Canoeing and mindfulness retreat, Devon

A historic estate overlooking the River Dart is the base for a mindful connection with nature that’s all about ‘stillness and flow’

The setting sun is bathing the River Dart in gold and pink as our small flotilla of canoes journeys upstream. I reach for my phone to take a picture, then remember it is switched off and stashed in my tent, where it will remain for the next four days. I bite back a remark to Emily, with whom I am sharing a canoe, as we have been asked to paddle in silence. We are trying to find “stillness and flow”. At twilight, our hush is rewarded when we hear an owl hooting. Darkness has descended by the time we reach dry land and walk back to camp, head torches lighting the way.