“QUICK, spin her round. That’s it!” We twist the smallest member of our team until she’s wrapped, head to toe, in lavatory paper. One of the children dashes in with twigs, and two snowperson-arms are tucked into the folds. On with a carrot nose from the leftovers I’ve been carrying round. Then our last customisations: headphones, cap, and sunglasses — surely elevating us to “cool snowperson” status and a bonus point?
The quiz night, which began with an outdoor scavenger hunt, followed by various challenges (Plasticine, Dingbats, and snowman among them), ends with a dance challenge, in which we score another bonus point by jumping up as a team to dance out the end of the song. The exuberance scoops us a winning bag of Liquorice Allsorts.
Afterwards, the children scoot off for hot chocolate before heading to the “quiet lounge” to chat and play games before bed. It’s a buzzing end to Sunday, our first full day at Lee Abbey’s family week.
Christine MilesThe private beach at Lee Abbey
Having watched my ten-year-old, Imogen, make friends within minutes of arriving at Lee Abbey, near Lynton, in Devon, I was more nervous about my soon-to-be 15-year-old, Olivia. So, I was relieved when she came out of Saturday night’s intro youth session chatting and laughing with some girls. And, after Sunday’s all-age service, the girls and their friends hit Lee Abbey’s private beach for an afternoon of swimming and sunbathing. Back in our room, Olivia says: “I’m actually having a really nice time.” It is high praise from a teenager who’s here because she has to be.
It is a beautiful walk from the house to the marquees where the family week takes place, near the estate’s tea cottage — passing Gloucester Old Spots in woodland to one side, and a sea view to the other.
Every day (apart from Wednesday), the programme includes prayers with the community, an all-age service or teaching sessions by age, afternoon activities (something different each day: orienteering on Sunday, zipwire on Monday, crate-stacking or archery on Tuesday, beach fire and marshmallows on Thursday), and an evening activity (a quiz on Sunday, a film night on Monday, a talent show on Tuesday, Wednesday is worship night, and there is a communion service on Thursday).
All parts of the programme are optional, and, as well as a private beach, the 288-acre retreat-house estate includes plenty of walks (the South West Coast Path passes through), and its pretty Tea Cottage, which we visit at our earliest opportunity.
My girls opt for the zip-wire activity on Monday afternoon, but, with only 12 spaces each for Tuesday’s crate stacking/archery, I have to deal with the emotional fallout from my youngest of not scrambling to the sign-up sheet in time. Olivia, however, clinches an archery spot, which, even now, she still buzzes about, as her team won.
Wednesday is a free day; so brochures for Clovelly village (70 minutes’ drive) and Hartland Abbey (80 minutes’ drive), the location for CBBC’s Mallory Towers, are the most discussed. But, in the end, the families that my girls have made friends with spurn the idea of a long drive. Instead, we drive a few minutes out of the main gates to the car park by the Valley of the Rocks.
We miss the one-mile circular Valley of the Rocks walking route, and, instead, scramble up Castle Rock, to a viewpoint over the sea. It’s a trickier descent, but we make it, and then drive on into Lynton.
The girls buy ice creams, and peruse bric-à-brac stalls en route to the Lynton and Lynmouth Cliff Railway, opened in 1890 and one of only three fully water-powered funicular railways left in the world. At the bottom, we head to the pretty Lynmouth Harbour, with its shops and restaurants, for a potter round.
Christine MilesLynmouth Harbour, around the corner from the funicular, Lynton and Lynmouth Cliff Railway
Our family week at Lee Abbey, “Encounter”, is run in conjunction with the Bible Society. Each morning’s teaching slots comprise a talk, a tea break, and then a choice of one of three streams: “Explore” (a deeper look at scripture), “Experience” (exploring scripture alive in our stories), or “Create” (forming a shared art installation).
The hope from the week, the week’s youth and children’s team leader, Tanya Crowder, says, is that young people take away “that faith in Jesus is real for someone of any age, and it’s not just ‘Wait until you’re an adult,’ but: ‘I can praise Jesus; l can love him; I can think about how I can express that love; and I can have a lot of fun as I do it.’”
There are plenty of times to chat: the Lee Abbey dining room has round communal tables perfect for conversations, which spill out to the benches outside. Overlooking a stunning view, the gallery area, where afternoon tea and evening hot chocolate are served daily, offers more space to hang out, aided by comfy sofas, and bistro-like tables and chairs. Relaxed lunches on the marquee field offer more time (as well as a volleyball net, which, on our week, entices many of us into a fun daily all-age game).
