FOREST HOLIDAYS | ARGYLL, SCOTLAND

This is our second trip to a Forest Holidays retreat and it was just as good as the first. I was anxious that, having been to the Deerpark retreat in Cornwall last October and having an absolutely brilliant time, that this wouldn’t be as good - I’ve revisited places before and been disappointed when they weren’t the same! But, thankfully, despite the 7 hour drive and 6am alarm on a Monday morning we had another fabulous holiday and will definitely continue returning to the Forest Holiday retreats. 

We left really early on Monday morning so as not to waste an entire day on the road, it meant we had a bit of an evening to unpack and settle in (obviously test out the hot tub) and relax before starting our holiday properly on the Tuesday.

The views were stunning, we’d chosen our cabin and were looking right over Loch Long. Unfortunately, we couldn’t see the sunset/sunrise from where we were, in fact the only sunrise we saw was on the journey home! The trails through the forest surrounding the retreat were also incredibly beautiful, we were really lucky with the weather and managed a whole week with no rain and relatively warm temperatures too (although we’d all packed for stereotypical just-above-freezing temperatures!).

Our activities varied throughout the week, we went for a walk which turned into an 8 mile trek through forest and brambles and up ridiculous hills, we also repeated part of the walk on bikes the following day but turned round half way and headed for the pub instead! Gorge walking was an interesting experience, we were all kitted out in coats and wellies but got a major sweat on when we realised that the chances of getting through the gorge without getting wet was very slim!! We also tried canoeing, which is organised by Forest Holidays and was really good fun - we spent 2 hours on the water looking for starfish and loads of other sea creatures.. although surprisingly, I saw no fish. 

Although we spent the majority of the week technology free, we did of course make sure to watch Strictly and GBBO! Most of our evenings were spent playing board games like, Monopoly, card games and we introduced Exploding Kittens and Drinking Bingo to the mix this year! We'd often end the evening with a dip in the hot tub and one particularly clear night we saw the most amazing sky, you could just about make out the outline of the milky way. It was incredible. 

It's not very often that I come back from a holiday feeling as relaxed as I did this year. It was a brilliant feeling! Of course, the hot-tub and copious amounts of beer played a part in that too but just being able to spend a week not worrying about anything and having all day to do nothing.

Before we’d even got home from this holiday we were discussing the next adventure, we’re thinking we might stick to the middle of the country this time. Despite the holiday being brilliant, the 7 hours journey was a bit of a killer! 

Have you ever been to a Forest Holidays retreat, which one did you go to and what did you think?