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, 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 not included 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
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
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
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Poetry course
Vegetarian cookery
View from the balcony
Chateau Ventenac
In Spring and Autumn 2012 we are running retreat weeks for
writers and creative people.
Secure your
place on these popular courses,
BOOK NOW
March
11th 2012 "Creative Writing Course"
with Maria McCann. Learn to focus on creating a fictional past that feels real...
More >>
March
20th -26th 2012 "Poetry
on The Canal du Midi"
with Maurice Riordan
& Andrew Sclater In this course we'll
explore ways to make every line
fresh and vivid... More >>
March
29th - April 4th 2012 "The
Poem sequence: Narrative & form"
with Tamar Yoseloff In this
course we'll look at the poem
sequence as a device to extend
narrative, point of view, theme
and formal technique... More >>
April 14 - 20th 2012 "The story of The Poem"
- Sean O'Brien
‘In this course we'll look and listen afresh at the poems we
write, putting aside habit and expectation... More >>
April 23rd 2012 "French Style Interiors" with Nicola Blakemore
'Learn how to decorate using that unique ‘French Interior Style’ with painted furniture, stencilling and decorative gilding... More >>
April 28th
2012 "Creative Writing and Blogging"
with Jacqui Malpass... More >>
May 7th - 11th
2012 "Vegetarian Cookery Course"
with Rachel Demuth. The vegetarian course includes four
cookery sessions with a combination of hands on
cookery... More >>
May 12th - 18th
2012 "Making Worlds"
with Pascale Petit. Be prepared to extend your boundaries during an enjoyable week of hard work and laughter in the perfect surroundings of the chateau... More >>FULL
September 30th 2012
"Poetry Course" with
Anne-Marie Fyfe.
Anne-Marie Fyfe’s acclaimed poetry workshops invite the
writer to discover, reflect on and uncover reactions... More >>
Oct 8th - 12th
2012 "Vegetarian Cookery Course"
with Rachel Demuth. The vegetarian course includes four
cookery sessions with a combination of hands on
cookery... More >>
Oct 8th - 12th
2012 "Women's Life Coaching Retreat"
with Ali Soleil... More >>
Oct 20th - 26th
2012 "Creative Writing Course"
with Patrick Gale. Perhaps you loved writing stories at school but somehow lost the confidence to continue? Using a mixture of writing exercises and reading groups, novelist Patrick Gale aims to help you reconnect with your imagination and find the courage to take up your pen again... More >>
