Author opens a luxury retreat for writers in peaceful Mid Wales valley

A luxury, self-catering sanctuary designed for writers who need space and quiet to work on a book, PhD thesis, blog article or other creative project has opened in a beautiful Mid Wales valley.

Writer and author coach Julia Forster began welcoming guests to her Writers’ Cabin –https://writewithin.wales/writers-retreat/ – just three miles from the village of Penegoes, near Machynlleth, in the summer of 2024.

She and her family settled in the area 16 years ago, having been hunting a dream home in the countryside somewhere in Scotland, Devon or Wales.

When a neighbouring larch wood was felled, Julia and her husband, Tom, acquired 20 tonnes of the timber and, with help from local craftsmen, created the North American-inspired cabin.

The fully insulated, double-glazed, cosy accommodation comprises a bedroom with a double bed, kitchenette and study with a writing desk and an ergonomically designed chair for writers.

In an adjoining building, there is a shower room, toilet and spacious electric sauna overlooking the Tarren mountain range. The Writers’ Cabin comfortably sleeps up to two people, based on two sharing the double bed or one sleeping in a pull-out sofa bed.

The retreat has super-fast satellite WiFi, stationery, plenty of plug sockets, including USB, a curated bedside bookshelf on writing craft and even a complimentary bottle of bespoke poetry pills, courtesy of the Poetry Pharmacy.

Should writers need support, Julia is on hand to provide a 90-minute author coaching session and photographer Brad Carr can be booked for a one-to-one, nature-based walk in Dyfi Valley. The Eryri National Park and several beaches on the Cambrian Coast are all within an easy drive.

The Writers’ Cabin has a three-night minimum stay policyand prices include the option of one complementary session in the sauna. 

To help promote the accommodation, Julia has joined Mid Wales Tourism (MWT Cymru), which represents more than 600 tourism and hospitality businesses across Powys, Ceredigion and Meirionnydd.

“We have hosted creatives on their writer’s retreat bringing Arts Council-funded projects, academics writing up their PhDs, comedians finessing their stand-up routines ahead of the Machynlleth Comedy Festival, poets completing their collections and novelists dreaming up their protagonist’s next adventure,” said Julia.

“A stay in the Writers’ Cabin is a time to drop in, decompress and connect, as well as to produce – a time to dream of what this space is about.

“The more I practice as a coach, supporting other people in their creative practice, I recognise it’s very important to find that element of joy and lightness and living here has been part of that integration.”

Within a few months of opening, the Writers’ Cabin was included a feature by The Sunday Times, showcasing seven of the best UK retreats for aspiring writers.

Writer, editor and creator Kathryn Tann interviewed Julia for her ‘This Place’ podcast during a stay in the cabin last autumn – https://kathryntann.substack.com/p/this-place-where-you-can-dream .

“My time at the Writers’ Cabin was unforgettable and I know many more visitors have felt the magic of this place work on them, too,” Kathryn said.

Having a lifelong interest in writer development, Julia currently studying for a PhD in Creative Writing at Aberystwyth University and is the author of What a Way to Go (Atlantic Books) and Muses (Oldcastle Books). Her collection of poetry Invisible Sisterhood will be published by Parthian Books in 2027.