About the Venue

The High Heathercombe Centre sits in the beautiful landscape of Dartmoor, high on the side of a valley. The Centre welcomes bookings from a wide range of groups and organisations who wish to book a residential space for their workshop/course/retreat/event. Their focus should fall either within the arts, environment or wellbeing.

Please see below commonly asked questions:

How do I make a booking?

Facilitators - please email high@heathercombe.com with a brief description as to what your event is, along with the dates/duration you would like. We will then advise you on costs and availability.

Once your booking is confirmed we will send an invoice for payment via BACs transfer.

We can advertise your event on our website - we would just need a picture and course description (please see our 'Courses and Events' page as a guide).

Participants - please book via the facilitators website - a link is provided at the bottom of each event description on our 'Courses and Events' page.

What is the accommodation like?

Our accommodation is basic, clean and homely.

We have dormitory style accommodation with a maximum of 25 beds available. This is made up of:

Four bedrooms with 2 bunkbeds and a single bed (up to 5 people per room).

One bedroom with 1 bunkbed and a single bed (up to 3 people, 2 people for comfort).

One bedroom with 2 single beds (up to 2 people). This room is usually the Facilitators bedroom.

Please click to view our layout

Please click to view our gallery of pictures which includes accommodation

We have a couple of other options if additional on site accommodation is needed. Please email to enquire.

Additionally, there is ample space for camping (you need to bring your own gear) and space for a few live-in vehicles. There are 2 outdoor compost toilets. You will need to check with your group leaders if camping is an option on their event.

What is the group learning space like?

The Forest Room is a large, versatile recreational/workshop/teaching space with a wood-burner and heaters. The room measurements are approximately 22.5ft x 19.5ft. The room has a mixture of chairs and cushions available if needed. You may wish to bring your own cushion or floor chair for additional comfort. There is also a small table, white board and a flip chart stand. Please bring your own paper and pens. There are a handful of yoga mats available. Some participants use this space for yoga, stretching, etc, when its not being used by the group. We supply wood and a few crates of kindling for the fire.

Other spaces and facilities

There is a fully equipped kitchen with a wall mounted boiler for hot drinks. Equipment includes a hand blender and food processor. There is a large fridge, an under-counter sized one, and a chest freezer. We recommend cooks bring their own preferred knives or sharpening tool (ours may not be sharp enough for you!). We supply washing up liquid and cleaning products.

The living room and dining space is open plan. The living space has an open fire, with a guard that should be used at all times. There are two tables set up for meals, with a third table readily available for larger groups if needed. All food and drinks are supplied by the group.

There is a housekeeper's room with hand-towels, tea-towels, bin bags etc.

There is a boiler room below the Centre which is a great space for drying clothes and shoes in wet weather.

There are two outdoor compost toilets on site near our Forest Garden.

There is an outdoor fire pit and seating on the bottom lawn.

All water is supplied from our bore hole and filtered... it's delicious!

What to bring

towel/s
enough clothing for your stay and swimwear if desired (it may be possible to access outdoor swimming)
personal toiletries (natural and unscented if possible). Chemicals interfere with our water treatment system.
bed linen (pillows, duvet and blanket are provided). Bed linen can be hired at £10 per person.
a torch/head torch and safety gear if walking on the moor (e.g. whistle, map, compass)
anything you need to make your stay more comfortable (e.g. slippers, hot water bottle, cushions, sheepskin, cosy blanket).

We do have a few hot water bottles and a number of blankets. We ask that the wool bedroom blankets remain in the bedrooms.

What to wear

We recommend bringing layers of clothing including warm clothes. It can become cold in any season on Dartmoor. Also recommended are good outdoor shoes/wellingtons and a good raincoat/waterproofs.

Staying extra days

Sometimes it may be possible for the Group Facilitator/s to arrive the evening before their event to set up. If desired, please enquire by email to see if this is possible.

Unfortunately we are unable to accommodate participants staying outside of the group booking dates. . We recommend searching for other accommodation in nearby areas such as Manaton, Widecombe in the Moor, Chagford, and Moretonhampstead. If not travelling by car, you will need to check your onward route to the Centre, as it is likely it will be a car or taxi drive away. Please note, there isn't any public transport to the Centre.

How to be contacted

Mobile signal is patchy. The Centre has internet and therefore internet-based communication works best (whatsapp, snapchat, signal, etc).

Self Catering

The venue is fully self catered and therefore we supply no food or drink items. Group facilitators generally arrange for any food deliveries to arrive on their day of arrival, when they can receive them. If another delivery time is required you will need to check first with the Centre to see whether we can accommodate this. If you need a cook for your retreat please ask, we have a few local contacts.

Pets

Unfortunately, for a number of reit is not possible to bring pets to the Centre.

Parking

There is ample parking on site although we recommend lift-sharing where possible. There is a small carpark between the Centre and Forest Room which can be used to drop-off equipment and heavy bags. The main car park should then be used for parking.

Accessibility

There is a small car park (sloping) where the main facilities (the Centre and the Forest Room) can easily and immediately be accessed. The Centre is on one level with a large wet room and toilet, with stability bars and emergency cord. All rooms are off of the main corridor. The separate Forest Room is accessible by a short access slope. The lower lawn can be accessed via a slope or steps. The main car park is a couple of minutes walk from the Centre along a rough path and grass (the small car park can be used as a drop off point or to park if needed). We have had a few wheelchair users stay in the past, but recognise that all individuals have different requirements. Please do not hesitate to contact the Centre to discuss any access requirements.

Visiting us

Please email us if you would like to arrange to visit our venue ahead of making a booking.

Contacting us

Please note, we do not check our emails on a daily basis. It can take a few days for us to respond to enquiries. We can provide a contact number ahead of staying with us, for any urgent queries that cannot wait for an email response.

If you have any further questions, please email us at high@heathercombe.com

We look forward to welcoming you.