Workshop & retreat venue in Sussex 

A woman in a floral blouse teaching a class on a whiteboard in a room with large windows during the daytime. Several older women are seated around a table with drinks and notebooks, listening attentively.

A place to hold space for others

Seeking a distinctive workshop venue in Sussex?

Whether you're leading a creative workshop, wellness retreat, coaching programme, writing retreat or professional development event, the environment you choose shapes the experience you create.

At The Grain Store, we've created a workshop venue designed to inspire fresh thinking, meaningful connection and personal growth. An eco-friendly countryside retreat nestled in the South Downs National Park, it's a place where people can escape from everyday distractions, slow down and fully engage.

Conveniently located near Lewes and easily accessible from London, Brighton and across the South East, The Grain Store welcomes coaches, facilitators, writers, artists, wellbeing practitioners and organisations.

We'll help you create an experience your guests will remember long after they leave.

Fill in our enquiry form

Workshop and retreat hosts we’ve welcomed include:

Logo with the words 'DLM Studio' written in a minimalistic font.
The word 'CREATIVE' spelled out with each letter filled with different patterned textures and colors.
The image features the text 'hollydawson' in lowercase red font against a black background.
Two women are sitting and talking indoors near large windows showing a green outdoor landscape. One woman is wearing a gray sweatshirt, a black cap, and khaki pants, holding a cup. The other woman has gray curly hair, glasses, and is wearing a black jacket, gray pants, and boots, gesturing as she speaks.

Workshop venue for coaches, creatives & facilitators  

Create space for learning, creativity and transformation. 

The Grain Store provides an inspiring workshop venue in Sussex for masterclasses, training sessions, creative workshops, wellbeing events and community gatherings. Whether you're running a writing workshop, life coaching programme, mindfulness session or a professional development event, our flexible space adapts to your needs. 

Natural light, luxuriously comfortable interiors and access to outdoor spaces help participants feel more relaxed, present and engaged, creating the ideal environment for learning, creativity and connection. 

Perfect for: Writing workshops and creative courses / Life coaching and personal development programmes / Mindfulness, breathwork and wellbeing sessions / Professional development workshops / Community gatherings and special interest groups 

Available for full-day or multi-day hire. 

Several women sitting at a table working on laptops, taking notes, and writing in notebooks.

Retreat venue in Sussex near London in the South Downs  

Bring people together for a deeper, more immersive experience. 

The Grain Store also offers two and three-day retreats during weekdays (Tuesday to Thursday), with the option of overnight accommodation for up to four guests. Combining inviting indoor spaces, outdoor areas and optional wellness experiences, it's an ideal retreat venue for programmes that balance learning, reflection, connection and rejuvenation.

Whether you're hosting a writing retreat, coaching retreat, wellbeing retreat, professional development programme or creative residency, we’ll help bring your vision to life.

Explore the space

Scroll through the images below to view our indoor and outdoor spaces.

A house with solar panels on the roof, surrounded by greenery and rolling hills, in a rural countryside landscape with a wheat field in the foreground.
A dining room with a large wooden table set with round placemats, surrounded by wooden chairs, and large windows revealing a green landscape outside.
Living room with large windows overlooking a green outdoor landscape, furnished with sofas, a coffee table, a TV, and a wooden dining table with chairs.
Living room with a large L-shaped sofa decorated with pink and gray throw pillows and blankets, facing a flat-screen TV on a wooden table. Large windows with black framing letting in natural light, overlooking greenery outside, with a staircase on th
Modern kitchen with light green cabinets, black countertops, stainless steel appliances, and a kitchen island with four wooden bar stools.
Open-concept living room and kitchen with black sofas, wooden dining table, and kitchen island with stools, featuring a loft above with sitting area and bookshelves, and skylights bringing natural light.
Interior of a room with large glass sliding doors overlooking a green landscape with rolling hills, trees, and a blue sky with clouds.
A cozy living space with a sloped ceiling featuring skylights, a white sofa with fur and blue pillows, a wooden coffee table, armchairs with furry upholstery and blue pillows, a blue patterned rug, a small wooden desk, and a curtain dividing the area
A bedroom with a wooden bed frame, pink bedding, white and pink pillows, two wooden nightstands with lamps, and a large sliding glass door that opens to a garden with trees and plants.
View from inside a bedroom showing an open glass door leading outside to a garden with bushes and grass, with hills and a blue sky in the background. A book is open on a bed in the foreground.
Modern bathroom with a white freestanding bathtub, black tiled walls, a small round wooden stool with a white vase and reed diffuser, a plant on a wooden stand, and a white folding rack near a window with white blinds.
A bedroom with a slanted ceiling and a skylight window, featuring a wooden slat accent wall, two beds with orange bedding and white striped throws, a nightstand with a white desk lamp, and natural sunlight illuminating the space.
View from a house patio with black-framed glass doors, outdoor table and chairs, green lawn, flowering plants, trees, hills, and partly cloudy sky in the background.
A wooden hot tub on a deck decorated with string lights, with a tree wrapped in fairy lights nearby, set outdoors at dusk or night.
Person cooking steaks and shrimp on a barbecue grill outdoors with greenery in the background.
Outdoor rustic dining table set with plates, a pitcher of water, salad bowls, and side dishes, on a weathered wooden table with a natural landscape in the background.
Outdoor patio with a sectional sofa with light gray cushions and a wooden coffee table, surrounded by a metal railing and greenery in the background.
Living room with a large potted plant, a beige armchair with red and white polka dot pillows, a small table with books and remotes, a beige ottoman with blankets, a wooden side table with a lamp, and a glass sliding door letting in natural light.
A small wooden cabin shaped like a barrel surrounded by green trees and forest debris on the ground.

Tailor your experience

Recognising that every event is different, we offer flexible packages for independent practitioners through to established organisations and brands. 

Every booking includes everything you need for a productive and enjoyable day, including high-speed Wi-Fi, a large table and comfortable seating for up to 10 people; a flipchart with pad and marker pens; on-site parking for five cars; and refreshments including organic teas, Fairtrade coffee and filtered water. 

You can then tailor your event with a carefully curated range of optional services, including catering, event planning, marketing support, wellbeing experiences, and exclusive hire of South Downs Sauna at The Grain Store. This flexible approach allows you to create an exceptional experience that reflects your objectives, your guests and your budget.

Talk to us
A woman sitting on a couch with a beige, textured throw pillow behind her, wearing a blue cap, gray sweatshirt, and taking notes in a notebook, with a phone nearby.

  • Catering options

    Our extensive catering options include a delicious lunch, provided by top local caterers. Meal services and menus can be tailored to your specific needs and dietary requirements. 

  • A woman standing and speaking to a group of women seated at a dining table during a meeting or discussion, with large windows and a whiteboard in the background.

    Event planning

    Whether you're hosting your first workshop or your fiftieth retreat, we're here to help you create an experience that feels professional, memorable and uniquely yours. 

  • Sauna

    Our charming woodland sauna, South Downs Sauna Lewes, also offers private hire options for workshop and retreat hosts to add an enchanting sauna experience to their event programmes. 

  • Top-down view of a cozy seating area with two white armchairs with patterned pillows, a small wooden side table with books and decor, a gray ottoman with rolled towels, on a brown and beige rug near large glass doors.

    Accommodation

    You can also book overnight stays in The Studio for the host or for up to four people in The Grain Store, subject to availability. 

People sitting in a circle during a discussion in a bright room with large windows and outdoor greenery.

Marketing support 

We know that filling a workshop or retreat can be just as challenging as creating a great experience. 

To help you reach the right audience, all workshop and retreat bookings receive promotion through our website and social media channels. We can also provide enhanced marketing support packages for facilitators looking for additional help with event promotion, audience growth and ticket sales. 

Think of us as more than a venue. We're here to help you create exceptional experiences from first enquiry to final guest farewell. 

FAQs

  • Yes. We offer one, two and three-day retreat packages for coaches, facilitators, wellness practitioners and writers, and independent and corporate business organisations. 

  • We can accommodate up to 10 guests for workshops, retreats and wellness events and up to 20 for networking events. Please contact us to discuss your requirements. 

  • Yes. Located in the South Downs National Park near Lewes, The Grain Store is easily accessible from London, Brighton and the South East. 

  • Yes. Private sauna sessions can be incorporated into workshops, retreats and both business and wellness events. 

  • Yes. Every event receives promotion through our website and social channels, with enhanced marketing support packages also available. 

  • Yes. We offer flexible packages designed to support independent facilitators, coaches, writers, artists and wellbeing practitioners, alongside larger commercial events and retreat programmes. 

  • Peaceful, inviting and inspiring - a truly special venue

    "A beautiful space, perfectly designed for a writing retreat, with places to gather together as a group, and plenty of options for writers to sit and work on their own. Great all year round, whatever the season - cosy corners in winter, and gorgeous outdoor seating in summer, all against the backdrop of stunning rolling hills. Peaceful, inviting and inspiring - a truly special venue."

    - Holly Dawson, author and Reader-in-Residence

  • The ambience is perfect

    “This is an amazing meeting space with breathtaking views of rolling countryside. It’s truly a great place to hold meetings, workshops and courses. I participated in a workshop at The Grain Store during which we enjoyed the versatility of the space, from sitting in a circle, eating and cooking together. The ambience is perfect.”

    — Mira Patel, Prana Coaching

  • Modern and cosy

    “As I drove up the lane to The Grain Store, I was struck by the quiet, the rolling green hills and the huge open sky. The internal space is modern and cosy which worked so well for our meeting. It's been designed with collaboration in mind and has multi-purpose areas, making it a very flexible space. The uniqueness for me was how The Grain Store allowed me to switch off from the city and focus entirely on the task at hand.”

    - Ayesha Murray, Executive Coachs here

  • Most days there is no better place in the world to be

    “Heading out onto the Downs for either a walk or a bike ride is always something to be savoured. There is something about the landscape that is always appealing. The rolling topography and views both of and from the Downs are spectacular and once you're up on the top you can go East or West for a day's excursion. Most days there is no better place in the world to be.”

    - lan Lock, Leadership Consultant, Executive Coach and Author