A vaulted stone cloister walk in warm evening light, a row of arched windows along one side.
The day Aldwick Abbey Book a stay

Quiet rooms in a working monastery, open to anyone

Fourteen rooms in the guest wing of a Benedictine house on the Northumberland coast. Stay two to six nights. Join the prayers or don't.

Twelve monks live here. They pray seven times a day, bake bread, keep bees and look after whoever turns up at the gate.

The guest wing has been open since 1891. You do not need to be religious, or to explain why you came. Meals are taken with the community, mostly in silence, and the rest of the day is yours: the cloister, the library, the shore and the long walk to the lighthouse.

A wooden headboard and a made bed against a rough stone wall, a small lamp above. A row of white rounded arches over a brick floor, light falling through tall windows.
Rows of small lit candles on a rack in a dark church.

Three ways to stay

See all fourteen rooms
  • A narrow room with a bed, white walls and a bare bulb on a wall bracket.

    The cells

    Ten single rooms off the cloister. A bed, a desk, a chair and a window onto the garth. From £58 a night with meals.

    ↗
  • A stone house behind a low stone wall and a wooden gate, in late light.

    The gatehouse

    Two doubles above the old gate, for couples and friends who want a door of their own. From £96 a night.

    ↗
  • Black and white photograph of a bare room with a glass door, a small round table and a chair.

    The hermitage

    One room at the end of the orchard, for a week alone. Meals are left at the door. £320 a week.

    ↗

The shape of a day

The bell rings seven times. Guests are welcome at every office and expected at none. These four are the ones most people come back for.

  1. A few candles burning in a dark room.

    Vigils, 5:30

    Before dawnPsalms

    Psalms sung in the dark church by candlelight. Come in your jumper; nobody minds.

  2. A timber room with a wooden table under two curtained windows looking onto green trees.

    Breakfast, 7:30

    SilenceAbbey bread

    Bread from the abbey oven, honey from the abbey bees, and porridge. The silence ends when you leave the refectory.

  3. A small stone fountain in a planted cloister garden, arches behind it.

    Work, 9:30

    GardenOptional

    Two hours in the garden, the bakery or the library with the brothers. Most guests find this the easiest part to love.

  4. Tall stained glass windows in a dark gothic church.

    Compline, 20:00

    Night prayerGreat silence

    The last prayer of the day, fifteen minutes long. After it the whole house is quiet until breakfast.

A dim vaulted stone passage with low arches and a worn floor.

Nothing is laid on. That is the point.

No wifi in the rooms, no television, no programme. There is a library, a shore and a bell.

An old stone abbey with a square tower around a green cloister lawn, under a blue sky. The ruined stone walls of an old church on a wide green field.

What's happening this season

  • A church bell in its stone frame, silhouetted against an orange sunset.

    Retreat · 3–6 November

    A weekend without words

    Three nights in full silence, with a short daily talk by Brother Aidan on how to be quiet without being lonely.

    ↗
  • A quiet courtyard with potted plants around a stone fountain.

    Open day · 14 December

    The bakery opens its doors

    Watch the Christmas loaves go into the oven and take one home. No booking, no charge, from ten until two.

    ↗
A long, dim stone church interior with arches and a staircase at the far end. A wooden door with a small window, a towel hanging beside it and a basket on the boards.

Before you come

  1. Write to the guest master with your dates. We answer every letter and every message within a week.
  2. Arrive between three and five. The gate closes after Compline and opens again at six.
  3. Bring walking boots and a warm layer. The church is cold, even in July.
  4. Pay what you can. The prices are a guide; nobody is turned away for money.
Write to the guest master
Black and white photograph of a long vaulted hallway.Stay↗ A narrow lane under dark trees leading towards a cottage and green hills.Walk↗