Weekend Away 2026
We’re going back to Coldharbour Meadows between Friday 12th – Sunday 14th June for a weekend of camping, eating and spending time together all in the (hopefully!!) bright June sunshine!
Bookings are now OPEN! Look below for the answers to some FAQ about the weekend too.
When is it?
Friday 12th – Sunday 14th June. It’ll begin with a meal on Friday evening and end at lunch time on Sunday.
Where are we going?
We’re heading to Coldharbour Meadows, Whitesmith Lane, East Sussex, about half an hour’s drive from Brighton.
Coldharbour Meadows is a great venue for our Weekends Away. It’s a campsite with plenty of breathing room. There’s decent facilities (warm showers = ✔️), a good sized kitchen and dining area, and options for both covered and open air spaces and activities. Obviously we’re hoping for great weather for one of the longest weekends of the year, but we’ll have enough under-canvas space to have a great time even in a complete wash out. There’s a camp fire, a large marquee for any gathered times (we’ll have a few other covered spaces for reading / reflection / chilling and a play space for young children etc) and lots of sports equipment and open field for games.
What’s going to be happening?
The aim of our weekend away is to, well, spend a weekend away together. That means our main focus isn’t to cram in as many big meetings and long talks as possible, but rather to try to create a bit of a buzzing space where we can come and connect with each other. Our hope is that there’ll be a veritable smorgasbord of activities throughout the weekend that people can dip into as they like, from early morning runs to ambling walks to times of prayer and contemplation, to pilates, to over-competitive games of rounders, to times of discussion on specific issues or to camp fires, to poetry or craft workshops, and maybe even the return of the infamous slip’n’slide…! If there’s things you’d particularly love to facilitate, just say!
As well as being plenty to do for all ages, there’ll be reading and craft nooks and covered areas just to go and be quiet and get some space. We’ll have one or two gathered times too, including our Sunday service that will happen at Coldharbour Meadows on the Sunday morning, but everything in the weekend will come with the permission to either join in or not as you please.
What are the rough timings?
Friday
Arrival during the afternoon and evening
7-8pm – Dinner
9pm – Evening gathering around the campfire
Saturday
Breakfast from 7am
9am – Morning Run / Yoga / Prayer
10.30am – Morning gathering
11-1pm – Choice of optional sessions
1pm – Lunch
3-5pm – Choice of optional afternoon activities
6pm – BBQ dinner
7pm – Evening gathering
8pm – Evening activities (including Silent Disco!)
Sunday
9am – Yoga
10.45am – Sunday morning service
12.30pm – Lunch
1.30pm – Pack down and head home
What’s the accommodation like?
Coldharbour Meadows is a campsite. So, if you’re regular campers, or if you have a tent or a camper van, you’re all set. However, we do know that not everyone has a tent, and camping isn’t suitable for everyone. If you’d like to camp but don’t have the equipment you need, then there might well be other people around who can help you out. Let us know if you need help and we’ll see what we can do!
Equally, if you don’t want to, or can’t camp for any reason, the site is only a half hour drive from Brighton, making day visiting a doable prospect. If you’d like to day-visit but don’t have transportation, then there’ll probably be someone else heading over with a space in their car. Again, let us know either if you have space or will need a lift.
What’s for dinner?
Food is included in the prices for the weekend / day visits. We’ll be working on a meal plan nearer the time, but you don’t need to bring any cooking stuff. When you sign up, make sure you let us know of any dietary requirements. We’ll share the washing up and food prep as best we can during the weekend, trying to ensure that no one ends up having to spend the whole weekend in the kitchens! A few things that we do know are:
- We’ll have loads of fruit and cake and coffee and tea that people can come and help themselves to throughout the weekend. (Note – bring a cake to share!)
- We’ll have a hot meal on Friday evening
- Breakfasts will be a cereal and toast DIY deal.
- We’ll have a barbecue on the Saturday evening
- Sunday lunch will be in the form of bits-to-grab-to-fuel-the-tidy-up-and-for-the-journey-home.
Can I come for the day?
100%. We know camping doesn’t work for everyone, and we’ll try to organise activities so that those who come for the day don’t miss out. You can book to come along for the whole day on Saturday by buying a day visitor ticket. If you’d like to come along just for the Sunday morning gathering and lunch, we’d ask for you to book a Sunday ticket to cover some site and food/drinks costs.
What will it cost?
Prices are much the same as they were in 2025. We’ve separated the day visitor tickets out, so if you’re planning to come on Saturday and on Sunday, but not stay over, please purchase separate Saturday and Sunday tickets. We recognise the financial pressures on everyone at the moment, and want as many people who want to come along as possible, so if affording the weekend is a problem, let Claire know. Equally, if you can afford to give a little extra on top of your ticket price to help “pay it forward” for someone else or support us with costs, it would be so appreciated.
Please note the age categories for tickets. Adult tickets cover those in school year 12 and above, Youth is for those in school years 7-11, and a Child ticket is for children of pre-school age to year 6. Under 2s are free, but please book a ticket for them so we know how many to expect.
Also, if you’d like to come just for the Sunday morning service and lunch, please book a Sunday ticket to cover site and food/drink costs. Again, please let us know if you need financial support with this.
To camp for the weekend:
Adult: £65
Youth: £45
Child: £35
Under 2s free
Saturday Visitor:
Adult: £40
Youth: £30
Child: £20
Under 2s free
Sunday Service and Lunch
Suggested Donation: £5
What do I bring?
For those of you camping, we won’t give you a full kit list, but obviously you’ll need all your camping gear – tent, sleeping bag, torch etc etc. Be prepared too for being outdoors most of the time – in all manner of weathers. The forecast is sometimes a little mixed, so be ready for all eventualities!
We’re asking everyone to bring a cake to share if you possibly can. We’ll have a few coffee and cake moments throughout the weekend and we aren’t buying any in – so that bit is on you lot baking / buying some. Also bring any other snacks you might want, and any drinks that aren’t coffee, tea or squash.
Other things you might want: camping chair, picnic blanket / rug, blankets for sitting outside in the evenings, and board games / packs of cards/outdoor games. There’s a possibility of doing some wild swimming (at your own risk!) on the Saturday afternoon so you might want to bring swimming wear (or a change of clothes!). You could also bring walking boots//exercise cloths/running gear if you want to join the walk / yoga / the morning run. If you’ve got young children, you might want to bring a high chair and bits for them to eat off / with.
Besides those exceptions, you DON’T need to bring anything for cooking / eating food with. Coldharbour meadows is amply setup and we’ll be catering and eating together for all meals.
Are dogs allowed?
The rules at Coldharbour Meadows are that dogs are only permitted if they are kept on a lead at all times. We know that a few members of our community are less comfortable around dogs, so to avoid having loads there, we’d discourage you from bringing yours along. However, if not being able to bring your dog would stop you from coming, then please do bring it – just remember that they will need to stay on their leads! Any more questions about that, please do get in touch with Mark.
What if it’s not for me?
We’re really aware that for some of us, the idea of camping in community for a weekend isn’t your idea of a great time. Maybe you’re someone who enjoys large groups in (really) small doses, or maybe there are accessibility needs that make things like this really hard. A danger in something like this is that it can become exclusive to those who find it easy to access, and have the opposite effect of the one we so desperately want. If you have accessibility needs that you’re worried we might miss, whatever they are, then please please let us know either when booking your ticket or by sending Mark an email. We want to make this work for everyone and will do whatever we can to help that happen.
How do I book?
Any more questions?
Send an email to Mark if you have any more questions.