The Setting
Situated in Grey County on a family farm south of Owen Sound and within 20 mins. of Durham and Hanover, The Farne provides accommodation, meals, and 96 acres of woodland trails and open fields.
Enjoy our swimming pond in summer, snowshoe and ski in winter, canoe local rivers and enjoy walking trails year-round. Observe moments of quiet meditation in the warmth of our sun-room and the shade of our garden gazebo set amongst mature maples.
For those for whom physical activity enhances reflection, take part in manual labour around the property and fraternize with both the house and farm animals.
The Retreats
Retreat Options
- non-structured retreats for rest and relaxation;
- guided retreats;
- guided retreats with spiritual direction;
- guided or self-guided retreats for small groups.
Meal Options
The use of the kitchen by individuals or groups to prepare their own food;
meals prepared by the family and eaten in privacy and/or silence,
or prepared meals shared in the family kitchen.
Accommodation
There are three bedrooms in the farmhouse available for individual guests.
For small group use, these bedrooms may be shared by two and the sunroom also made available in season.
Arrangements for tenting may also be made upon request.
While there is no fixed fee for accommodation, meals or use of the house and grounds, donations to cover operating costs and for spiritual direction are always appreciated.
The Hosts
Barb and Bob Hudspith having spent much of their life in the Hamilton and Dundas area, moved to Grey County in 2004 to find the silence and to offer it to others. Bob is a retired university professor. Barb offers both individual spiritual direction in the Ignatian tradition and leads guided retreats and pilgrimages for groups upon request. She holds a Masters in Religion from Wycliffe College and a Diploma in Spiritual Direction from Regis College. Both Bob and Barb are presently members of Trinity Anglican Church in Durham where Barb is also a Lay Reader.
Prior to their move to Grey County they served as long-time elders at St. Cuthbert’s Presbyterian in Hamilton.
How to Locate Us
Directions from Toronto:
Take hwy. 10 north to Flesherton and then Regional Rd. 4 west to Durham. Keep on Rd 4 traveling 8 km. west to Mulock Rd. Turn right (north) and take Mulock 10 km. to Crawford. Turn right at the stop sign onto Conc. 10. We are the third drive on the left, #502349.
Directions from Hamilton:
Take Hwy 6 north to Durham. Turn left (west|) at the light, traveling 8 km. west to Mulock Rd. Turn right (north) and take Mulock 10 km. to Crawford. Turn right at the stop sign onto Conc. 10. We are the third drive on the left, #502349.
For more information contact:
The Farne
Barbara Hudspith
R.R. # 3 Elmwood, ON
N0G 1S0
519-369-1727
farneca@farne.ca
Spiritual Direction –What is it?
Spiritual Direction is not so much about direction as about experiencing companionship. As we attempt to discern our path and listen for the voice of God in our lives, a director can provide an extra set of ears so that together we may discover where God is already at work and how we might respond.
Sessions with a director are confidential and concentrate primarily on enhancing spiritual awareness. A director offers deep listening, and careful attention to the movement of God in the directee’s life.
Regular monthly meetings may be arranged for those who desire longer-term companionship.
Why Retreat?
In the mid 90's, exhaustion, over involvement and illness changed my life. In great need of a spiritual companion who could help me make sense of this unwelcome upheaval, I began to search for a spiritual director. Having the good fortune to find Sister Barbara Graf at the convent near my home, I not only found a soul friend, but also began the practice of making retreats. Whether silent or thematic, or meditative, retreats soon became essential to my spiritual growth. In the years that followed, Bob and I both began to enjoy retreating in various places in Ontario as well as in Scotland, England and Wales. Drawing apart; letting go; refocusing; and taking time to contemplate in an environment that holds no distractions has become an important part of our continuing journeys.
Sadly, many places of retreat are ceasing to exist. Financial pressures and changing needs and mandates are all contributing to the demise of centres of spirituality that were once essential to monastic life. It was, as a response to this unfortunate decline, that providing a modest place of retreat in a landscape that offered both quiet and companionship, became our vision. And so we welcome enquiries from all who feel prompted to retreat. Whether you are an experienced retreatant or a tentative first-timer looking for a gentle introduction, call us. Together we will arrange a retreat that is right for you.
The Name
THE FARNE is named for St. Cuthbert, the 7th century Bishop of Lindisfarne, whose habit it was to escape to the Farne islands for silence and solitude. Involved in a busy monastic community that made heavy demands both on body and soul, Cuthbert would regularly seek the solace of seabirds and seals on the rocky shores of the inner and outer Farnes. There he would commune with God and creation and return to his work refreshed and re-energized. Near the end of his life, Cuthbert constructed a solitary shelter on the remotest of the Farnes and lived in permanent self-imposed retreat. Here he spent the last of his days enjoying a deeper awareness of the spirit’s presence with his gaze fixed entirely on the skies.
Though by no means a remote outcropping in the North Sea, The Farne --in Grey county --is surely known for its rocky fields and stony soils, and also for the island of silence and calm that it provides for those whose desire is to journey away from busyness and into deeper communion and companionship with God.
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