Lumb Bank House

The human and I set off last Monday to Lumb Bank House in West Yorkshire for a five-day writers' retreat. Ted Hughes once lived there, so its literary credibility was high. The first view we had of the house was encouraging:



We really lucked out with our room assignment. We got the attic garett with its sloping ceiling, wooden beams, and atmospheric skylights - perfect for squirreling ourselves away to concentrate on writing:



The house was nestled on the side of a very steep hill, so the view was pretty spectacular, especially when the sun was out:



There were fifteen humans on the course in total, and the evening activities were held in the barn, a fantastic location that was at once spacious and cosy:



There were plenty of great communal spaces inside the house and many wonderful discussions about writing took place over the course of the week. But it was the outside that was really worth photographing:



The house had several great angles to view:



I particularly liked the back garden:



There was also a terrace on the other side, above the house, which was good for catching some sun:



And two levels below that was a walkway with some interesting little hidey-holes to get away for some peace and quiet:



It was a truly beautiful location, and a great place to really get away from real life and focus on higher things. And, it will always be the place where my human finally completed the first draft of her novel.