Château Ventenac sits beside the Canal du Midi in the South of France and offers fabulous views across the vineyards towards the Pyrenees. It provides a haven of peace and tranquillity and is the perfect backdrop for our courses, workshops and retreats.
During Spring and Autumn periods we offer a range of residential holiday courses including Poetry, Creative Writing, Vegetarian Cookery, Reiki, Detox, Life Coaching and French Immersion. Our choice of courses is extensive and we can organise tailor-made courses for groups.
Courses are led by qualified and experienced teachers and are generally suitable for all levels.
All courses offer tuition, accommodation, and meals as stated in the individual course itineraries. Flights are notincluded but are available from as little as £35 return off peak, from airlines like Easyjet and Ryanair. We can provide transport to & from local airports (Carcassonne, Beziers) and stations (Narbonne) for a small extra charge.
Most courses can accommodate "day students" who live locally and would prefer to go home each night to sleep in their own beds! Please contact us for prices.
We also arrange flexible tailor made courses for groups who wish to book to come together.
"I loved the Course. It was just the right pace to learn and relax at the same time. I came away with a valuable skill and immensely refreshed. Many thanks, " Fiona Harrold Oct 08
The ‘communal’ atmosphere was great. Couldn’t have been looked after better – Julia, you had just the right touch, relaxed and accommodating. And your volunteers were as pleasant and efficient as anyone could have wished. Oh, and great airport pick-up (so important to feeling one’s arrived in the right place!) Andrew April 2009
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Poetry course
Vegetarian cookery
Enjoying the french course
A very generous table throughout our stay. And all the extra touches were much appreciated: the celebratory drinks on the terrace for example. Lovely, thank you! Nothing is too much trouble and you looked after us very, very well, making Chateau Ventenac feel like a home from home! Thank you. I’ll be back! G Paine March 2009
Sept 26th - Oct 2nd 2010 "Writing Mainstream Fiction" with Sarah Duncan
Whether you’re writing a novel or a short story, most writers want to be read. This course concentrates on how to write...More>>>
Oct 3rd - 9th 2010 "Making Life Changes" - Julia bristow. If you are feeling tired, stressed, overweight, unfit or in...... more>>
Oct 3rd - 9th 2010 "Reiki Retreat" - Mike Hunter During the weeks retreat there will be meditations, Reiki treatments and plenty of time for...... more>>
November 6th -12th 2010 "Fiction for the Fearful" with Patrick Gale
Perhaps you’ve always wanted to write a novel but don’t know where to start? Perhaps you loved writing stories at school ............ More >>>
April 10th - 16th 2011
"A Place of Poetry" -Sean O'brien ‘In this course we'll look and listen afresh at the poems we write........
more>>
May 9th - 13th 2011
"Vegetarian Cookery" - Rachel Demuth.
Join the Vegetarian Cookery School for a culinary break in the beautiful surroundings...... more>>
Other planned courses for 2011-12
French Immersion, Stained Glass techniques, Painting, Wine Tours, Video Techniques, Screenwriting, Reiki, Life Coaching and Retreats
Please fill in the form below and we will send you further details when they are available