retreat week in May and for our critique week in September. So the venue being delightful and the finances making a lot of sence, we moved to Gladstone's Library in May. We had twenty people sign up for the retreat, so it muct have been a popular move. Whether prompted by curiosity or not, everyone said that the venue was delightful and that they would be back.

Between us we wrote a quarter of a million words in a week, and that's taking into account that some of us (me included) were editing and therefore likely to be producing words in minus figures.

The library at Gladstones is like a cross between a posh university and Hogwarts (without the chained books), and it's a pin-drop-silent working environment. Residents can use the library from 9.00 a.m. to 10.00 p.m., but there are also very handy writing desks in every bedroom, and also space in the comfy common room if you like writing while life goes on around you.

The rooms are clean and comfortable with ensuite bathrooms, tea and coffeemaking facilities and a radio. Some are single rooms other are twins or doubles, but we have single occupancy.

Food was easily taken care of in the onsite cafe, Food for Thought. The weekly rate included bed, breakfast and evening meal, and lunches were available to buy in the cafe, or you could nip out to the nearby post office and village store for a sandwich, or go to one of the two nearby pubs.

I found a handy book nook in the main library and colonised it for the week. It was an excellent working environment and even had a plug to charge my laptop.

One morning we arranged a tour of the library, which was enormously helpful. William Gladstone (yes THAT Gladstone) endowed the library with his own book collection, so if, for instance, you wanted to read a copy of a biography of Robert Peel from his own library you would likely find his notes in the margin, and he knew the man. You can't get much better insight than that.

I'm delighted that Milford has found such a congenial home and look forward to many more retreats and critique weeks to come.

-o0o-

Milford Retreat May 2023 - at Trigonos, Nantlle, North Wales

Back Row L - R Al Robertson, David Allan, Liz Williams, Kari Sperring, Russell Smith
Front L-R - Dale Hay, Gaie Sebold, Juliet McKenna, Jacey Bedford, Terry Jackman, Liane Gabora.

Report by Jacey Bedford

After a truly awful drive from Huddersfield to Nantlle, which took over 2 hours to negotiate a horrendous traffic jam caused by a motorway closure, Terry Jackman and I managed to arrive at Trigonos almost three hours later than we had planned, but pulling into the car park at Trigonos I could feel the tensions of the journey begin to lift. We were almost the last to arrive. Several people had had difficulty arranging rail travel because of the strike, and those driving arranged to bring passengers. Luckily the writing retreat week is wonderful for de-strassing. Trrigonos has a lovely relaxed atmosphere, and I even managed a short walk down to the lake.

I usually have the smallest room at Trigonos because, well, someone has to, but this year I was in Room 4 which has a lovely view towards Mount Snowdon. Of course this does mean that I tend to stare out of the window rather than write, but that's OK. I took this photo on the first morning at about 6.00 a.m. That's Snowdon in the distance with cloud inversion that looks as though the valley is stuffed with cotton wool.

I also spent quite a lot of time watching this little chap, his friends and family, stuffing themselves with seed pods from the wych-elm tree outside my window.

I managed a short trip into Caernarfon one morning for a quick mooch around the shops, and coffee in the gift shop by the castle, though I did avoid buying anything expensive.

So did I get any writing done? Yes, I did. Editing mostly. I completed the piece I was working on and got halfway through the edit on a second book. Both are YAs and thanks to my week at Milford, they are just about ready for my agent.