Information for potential participants
Walking the Wildwoods is Shonaleigh’s most extensive course in terms of content.
Participants are invited to walk with the Druts’yla tradition and discover a new way of thinking about story.
We investigate how stories are held, unpeeled, understood and internalised both practically and holistically.
What do participants say?
“I’ve worked with story for much of my life, but nothing else has given me what Wildwoods has. In exercises that span the bridge between nonsense and magic, total simplicity and breath-taking complexity, Shonaleigh took us into the labyrinth of our own imaginations, and, without preamble or pretence, taught us how to find the threads that guide us through. In a world impoverished by logic and befuddled by cynicism, the course teaches you not just how to tell, but how to meet, witness and believe in stories with humility, empathy and dignity. This is a course that ignites wonder in ways so subtle that you won’t notice until you turn your head, and see the luminous shimmering of the Wildwoods.”
“Walking the Wild Woods is much more than a course. It is a great unravelling, a deepening of our relationship with story and storytelling. It’s seriously playful, joyfully physical and an opportunity to learn from a fantastic teacher! Wanna have your mind blown? Go walk the Wildwoods. I promise you won’t come out quite the same.”
“Walking the Wildwoods is a surreal experience – a month of mischief where you’ll bounce between the world we live and the world of story; sometimes not quite knowing which one you’re sat in, and sometimes even finding comfort on the bridges between these worlds. It was a month that freed my inner child from its cage, propelled my storytelling skills to heights I never imagined and gave me a whole new perspective on how to structure my prose and poetry. All of this while staying in one of the most beautiful old buildings in the UK and being presented with some of the most incredible dishes I’ve ever tasted.”
When?
For 2026-2027 Walking the Wildwoods will be a four week intensive in-person training, followed by 9 months monthly personal and group tutorials, usually on Tuesdays, followed by a 5-day in-person “graduation week”.
In-person month at Treowen – Monday 23rd November – Friday 18th December 2026. There will be structured lectures and activities Monday – Friday approx 10am-5pm, with free time at the weekends to explore and experiment with the Drash, or just relax. Onsite accommodation is included for the whole period. Meals are included Monday to Friday but not at weekends. Arrive anytime on the Sunday before. Departures on the final Friday after 4pm or by Saturday 10am at the latest.
Personal and group tutorials will be held via Zoom, often on a Tuesday.
In-person graduation week at Shepherds Dene – Monday 23rd – Friday 27th August 2027. Arrive by 10am on the Monday, leave approx 5pm Friday. Meals and 4 nights accommodation are included.
Where?
November/December 2026 – Treowen House, Wonastow, Monmouth, NP25 4DL, UK. Nearest airports: Cardiff, Bristol. Nearest train station: Chepstow.
August 2027 – Shepherds Dene Retreat House, Riding Mill, Northumberland NE44 6AF, UK. Nearest airports: Newcastle, Edinburgh. Nearest train station: Riding Mill.
Who’s teaching?
Shonaleigh is the main teacher for this course, with some workshops delivered by selected guest teachers. Your one to one sessions will usually be with Shonaleigh, though occasionally with other senior teachers.
Are there prerequisites?
If you haven’t trained with Shonaleigh before, ideally start with one of our shorter online or in-person courses with Shonaleigh that will introduce you to the Midrash technique.
This will also enable you to experience how Shonaleigh work and whether this approach would be right for you.
Though many storytellers take this course, you don’t need any storytelling experience. However, a love of story is essential.
How much is it?
The course fee is £5,000, which covers all tuition, accommodation for the in-person sessions, meals Monday-Friday during the in-person sessions, and your online 1:1 tutorials.
Can I pay in instalments?
Fees are payable either:
- As a lump sum in advance £4,800 (£200 discount)
- Initial deposit of £500 plus 3 x payments of £1,500, dates to be agreed at registration
- In 15 x monthly payments of £334 (to start immediately on registration)
Can you cater for me, I’m a vegan/have a food allergy?
