St Beuno's Ignatian Spirituality Centre North Wales

Citizens of the European Union, Australia, USA, Canada do not need visas. Citizens of Africa, Middle East, Asia generally will need a visa. To find out if you need a visa go to British Government Visa Web site

We suggest you do not ask for a student or educational visa as St Beuno's is not a government recognised educational establishment.

When you have been accepted on a retreat or programme St Beuno's will issue a letter inviting you to the United Kingdom. This will contain the dates of the retreat/programme. However we cannot offer to pay all your expenses while you are in the UK or offer to pay repatriation if necessary. If the programme fees have been paid we will say that all your living expenses are covered while you are in the UK, however, this is not usually enough for the Government. You will probably need a separate letter from your sponsoring body.

Please leave plenty of time if you need a visa. Half the recent visa applications have been rejected at the first application.

If you are flying from overseas and are not visiting people in the South of England we suggest that you try to book a flight to either Manchester or Liverpool airports.
Liverpool is good for Easyjet and Ryanair flights from Europe.
Manchester International has flights from all around the world.
For travel from the airport to St Beuno's see our Airport page .

Healthcare

Despite our rural situation Emergency Healthcare is good, and our local doctors are happy to see people staying at St Beuno's.
Medical Treatment is usually free on the National Health Service.
Dental Treatment will have to be paid for - this can be quite expensive.
If you come from the European Union please bring the EU health card which will entitle you to free medical treatment.
Please bring the name and address of your usual doctor and details of any medically prescribed drugs that you need.
Very often the UK has stricter regulations on the sale of drugs than many other countries and drugs which can be purchased freely from pharmacies abroad need a physician's prescription in the UK.

Average temperatures vary from 15-20C in summer to 0-10C in Winter. The weather is predominantly cloudy with occasional bright spells. It can, and does rain at any time of year. What's the weather like at the moment in St Asaph?
Remember that Wales is northerly: in June the day will last from 3.30am to 11pm, in December it will scarce begin at 8.30am and darken again at 4pm.

Waterproofs: Whatever time of year you come to St Beuno's you will need waterproofs and a warm jacket for walking outdoors. Although previous, more hardy, generations swam in the sea locally, today we are usually too soft for such frolicking. There is no swimming pool within easy walking distance.

Boots: A good pair of boots or sturdy shoes with a good grip is advisable for walking the hills.

Warm Indoor Clothes: Indoors we keep the house to 20C this is OK for North Americans and Europeans but those used to tropical climates may find it cold. You will need warm indoor clothes - a sweatshirt or jumper.

Dressing Gown: You will need a dressing gown or other respectable night apparael as most bedrooms do not have en-suite facilities.

Laptop: If you are on a longer programme (not a retreat) then you may wish to bring your laptop. Wireless internet access is available.

Hobbies and Crafts: If you have a hobby or craft work that you would like to bring please do so. It is often good to do creative tasks while on a retreat or programme.

We have a library well stocked with Spirituality books, novels, biographies etc. and each room has a Bible, so you can save weight by not bringing many books.

Mobile/Cell Phone: Whilst on retreat we suggest retreatants switch off their mobile phones, however, these are a useful for safety when walking alone. Don't forget to key in St Beuno's number and remember that 999 is the UK emergency number.

All retreats and programmes at St Beuno's offer full board and accommodation in single bedrooms with washbasin.

Food: We can cater for most special diets eg. vegetarian, celiac, lactic intollerant, low fat. Our food style is modern British - a mixture of European dishes with the occasional very mild curry. There is a little choice with some meals. A full Welsh Breakfast is offered.

Bedrooms vary considerably in size. There is some accommodation in cottages outside the main Centre. There are three bedrooms with en-suite facilities for those who really need this provision.

Art Room: There is a well-stocked art room with clay, paper and various media such as pastels, water colours, poster paints all available free of charge.

Laundry: Washing machines, irons etc. are available for use, particularly of those on longer courses.

Chapels and Prayer Rooms: there are three chapels and five prayer rooms. these are usually available for private prayer.

Bookshop: The house has a well-stocked Spirituality Bookshop. A sample online >>

Fair Trade Stall: Fair trade produce - chocolates, healthy snacks, and fancy goods are available in St Beuno's.

Wireless Internet Access: Is available. You can also use our broadband computer to access the internet, so there is no need to bring your laptop.

Personal Telephones: For those on the three month course you will have a personal room telephone with your own private number, so there is no need to go through the switchboard. This can be used for both incoming and outgoing calls (there is a charge for outgoing calls). This service is not available to those on retreats.

St Beuno's is run by the Society of Jesus, (Jesuits) an order of religious men in the Roman Catholic Church. We welcome people of all Christian denominations and people of no church affiliation. All are welcome to attend our daily Eucharist. Details of eucharistic participation are available on request. Currently some 55% of our retreatants are Roman Catholic, the others are of many different denominations, with Anglicans much the largest second group. Longer programmes tend

Retreats: Retreats are considered firmly booked once you have paid your deposit. This deposit is non returnable. However, if you cancel with good notice then this deposit may be transfered to another retreat within the next year, subject to a deduction to cover administration of £10 per change. Under no circumstances will the deposit be transferable if we were not informed in advance of the cancellation.

Spirituality Programmes: are again only considered firmly booked when the non-returnable deposit is received. This may, under certain circumstance be transfered to another programme for the same person, subject to a 10% deduction to cover adminstration. Under no circumstances will the deposit be transferable if we were not informed in advance of the cancellation.