You cross the sea, leave cars behind and spend the week exploring on foot or by bike. The pace is different here, from the moment you arrive.
A human pace
What feels different here?
Sark is car-free for residents and visitors alike. Tractors do the heavy work, bicycles and horse-drawn carriages use the lanes, and most journeys are made on foot.
The island is only around three and a half miles long, but the cliffs, coves and paths slow every journey down. A short distance can become a morning because there is always another viewpoint, swimming place or turning worth taking.
The crossing
The crossing to Sark
Guests travel to Guernsey and take the passenger ferry from St Peter Port. The crossing takes around 45 minutes. We recommend the best connections and help with ferry and luggage arrangements before you travel.
At Sark harbour, your luggage travels separately while you make your way up through the valley or take the tractor-drawn toast rack.
After sunset
After dark
With almost no light pollution, Sark has exceptional night skies. In 2011 it became the world’s first Dark Sky Island, and on clear nights the Milky Way can stretch overhead. One evening of the retreat is spent at Sark Observatory.
Your week
Yoga and the island
Yoga is part of the week, not the whole reason to come. Mornings and evenings include yoga, pranayama and meditation. Between them, Sark becomes part of the retreat through coastal walks, wild swims, shared meals and time to explore.
The practice is adapted for different levels of experience. You do not need to arrive flexible, confident or familiar with retreat life. The Practice page explains how the sessions fit into the day.
Coming alone
Coming on your own
Many of our guests arrive on their own. The group is small, and guests share yoga, meals and island experiences throughout the week. On our May retreat, several guests arrived alone and left having made new friends.
“Watching guests who arrived alone open up over five days, and leave with people they now call friends, is my favourite part of every retreat.”
Nadia, founder and host
The retreat is hosted by Nadia, with experienced teachers and island partners brought in for the week. Questions before joining are answered by a person, not a booking system. Contact Nadia or read the page for women travelling solo.
What the retreat is built on
The sea crossing marks the arrival. The lanes make walking and cycling part of everyday life. The island’s scale keeps the coast close. After sunset, the Dark Sky becomes part of the experience.
A week lived at a more human scale.
Read Nadia’s own account in Coming to Sark, or see the 2027 retreat page. For the practical facts, the ferry, money, phone signal and island events, our Visit Sark page covers it in one place.
The island’s charter
La Société Sercquaise, whose recorders’ species lists we publish in the Sark Nature Records, publishes A Charter for Sark under a simple idea: help protect Sark’s uniqueness. Its principles closely reflect how we want Sark Soul to operate, including:
- Support and maintain traditional freedom of access to all bays and footpaths.
- Support Sark’s ban on cars and other motorised vehicles.
- Support reduction of all forms of waste and pollution, including noise and light pollution.
Read the full Charter for Sark →
The charter is La Société Sercquaise’s, reproduced here with permission.