We make all reasonable attempts to provide food that meets your essential requirements. Please let us know about this at registration. It is your responsibility to let us know with at least 1 month’s notice before residential sessions if your dietary requirements change.
How do I sign up?
Due to the nature of the course, Wildwoods is by application only. Please fill out the form here to start that process.
Note that we are not able to take everyone that applies.
What is your refunds policy?
If you need to cancel your attendance
- Less than 3 months before the course start date – no refund
- Between 3-12 months before the course start date – 50% refund of total fees
- More than 12 months before the course start date – 90% refund of total fees
If we need to cancel the course we will refund any fees paid minus bank charges
Any queries?
Email Claire with questions, or to set up a chat with Shonaleigh: [email protected]
More feedback from previous Wildwoods participants
“Quite honestly, the month I had at Treowen on Wildwoods was one of the best of my life. It was like stepping out of time into another place, surrounded by a wonderful group of diverse individuals united by a love of story. There is so much to learn about the fundamentals of story, how to work with them, and it still feels like I’ve only scratched the surface. It’s the first step on a road leading onwards! The wonderful thing is that it’s just fun. How often do we get to play as adults? I would encourage anyone who is drawn to Shonaleigh’s stories and work to just go for it – it was truly brilliant.”
“This course is unique. No other training asks you to connect so deeply with the true nature of story, whether you are into myth, personal story or anything in-between. It is a powerful initiation, and as such is hard to describe. At times whimsical, at times deeply practical, the Drash exercises both at Treowen and in the sessions online wake up and illuminate one’s connection to story. I learned and practiced a vast tool bag of exercises to work with narrative in so many ways. By the end of this course I have become a much more competent and compelling teller of stories. If you have the chance to get lost in the Wildwoods, I throughly recommend it, it will change your life in a good way!”
“Wildwoods was one of the greatest creative experiences I have ever had. It has had big implications for my story making and storytelling. Wildwoods is an immersion in a different world – always in a well chosen, beautiful place – that teaches you a different way of working with stories and creating new stories. It is a month of playfulness with like-minded people, story lovers who are open to discover what the tradition of the Midrash holds for them, in their profession and for their future projects.”
“I had a wonderful time on Wildwoods, it was a lot of fun. I made nice people who will be forever friends. I learned how one can make a story out of almost nothing. That is something that I find really amazing. Wildwoods is very playful and yet you develop the discipline to keep working even when you don’t know the next step. Another important thing I learned is that rather flat and boring stories can turn into great stories, if you work on them. Dive into the heart, the history and the surroundings of a story… then the story will bloom.”
“I learned to ‘not write’, but do all kinds of exercises that enhanced my awareness of the character of stories and their DNA. I learned to ‘walk my stories’ and I still do, while I am now creating a large set of stories, connected all with each other. I learned that by doing the exercises and being open to what they will evoke in you, the most primordial, pristine new stories will come to life, which will carry your deepest themes.”
“Wildwoods has been wildly life-changing for me. It took my understanding and practice of storytelling (and life) from an intellectual and analytical place to a whole-body experience. It’s helped me observe and place myself in the world in both a more grounded, playful, and accepting way – and share and connect with others from a deeper place. I’m so grateful to Shonaleigh for teaching the Drash and to all my fellow Wildwoods walkers for enriching the experience. “
“Shonaleigh’s lessons have helped me discover deeper layers in the stories I tell, creating rich connections between the stories themselves, and between the stories and my daily life, thoughts, words, and imagination. It was a rewarding experience to immerse myself in Shonaleigh’s wise teachings for a month, and a year later, I dare say that not only my stories, my narratives, but also my life are more beautiful after Wildwoods! I’m very grateful that I was able to attend Wildwoods in person for a month. During this month we touched upon a layer within ourselves that many of us have discarded or lost—a playful, imaginative layer. The monthly classes afterward were wonderful for deepening our experience and maintaining focus.”