The hospitality is faultless: the breakfast menu includes yogurt, fruit, cereal, and toast every day, plus a daily special (bacon, beans, and hash browns on Wednesday, for instance; waffles and blueberries on Thursday). Lunchtime buffets, served outside next to the marquees, are superb: homemade sausage rolls, pasta salad, crisps, yogurt, and fruit, for instance. One evening, there is a barbecue on the lawn by the house. On the last night, there is a candlelit dinner for all. Lee Abbey community and volunteers serve, cheerfully, every mealtime.
Christine MilesA collective weave made over the week in the “Create” stream, to illustrate “Swimming Against the Tide”FOR my husband, it is talking with people from a wide range of backgrounds and insights which he relishes the most. For me, it is the sense of all the generations having fun and hearing about God together which is special (although my girls opt out of the worship night and evening communion, which means that the sense of evening fun tails off after Tuesday, which is a shame).
Alan, from Swansea, who came with his wife and seven-year-old son, Joey, sums it up well: “It’s been a lovely week. The organisation’s been wonderful. We’re grateful for the programme that’s been crafted, for the teaching and the food, the nourishment, facilities, and free time. It’s been a good balance for us. Joey has received really good care here. . . He didn’t want to come, but he doesn’t want to leave.”
Joyce, here with four children, aged from five to 17, is going home happy, too: “I really feel rejuvenated physically, mentally, and spiritually. The kids are happy, and I made friends. The teaching, praise, and worship, and the scenery — everything about this place refuels you.”
Encounter, 15-21 August, is led by the Revd Andy du Feu, Principal of Moorlands College, with the Lee Abbey team. Creation Week, 25-31 July, offers a week for families to spend time together on a journey of discovery exploring God’s creation.
leeabbeydevon.org.uk
visitlyntonandlymouth.com/things-to-do
exmoorwalks.org
Other family weeks
Families Spring Break: Together in Music, Othona Community, Dorset
The Othona Community, in Dorset, invites families to enjoy the emergence of spring on its estate, and the surrounding area, in its Families Spring Break, 8-12 April. This includes walks to see bluebells and wild garlic, spring-inspired arts and crafts, plenty of games, and times around the firepit. During the summer holidays, its Together in Music week, 15-21 August, invites all the family to try music-making, whether with an instrument, attempting to write a song or two, or joining in with singing.
Cost: Spring break: £312 basic; £381 standard; £450 benefactor (subsidises those who pay basic); children aged two to ten: £121; 11-18: £185. Deposit £30. Music week: starts from £503 basic (discounts for children and second adult sharing room).
Contact: Email: bookings@othonawestdorset.org.uk; phone: 01308 897130.
Half-term Hobbits: Summerfest, Scargill, north Yorkshire
Family retreat weeks run throughout the school holidays at Scargill House, in Kettlewell, near Skipton, in north Yorkshire. Tolkien’s The Hobbit is the inspiration for “Half-term Hobbits”, 25-29 May; there are three Summerfest weeks, 25-30 July; 1-6 August; 8-13 August, featuring visiting artists, concerts, youth and children’s work, creative workshops, Bible teaching, chat shows, chapel services, and outdoor activities; October half-term’s theme is yet to be announced.
Cost: Hobbits: £288 house, FB. Summerfest: £153 camping, self-catering; £270 camping, FB; £420 house, FB; up to 70-per-cent discount for children, depending on age.
Contact: Email: info@scargillmovement.org; phone: 01756 760500.
Easter Week: Family Week, Nethy Bridge, Strathspey, Scotland
For families wanting outdoor adventures together, Abernethy is offering two family weeks at its Nethy Bridge centre, in the Cairngorms National Park. Daily activity options will include kayaking, archery, mountain biking, sailing, gorge walking, and more. Evenings will include a mix of music, worship, games, chat, and a guest speaker. Easter Week runs 6-11 April; Family Week, 2-8 August.
Cost: Easter: £452 (17+), children two to 16 from £135 depending on age, FB; Family: £593 (14+); children two to 13 from £178, FB.
Contact: Email: nethybridge@abernethy.org.uk; phone: 01479 821279.
TRAVEL AND RETREATS is edited by Christine Miles. Tours and holidays advertised are not guaranteed or underwritten by the Church Times or Hymns A&M. Readers should check for ATOL/ABTA guarantees and take out insurance. Details are correct at the time of publication. See also www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice
