Sue Woolf – Your Host at Rural Retreat France

Sue Woolf in the gardens of Rural Retreat

I’m Sue Woolf & I’ve been running a residential centre here in Confolens, South West France, for over 10 years & I love my life in my quiet corner of the world! There is something special about this place, so many visitors tell me that you come through the gates, leave the world outside & feel your whole being relax. I’ve worked hard to provide simple warm & welcoming hospitality, that’s what’s important to me.

I share Rural Retreat with my son Joe, when hes not away touring. He brings the musical & sound engineering talents to Studio Alouette. He is, unfortunately for me, in great demand with his various musical projects & so I have to book him in if I want to see him. You can find out more about Joe here.

Suer Woolf preparing breakfast at Rural Retreat France

The values that I live by, are reflected in the way I run Rural Retreat. Values such as honesty, decency & how my behaviour impacts other people & the world around me. I believe in simple, slow living with the rhythms of the seasons.

Responsibility & integrity are important to me & my motto would be ‘don’t take more than you give’. I am passionate about ecology, rewilding & I particularly like the permaculture principles of recycling, reusing, re-purposing, putting back & replenishing the earth (composting is a way of life here)!

You can read my business philosophy here & if you share my passion for birding, rewilding, permaculture & a somewhat odd keenness restoring hedgerows, i would love to talk to you! Email me!

Sue Woolf taking a break at Rural Retreat France

I am a passionate life-long learner, voracious reader & asker of questions! I’m currently studying permaculture, enhancing wellbeing with nature, mindfulness & breath work. I’m learning about rewilding, growing a wildflower meadow & create wildlife friendly hedging.

I have a love of the natural world, nature, wildlife, the seasons, the weather & the night sky. I love my garden & allotment. I get pleasure from growing, cooking & eating my own food. I love my dogs & cats, they are an integral part of the Rural Retreat community & adored by our visitors.

I want to create a space here for people to be able to relax & learn in a safe & supportive environment. Sharing this wonderful place with people who need to get away to restore, recuperate & switch off from daily life, is the driver behind my life.