We have a small retreat centre located in the countryside on the edge of the Brecon Beacons (Bannau Brycheiniog) National Park in South Wales. We host Buddhist, Middle Way Society and independent small group retreats, all based on the idea of helping people to practise in ways that aid their personal or spiritual development. As part of our vision for the retreat centre we are also developing agroforestry (a forest garden) which will eventually help to feed the retreat centre. We also have further land that we have planted with native trees to boost biodiversity, and some further nut trees for food. We do not have any animals, and our food is vegan.
Depending on the time of year, activities for Wwoofers might include planting, harvesting, creating new beds, weeding, mulching, creating paths, cutting wood, or other maintenance or development. Wwoofers should have the opportunity to learn about forest gardening, and can also use our facilities to develop their practice of meditation, study, or the arts.
We now like to encourage volunteers to come on one of our working retreats if they can, although we are also open to individual negotiation for volunteers to come at other times. Working retreats offer volunteers the opportunity to get a fuller experience of being here that is more like a regular retreat. They are 1 week long and take place between specific dates, so that volunteers are more likely to arrive and leave at the same time as others. During that week we ask people to help out in the garden for 6 days for about 4 hours a day. We will also be offering some meditation sessions, and perhaps discussion and arts sessions, depending on the experience and needs of whoever is on a particular working retreat. There will also be regular shared meals and periods of free time each day. There will be no requirements to attend particular activities, but we hope you will want to join them to deepen your experience of volunteering into a retreat-like one.
If you volunteer outside the framework of a working retreat, it is quite possible to create your own retreat-like programme, but it will be more your own responsibility to do so. We will do what we can to support you, but we may have other commitments during that period, and there may or may not be other volunteers around. We may be able to arrange longer stays of up to several weeks or a month this way, especially during the winter. In winter we really appreciate having help from volunteers, but things are likely to be quieter, and you need to be prepared to work outdoors in poor weather.
Here are the dates of our planned working retreats during 2026.
14th-21st April
22nd-29th May
18th-25th June
27th July-3rd August
28th September-5th October
The typical pattern of a day at the House is likely to be be meditation first thing, breakfast and free time in the morning, followed by communal lunch and about 4 or 5 hours of activities in the forest garden or other land during the afternoon (in winter it is necessary to work outside in the morning too due to daylight limitations). We'll eat again together in the evening, after which there might be time for shared activities such as making music, or you might prefer to do your own activities, perhaps using our library for study or our meditation room. Communal meals and conversation are important to what we do, so you need to be willing to join them, and not normally use your phone at mealtimes. If people want it we could also offer some more structured discussion to feed your reflections.
WWOOFERs will probably have some interest in meditation, the arts, and/or study/discussion as well as agroforestry, but you don't necessarily need experience of any of these if you are willing to engage in them. You will need to be ready to appreciate a quiet and secluded environment. We also expect you to be able to operate independently and manage your own approach to tasks once introduced to them. Please note that as a retreat centre we have a no alcohol or drugs policy.
WWOOFERs will normally be accommodated in their own room, or sharing with a friend or partner they arrive with. We do have several beds in most of our rooms, but these are only fully used in our more fully-attended retreats. If we do need you to share a room, we will consult you about this beforehand, and it will be with someone of the same sex.
The co-owners of the centre both have a background in teaching, philosophy and Buddhist practice. Robert is a writer of books on practical philosophy (Middle Way Philosophy), and Viryanaya contributes to many Buddhist activities. Viryanaya's development of vegan cooking, increasingly using forest garden ingredients, is often appreciated.
There is plenty of scope for walking and cycling locally, and the nearest town and train station are about 40 minutes' walk away, making independent exploration of the area possible even without your own transport.
We both have experience as teachers of English as a foreign language, so are very ready to welcome non-native speakers who wish to improve their English (as long as they are also interested in the other aspects of what we do).
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Learning opportunities
Vegetable farming
Fruit or nut farming
Aromatic or medicinal plants, teas
Vegetable or fruit preservation
Methods or systems
Permaculture
Host type
Nonprofit / Community
6.9
Hectares
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17
Acres
