Away with words: an Arvon fiction-writing retreat in Devon

Expert tuition, camaraderie and walks in the rain – plus a healthy lack of wifi and mobile coverage – leave our writer buzzing with creativity and short story ideas
Despite the glowering weather, the 1½-mile walk from my creative writing retreat at the 16th-century manor house of Totleigh Barton is invigorating. The remote west Devon landscape is heavy with winter; it’s stark and elemental but also evocative and, most importantly, thought-provoking. Being in the wilds gi