Bienvenue & Welcome to Loire Writers Retreat

Allow us to introduce ourselves

Hi, we are Iris & Derrick Mathews and we are the owners of Le Tremblay, Loire Writers Retreat, a beautiful two-bedroom cottage set in the historic Loire Valley France.

www.loirewritersretreat.com write@loirewritersretreat.com

FaceBook: @LoireWritersRetreat Instragram: LoireWriters Twitter: @LoireRetreat

We originally come from Northern Ireland or as it sounds to most people when we say it, “Norn Iron.” We moved here, lock stock and barrel in 2015 after spending over thirty years working with the impact of the conflict in Northern Ireland known as “The Troubles.” We worked with local communities, government and NGO’s in conflict resolution, peace building and with the victims and survivors of the conflict.

France is certainly a quieter lifestyle but we can still find time for a wee bit of craic with friends, neighbours and guests.

Why a Writers Retreat?

Anyone visiting us, even the artisans we employed to carry out the renovations all commented on the quiet and tranquil atmosphere they felt as soon as they came through the gates.

I’m an aspiring author and Iris an experienced Holistic Therapist with a passion for cooking. We have combined these skills to create Loire Writers Retreat where creatives, writers, poets, songwriters and screenwriters can find the solitude, time and space to begin or complete their story.

We understand the stress and pressure you may be under, doing the day job that takes up at least 40 of your writing hours per week and then in the remaining hours, looking after kids, doing the house work, mowing the garden and somewhere among all of that you try to squeeze in a couple of hours to knock out 500 – 1,000 words a day.

Any wonder we writers find our creative juices blocked.

It’s like being one of those preforming plate spinners you used to see on TV, running along the lines of canes giving them a little twist trying to keep all those plates spinning and not falling off. In most cases we all know that the one plate that we sacrifice and allow to fall is our writing.

That’s where Loire Writers Retreat can help. We give you the space and time to write.

What is also unique about Loire Writers Retreat is that you not only will find the peace and quiet to write but you will also receive a Complimentary Holistic Therapy each week you stay with us. The bespoke therapies you receive will leave you feeling totally relaxed, de-stressed, refreshed, rebalanced and refocused on your creative work.

This is what one of our writers said.

“Warm friendly and attentive hosts who go the extra mile to ensure that everything is just right to support the writer’s focus and creativity. The accommodation is excellent and of a high quality with beautiful outdoor spaces. The writing desks in various locations inside and outdoors are ideal. The food is exceptional, traditional French dining with delicious local fresh ingredients. Room service for Breakfast and lunch means that the writer can concentrate fully on writing. The most important asset of Le Tremblay Loire Writers Retreat is the tranquility and ambience where creativity can flow allowing ideas to bubble up. I achieved my goal of completing a second draft of my novel. I’m leaving with a sense of progress and achievement. I highly recommend Le Tremblay Loire Writers Retreat and I will definitely be back”.

Tony McCauley – Author

How things happen here

The idea behind our retreat is that you don’t have to sweat the small stuff like shopping, cooking, cleaning or doing the dishes, all things that can interrupt your flow. We take care of that for you, allowing you to focus all your attention to putting words, notes or scenes on the paper or screen. Even if you are a muncher like me you will always find a ready supply of snacks and drinks in the fridge and cupboards or perhaps a wee slice of lemon drizzle cake freshly baked by Iris will be left for you in the kitchen when you feel the need for something refreshingly sweet.

You will be left to get on with your writing but you are not isolated as we are always up for a chat and in the evening you join us for an aperitif and dinner.

“The hosts were fantastic, so welcoming, easy to get on with and so keen to ensure I had a productive and relaxing stay. The food is excellent with lots of interesting conversations over dinner. The accommodation, cleanliness, snacks, drinks, Breakfast and Lunch room service were excellent. The tranquility and ambience of Le Tremblay Loire Writers Retreat allowed me to achieve my goals. I enjoyed exploring the area by bicycle. The complimentary therapy was a great addition to my stay here.

Thanks again, here’s to the next time.

Nicola Cassidy – Author & Blogger

Getting Here

Our nearest airport is Val de Loire Tours, which is approximately 55 munities away with flights from London Stansted, Dublin, Porto, Marrakech and Marseilles. You can also catch flights into Nantes Alantique from 17 different countries. Nantes is approximately 2 hours away or you can fly into Paris CDG just over 3.5 hours from us which has flights from many destinations.

We can pick you up at Tours Airport or if you are flying into a different airport then from Angers or Saumur railway stations.

Our writers’ retreats are on offer for most of the year, from four days to four weeks or longer by arrangement. No cooking, no dishes, no cleaning, no sharing bedrooms, no shopping, we take care of it. Everything is included in the price, you just have to get yourself to Val De Loire, Tours airport, Saumur or Angers train station, concentrate on your writing and leave the rest to us.”

For bookings please check out the available dates on our website and use the contact form at the bottom of or website pages.

“Your story begins here”

Derrick