You have booked the cottage, paid the deposit, and told everyone you are going away to write. Now comes the part that quietly derails more retreats than writer's block ever does: packing badly. Forget the charger and you lose an afternoon to a supermarket trip. Bring six notebooks and you spend the first morning deciding which one feels right. The list below is built around one principle — arrive with everything you need, and nothing that gives you an excuse to fiddle instead of write.
Print it, tick it, and add your own essentials at the bottom. If you are travelling by train, keep the heavy items in one bag you can carry without help; rural stations often have no lift.
Start with the writing essentials
This is the part people overthink. A retreat is not the moment to test a new fountain pen, a fresh notebook system, or an app you have never used. Bring what already works, plus one spare of anything you cannot write without.
- Your main notebook — the one you are mid-way through, not a pristine new one. Continuity keeps momentum.
- A second, smaller notebook for stray thoughts, shopping lists and notes to yourself at 6am.
- Two pens you trust, plus refills or spare cartridges. Pens fail at the worst moment.
- Pencils and a sharpener if you draft by hand and like to edit as you go.
- Highlighters or sticky tabs for marking passages you want to return to.
- Index cards — invaluable for plotting, character notes and shuffling scenes on a table.
- A5 or A4 pad for freewriting, mind maps and anything you would rather not commit to the good notebook.
- Your current project: printed pages, a folder of research, or a printed outline. Do not rely on memory.
A word on stationery temptation
It is fine to bring one new thing — a notebook you have been saving, a pen you want to break in. But make it one. A retreat where you spend two hours rearranging a colour-coded filing system is a retreat where you did not write.
Tech that earns its place in the bag
Decide in advance whether this is a screen retreat or a paper retreat. Both work. Mixing them badly does not. If you plan to type, keep the setup simple and boring, because boring setups do not interrupt you.
- Laptop, tablet or e-reader — whatever you actually draft on.
- Charger and a spare cable. Two cables if you can manage it; cables die quietly.
- Portable power bank for long train journeys and cafés with no free sockets.
- Headphones — over-ear for blocking out a shared kitchen, earbuds for walking.
- An offline copy of your work. Save the current draft to a USB stick, email it to yourself, or both. Never travel with only one version of a manuscript.
- Extension lead or small multi-plug if you are sharing a room or a workspace.
- Desk lamp if the accommodation lighting is dim. Many rental cottages are lovely and gloomily lit.
- Watch or small clock so you can check the time without picking up your phone.
If you want a genuine break from notifications, set your phone to airplane mode for the writing blocks and tell one person at home how to reach you in an emergency. That single conversation removes the need to keep checking.
Clothing: layers, comfort, and one decent jumper
UK retreat weather is unpredictable in every season. A weekend in a converted barn in October can swing from warm afternoon sun to a room cold enough to make your hands stiff. Pack layers rather than one heavy coat, and think about what you will actually be doing: sitting still for long stretches, then walking to clear your head.
- Two or three base layers you can wear more than once.
- A warm mid-layer — fleece, cardigan or hoodie.
- One comfortable, presentable outfit for dinner or a group session.
- Waterproof jacket with a hood. Non-negotiable in the UK.
- Walking shoes or trainers you have already broken in.
- Slippers or thick socks for cold floors in old buildings.
- Scarf, hat and gloves if you are going between October and March.
- Comfortable trousers — you will be sitting for hours, so waistbands matter more than style.
- Eye mask and earplugs if you are sharing, or if the curtains are thin.
Dress for the writing, not the photograph
Nobody at a retreat cares what you are wearing. What they notice is whether you turn up to the evening meal with pages written. Choose clothes that let you forget about clothes.
The quiet essentials people always forget
These are small, cheap and disproportionately annoying to be without. Tick them before you leave the house.
- Refillable water bottle and a travel mug.
- Snacks — nuts, oatcakes, fruit. Blood sugar dips ruin an afternoon.
- Any medication you take, in its original packaging, plus a little extra.
- Toiletries in small bottles, including lip balm and hand cream; dry hands make handwriting miserable.
- Painkillers for headaches and shoulder tension.
- A book to read that is not research for your project.
- Cash and a card, plus change for parking meters and honesty boxes.
- Reusable shopping bag for the inevitable village shop trip.
If you have a health condition that might affect the weekend, speak to your GP or pharmacist before you travel, and check how far the nearest hospital or pharmacy is from your accommodation. It takes two minutes and buys peace of mind.
What to leave behind
Packing is also editing. Leave the pile of unread research you have not touched in months, the second project you are tempted to start, and the laptop stand you have never used at home. If a piece of kit has not earned a place in your normal writing routine, it will not earn one at a retreat either.
Leave the notifications on, and you have brought the whole problem with you. Consider telling colleagues and friends you will be offline until Sunday evening — then actually be offline.
Print this, tick it, and go
Copy the lists above into a single page, print two copies, and keep one in your bag. Pack the night before, not the morning of travel, when you are already thinking about train times. Lay everything out on the bed, read the checklist aloud, and put back anything you cannot justify.
Then close the bag, set your alarm, and get an early night. The best writing on a retreat usually happens in the first two hours of the first full day, before doubt catches up with you. Everything on this list exists to protect that window — nothing more, nothing less. Safe travels, and good pages.
Photo: Dorota Semla / Pexels
