​A playful pilgrimage into the heartland of rewilded Britain, weaving together creative practice, movement, exploration in nature, and storytelling inspired by the ancestral connection between land and body.

​Hosted by Issabella Orlando & Lisa Daopraky.

​The Ethos

​Returning to landscapes, learning the stories that animate them, and experiencing their spirit firsthand can awaken something ancient within us. It can unearth memories, stir ancestral connections, and reconnect us to sources of creativity, belonging and meaning that modern life so often obscures.

​Through land, we reunite with our roots. Through the body, we practice listening. Through creative expression, we bring forward what they have to say.

​Yet remembering is not always a solemn act. Sometimes it arrives through curiosity, movement, laughter, imagination and play.

​For us, play is not separate from depth, but a way into it. It is the willingness to wander rather than follow a fixed route. To experiment without knowing the outcome. To treat attention as something alive, responsive and exploratory. Like rewilding itself, play creates the conditions for something unexpected to emerge.

​The Spirit of Land is an invitation to slow down, to gather in community, and to explore the profound relationship between place, memory, myth, storytelling and play.

​This is a space for experimentation as well as expression — where writing, movement, and conversation through landscape become forms of play, discovery and attention. Together we explore themes of memory, ancestry, belonging and transformation, discovering how creative practice can become a bridge between inner and outer worlds.

​The Gathering

​Join us for a day-long creative pilgrimage into the heartland of rewilded Britain. Through storytelling, conversation, creative practice, exploration and moments of attention, we will spend the day meditating on what it means to be in relationship with a place, and what places might be inviting from us in return.

​Set within the extraordinary landscape of Knepp Rewilding in Sussex, this immersive gathering explores the ancestral connections between land, body, memory, myth, imagination and play. Knepp is one of the most successfully rewilded parts of the world, featured regularly by David Attenborough. Through a carefully curated blend of creative workshops, contemplative practices and embodied experiences, you'll be invited to deepen your relationship with this place and landscape while cultivating a more curious, experimental and creative way of being.

​Together, we will explore, create, move, rest and reflect within the beautiful Yoga Garden and surrounding rewilded landscape of the Sussex countryside.

​This day-long experience weaves together guided meditation, yoga, dance, storytelling, creative writing, nature immersion, sauna and wild swimming, alongside generous opportunities for conversation, reflection, experimentation and connection.

​The Journey

​10:00am — Arrival, Welcome & Embodied Grounding

​We begin by gathering in circle and arriving fully into the day.

​Through guided meditation, energising yoga and intuitive movement, we explore the body as a landscape of memory, sensation and imagination. This opening session invites us to slow down, attune to ourselves and one another, and arrive in presence before stepping into the wider world of the land.

​11:30am — Walking the Land: Storytelling & Ancestral Landscapes

​Together we venture into Knepp’s rewilded terrain for a guided walk through the Sussex countryside.

​Along the way, we explore stories rooted in the region’s history, folklore and Celtic heritage, reflecting on how landscapes shape identity, memory and imagination.

​12:30pm — Seasonal Picnic Lunch

​A nourishing picnic lunch shared outdoors.

​Time to rest, connect and enjoy homemade seasonal food while immersed in the abundance of the surrounding landscape.

​1:30pm — Creative Writing Workshop: Memory, Myth, Place & Play

​The afternoon turns towards creative exploration.

​Drawing inspiration from the land, the stories we’ve encountered, the movement and experiences of the morning, and our own lived experience, we’ll explore a series of guided writing prompts, readings and reflective exercises.

​The session concludes with an optional sharing circle, offering space to witness, celebrate and be inspired by one another’s words.

​3:30pm — Sauna, Wild Swimming & Integration

​As the day begins to soften, we move into a spacious period of rest and integration.

​Guests are invited to enjoy the outdoor sauna, wild swimming lake and surrounding landscape. This unstructured time allows insights, sensations and creative discoveries to settle naturally, while fostering connection through informal conversation, rest and shared presence.

​5:30pm — Closing Circle

​We gather one final time to reflect on the journey of the day.

​Through a simple closing ritual, we honour what has emerged, share reflections from our time together, and consider what we wish to carry forward into our lives beyond the gathering.

​6:00pm — Dinner at Knepp Wilding Kitchen (optional)

​Our pilgrimage concludes with a shared dinner at the on-site Michelin Green Star restaurant, Knepp Wilding Kitchen, celebrating the season and the landscape through locally sourced food and conversation. Dinner concludes at approximately 7:30pm.

​A final opportunity to connect, reflect and savour the spirit of the day together.

​Getting There

​We'll be based at The Yoga Garden, located on the beautiful Knepp Estate Campsite within the famous Knepp Rewilding Estate.

​By Car (from London)

​Follow the M23 south, then join the A23 towards Brighton. Take the A272 towards Cowfold, then join the A24 towards Worthing. After approximately 5 miles, take the Dial Post exit. Drive through the village, past the pub. Turn left onto Swallows Lane. After about ½ mile, turn left into the Knepp Estate, following signs for: Knepp Wildland Safaris New Barn Farm The Yoga Garden Kindred Sauna

​By Train The nearest station is Horsham. From London you can take a direct train from London Victoria or London Bridge to Horsham Station. From Horsham, we can help arrange a taxi to The Yoga Garden. The journey takes around 20 minutes and costs approximately £15.

​What3words
crusted.intersect.selects

​Ticket options cover the full day of activities (until 6:00pm), an optional dinner (until approx. 7:30pm), and an option to add a take-home gift – a special artistic publication exploring land and memory.