Photos by Daisy Wingate-Saul
In July, feeling the pressure of deadlines and the subsequent need for escape, I decided to put adult life on hold and spend a deliciously drizzly weekend at The Good Life Society’s Summer Camp - a micro-festival full of workshops, feasting and wellness experiences in Hawarden Estate, which is found just over the Welsh border. For three days I woke to yoga classes among castle ruins and wild swimming sessions in a lily-pad-strewn pond. My days would then be split between listening to writers muse on life and creativity, and trying my hand at a range of crafts. Under the patient and playful guidance of illustrator and stamp-maker Laurie Avon and sign writerRobert Walker, I discovered that I didn’t need to be particularly good at the artistic task at hand. I just needed to give it a go. Because the magic happens simply by being there, ensconced in a walled garden, doing something with your hands and mind. The hours float away - as do grown-up worries - your thoughts focused entirely on the fabulous here and now.
With fires burning, wine flowing and vintage French vinyl spinning, evenings would feature a communal feast, the fare prepared by The Good Life team or the guest chef - a different foodie icon headlines each of the weekends, and nature-besotted Valentine Warner cooked over the fire for us.
Summer Camp made me appreciate the joys of conversations with strangers, and just how freeing it is to get creative, swim in the rain, watch the sunset from a castle wall, or whittle a mug from a fallen branch. The moment I entered Hawarden’s walled garden, the world slowed and inspiration flowed. I cannot wait to pitch my tent again next year.
