Dear Younger Meditators,
Hope you are intending to come to Bere Island for Holy Week. It is always a wonderful week in a very beautiful place. The Retreat will be from Sun 17th April to Sunday 24th.
I have done some investigations as to flights. I recomend Air Lingus instead of Ryan Air, they go from Heathrow which is much easier and cheaper to get to than Stanstead and are more user friendly. It would be good if people could get the same flight so we could organise car hire on arrival. The flight I recomend is Air Lingus to Cork, see their website:
Sun 17th 9.30am from Heathrow, gets in 10.50. It is a bit early in the morning but the later one at 2pm will not give enough time to get the last evening ferry to Bere Island.
Return Sun 24th 20.15, gets in 21.35. There is an earlier one at 16.00 which would be possible as the retreat ends mid morning on Easter Sunday, however it is less pressure and more chance to enjoy a leisured journey back if the later flight is chosen.
The cost is £101.48, handluggage only, bags a bit extra. Please book your own flights. Ryan air, with all the cost of Stanstead, is not cheaper.
It is about 3 1/2 hrs, I think, from Cork Airport to Castletown Bere. We will hire cars at the Airport £126 for a car for 4 people for the week though some extra insurance cost will be added. We can divide people to cars at the airport but would be good to know in advance who are drivers (and remember to bring driving lisences).
We will be self catering on the Island so expenses will be kept to a minimum. A donation for the retreat expenses (hire of Heritage Centre etc.) is recommended and we will be sharing the cost of bringing our own yoga teacher, Woychek, with us.
So rough estimated cost is £100 flight, £40 car hire, £10 petrol, £50 food, £15 Ferry, Accomodation £40, £20 yoga, £50 donation for retreat. Total: £325. This is little for a whole week. It is a rough estimate though, I will try to keep up to date with any changes to my estimation. Anyone who has very limited means but really would like to come we can try to work out some thing so please ask. Please do.
The younger meditators will be staying at Admiral House, which is a beautiful big house by the sea with open fireplaces. This has room for 18, 5 twin rooms and 4 rooms with 4 beds. Bedding and towels provided. So please be prepared to share. We will be eating together also so it will be a community experience but also with times of silence in the house and a retreat atmosphere will be cultivated. If however you would prefer to have a single room, a less group experience, or are very worried about diet (we will be taking various dietry needs into consideration) then you may be interested rather in the other retreat options, please contact Theresa at biheritage@gmail.com who is organising the retreat for those who are not with the younger meditator group. Cost of accomodation would be slightly more but you would have more personal space.
Please tell me if you are coming. A timetable of the Retreat Program will be emailed to you. Please do contact me if you have any questions.
Stefan Reynolds
Meditatio
17 Pembroke Gardens
Kensington
W8 6HT
0207 602 8098