UCL-Wellcome Mental Health Science inaugural PhD retreat

It was a brisk morning in late January when a group of weary PhD students gathered at Waterloo station to embark on a transformative mission. Their quest? To free their minds from the daily grind of upgrade vivas, presentations and data analysis and seek the ultimate relaxation experience.

Our band of explorers had fought through the horrors of waking up before 8am, battled their way through peak-time Tube journeys and British railway delays and would soon find themselves in a car park in Dorset. But alas, four of our tribe would never make it so far west, with three taken down by various ailments and one by a conflicting schedule. Still, our remaining adventurers' morale was high as they laid eyes upon their final destination.

That destination was 42 Acres, a “regenerative estate, nature reserve and wellbeing retreat” set in 172 acres (yes, we know) of ancient forest near Frome, Somerset.

And thus began the inaugural UCL–Wellcome Mental Health PhD retreat.

We arrived to a wide selection of teas, coffee and healthy snacks and we made ourselves at home in the main house on the estate. One-by-one, we were assigned our rooms and briefed on the facilities available to us during our stay.

Having settled into our rooms, we headed to the yurt (hot drinks and blankets in tow) to begin our retreat with an opening circle. Our task was simple: to describe the PhD project of the person sitting beside us, using only language that would be understandable to a five-year old. This was a great way to discuss how best to describe our projects to the general public (and also to find out who wasn’t paying attention when they learnt about others’ projects!).

After establishing that some members of the programme were extremely optimistic about the average five-year-old’s understanding of advanced topics in mental health research, we swapped our folding chairs for wellies to venture into the forest.

Our first planned activity consisted of a spell in the ‘forest sauna’. The wood-fired sauna had been switched on in anticipation of our arrival, and the thermometer inside read a scorching 85°C. Eight of us squeezed in, bonding over discussions on the benefits and history of sauna use whilst periodically ducking out for a cold shower or a breather in the (also cold) January air. More precisely, gasping our way out of the sauna when too much water had been thrown on the coals.

The real temperature test that lay ahead was the jump in the ice-cold lake after the sauna. Channeling our inner Wim Hof and convincing ourselves we were cold-water swimmers at heart, we left the sauna ready for the icy plunge. Thinking the lake would be closer than the five-minute walk it actually was, we pulled on our walking boots not realising that by the time we reached the lake, we’d cooled down quite a bit and the idea of an ice plunge wasn’t quite so appealing. We also hadn’t expected the lake to be completely frozen, or for the ice to be so thick… thick enough to walk (and jump) on, in fact. We eventually made a hole in the ice, using a combination of Ella’s soon-to-be sore ankle and Merle’s valiant attempts of smashing the ice with a thick tree branch found nearby. Those brave enough took the plunge and got the associated bragging rights on their Instagram stories *still awaiting recognition from Wim Hof*, and overall, we felt pampered and invigorated by our outdoor style spa experience.  

What added to the ultimate relaxation experience at the retreat was that – for just two days – we did not have to worry about meal prepping our lunches or nipping down to Tesco for that £3.90 meal deal (thanks cost of living crisis). Our retreat was fully catered, with 42 Acres’ ‘42Mile’ menu featuring hyper-local healthy meals, full of flavour and prepared with seasonal, organic ingredients picked from their very own regenerative farm or foraged from their land.

Everything was homemade, and the offerings included homemade sourdough and delicacies such as goats cheese & caramelised onion frittata, winter squash curry, beetroot houmous, kimchi and some of the creamiest scrambled egg we’ve tasted! After the hot sauna and the cold lake dip, a steamy drink was awaiting us: medicinal mushroom chai made with mushrooms from their own “micro mushroom farm” served with some freshly made ginger cookies. 

After the treats and a hearty meal, we spent the evening curled up by the fire, playing a game called ‘100 Questions’ to get to know each other better. Each card had a question on it, designed to spark interesting conversations. Some of the memorable questions included  “Are you where you wanted to be at this stage in your life?” (YES, on our dream PhD) and “Is there anything you got away with as a teenager that your parents still don’t know about?” (some thrilling stories ensued). After that, a hard day of rest and relaxation had clearly taken its toll on us all, and like the sleep-prioritising PhD students that we are, we headed to bed at 10pm to prepare for an action-packed second day. 

Day two started with a 7:30am yoga class in the yurt (for those who made it out of bed in time). Rubbing the sleep from our eyes, we headed over to the yurt where we were welcomed in with dim lighting, calming music and yoga mats. Taking our places on the mats and half-wishing we were still in our cosy retreat nests, we began an awakening yoga session. Instead of the expected unwinding yoga class, we were guided through a slow but steady class of balancing positions to get us ready for the day. We concluded by sweeping off tightness and frustration in our upper bodies using sweeping and patting motions feeling light and free to begin our day. 

Our awakening complete, and joined by our later-rising compatriots, we descended upon the dining room for breakfast. Thereafter we were met by our guides, who would lead us on a foraging expedition into the forest. You may wonder what there is to forage in January in the UK, but surprisingly there was still plenty to learn about on our walk! We were taken to 42 Acres' micro mushroom farm, where mushrooms are grown for culinary and medicinal* use. We were informed on the different types of mushrooms growing on the farm and how tree logs are injected with spores from a lab to facilitate mushroom growth on the farm. 

Ella eating a mushroom

* (we do not recommend self-medication using mushrooms)

After we had all nibbled on some mushrooms and taken our fair share of mushroom pictures, we embarked on observing beaver activity whilst the nocturnal beavers slept. We were shown some of the characteristic signs of beaver activity and the construction of their home on the 42 Acres site. We were stunned and inspired by the ambition of the local beavers in felling trees much bigger than they were (*could be compared to us PhD students (the beavers) taking on PhDs (trees) much bigger than us!)

We also spent some time learning how to make the best pine needle tea before returning to the warmth of the house.

And just like that - our annual retreat was coming to a closure! We ended our retreat with a final “closing circle” right back where it all began – in the yurt. Together we shared our personal highs and lows of the retreat, and reflected on how much better we had got to know each other personally and professionally. After a quick lunch, it was time to pile into taxis once again for our journey home. After a brief stop at a Gillingham pub for many of us, we were soon back in London, refreshed and newly in touch with nature.

We can’t wait for our next retreat already!

A huge thanks to our programme committee (especially Jon Roiser) and our funder Wellcome Trust for including this as part of this wonderful PhD programme and encouraging us to take time for ourselves and each other.