Wellness in the Wild – A festival with lasting benefits

Wellness in the wild: the ultimate getaway full of relaxation, positivity, and joy. This is not your typical festival- this weekend is all about focusing on your own wellbeing, surrounded by wonderful people, and beautiful nature. I have always wanted to go to a festival like this one, filled with the things I love most and a significantly more chilled atmosphere than other festivals, which can often feel stressful and busy.

Wellness in the Wild takes place every summer in Rickinghall, Suffolk, and includes all kinds of activities to help you truly slow down.

Despite being a ‘micro-festival’ with an intimate and friendly vibe, there is so much on offer at Wellness in the Wild. There is the movement tent, with classes such as boxing, dance and Pilates, or for a different type of movement, organised trail runs take place around the forest too. You can practice all kinds of yoga in the flow tent, as well as trying sound baths and mindfulness activities in the meditation tent.

Tickets are available for next year on the Wellness in the Wild website

Within the talk tent, you have the opportunity to listen to so many inspiring speakers talk on fascinating topics such as gut health, menopause, sobriety and the importance of laughter. Other areas include the therapy field, with multiple types of massage, reflexology and therapies on offer, the woodland spa with a wood-fired hot tub, sauna and cold plunge. The ‘make space’ also gives you a chance to bring your creative side out!

Throughout the weekend there were lots of workshops where you could learn a variety of skills in a judgement free space – I even enjoyed just listening to the drumming workshops take place. Alongside all of these activities, there are live music performances with so many talented performers who I really liked listening to whilst grabbing a drink or a bite to eat.

My highlights:

To start the weekend off, it was really nice to simply stroll around the festival grounds and take in everything that was going on, as well as visiting the different stalls selling lots of interesting items: including yoga accessories and sound bowls/gongs.

I enjoyed a delicious vegan, gluten free pizza whilst listening to some music at the main stage. It was not at all difficult to find lots of great food options at the festival – Rambling Roots for example, offered lots of fully vegan choices such as black lentil dahl tacos- so good!

One thing I immediately noticed about Wellness in the Wild, almost as soon as I arrived there, is how amazing and welcoming the people are. It is such a unique experience to be surrounded by so many positive, kind, like-minded individuals who are all there for the same reason as you. I also thought there was the perfect

amount of people there- enough to have a lovely atmosphere, but not overcrowded or stressful to get around at all. I felt so grateful to know that every single person there decided to take a weekend to focus on their wellbeing in this shared space.

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One of the definite highlights for me was the woodland spa. Tucked away in a forest clearing, it featured wood-fired hot tubs, tin cold plunge baths, and a rustic wood-fired sauna.

The whole experience was really well organised – my mum and I had a hot tub all to ourselves and plenty of time to enjoy each element at a relaxed pace.

I had never tried cold plunging after a sauna before, but it was so much fun, and made me feel both relaxed and rejuvenated afterwards.Sauna and cold plunging is great for rest and recovery, improving circulation, and reducing stress- to name a few benefits!

I thought the ‘kindness tent’ was a lovely idea for both adults and children. Run by ‘The Kindness Company’, this space included multiple stations to help you practise gratitude and kindness, including a sensory station, body scan meditation, and an area to write letters of gratitude. We can often overlook practices like these, due to lack of time or energy, but the kindness tent made me realise just how important these small mindful acts are.

Mindful Moments

Looking back, I feel as if this was the theme of the entire weekend: taking time for small mindful moments that make a big difference.

Another of these moments that both my mum and I absolutely loved, was the sound bath. I always listen to positive frequencies and gong baths online, and had wanted to try one of these in person for a while- I figured Wellness in the Wild was the perfect place to do it! We attended a sound bath hosted by Kismet Wellbeing, which included 45 minutes of pure relaxation with lots of different calming sounds and instruments. All the while rain pounded down on the roof of the tent above us, making it even more of a magical experience.

It truly felt like a journey through sound, as my mind was transported to different places, pondering important ideas and messages, and eventually to an ultimate tranquil state. If any of you are sound bath sceptics out there, I would encourage you to give one a go as I definitely left feeling markedly different than when I sat down. It was loved by everyone at the festival, with some people even setting their yoga mats up on the grass outside the tent to join in!

Overall, this experience is one that I won’t forget. If you enjoy yoga, meditation, learning new skills, working on your wellbeing, or simply just need a couple of days to completely unwind I would wholeheartedly recommend it.

Every element of the weekend is perfectly curated for full relaxation. You can now buy your tickets for 2026, so go ahead and book your well-deserved wellness weekend on the festival website!

If you enjoyed reading this, make sure to follow me on Instagram @girlaboutsolo to keep up with my adventures!

by Finola Stowe