The Wild Norfolk Sketch Escape
2nd - 8th July 2027
Private Estate in North Norfolk UK
A creative retreat to slow down, reconnect with nature and rediscover the joy of painting on location.
Join me for six inspiring days of sketchbook, watercolour and mixed media exploration across Norfolk’s wild coastline, peaceful countryside and wide open skies.
Together we'll slow down, reconnect with our creativity and learn how to respond to the natural world through painting and observation with unhurried time to create. Whether you're new to sketching outdoors or looking to build confidence, this retreat is designed to help you simplify what you see, capture the essence of a place and enjoy the process without pressure.
Alongside a small group of fellow artists, you'll spend a week immersed in nature, creativity, good food and supportive company, returning home with fresh inspiration, new skills and a sketchbook full of personal memories.
The Wild Norfolk We’ll Explore
From salt marshes and weathered boats to quiet beaches, winding creeks, woodland paths and huge open skies, North Norfolk has this wonderful mix of wildness and calm that I find endlessly inspiring.
I’ve chosen each location because it offers something different to notice and respond to in a sketchbook — changing light, big simple shapes, layers of natural texture, distant horizons, grasses, boats, old buildings and all those small details that give a place its character.
Some days we’ll be painting with the coast stretching out in front of us, other times tucked beside a creek or wandering through a village. The week is designed to give you plenty of support and guidance, but also space to slow down, look properly, breathe it all in and enjoy making art outdoors.
Norfolk location photography by Ian Finch
Your Home for the Week
The Norfolk Sketch Escape will be based on a private Estate, north east of the historic town of King’s Lynn. Surrounded by farmland and woodland near the North Norfolk coast, the estate is within easy reach of Sandringham, Hunstanton and Wells-next-the-Sea.
We’ll stay in a collection of beautifully restored stable cottages arranged around a private courtyard. The buildings have been thoughtfully renovated offering comfortable bedrooms and your own living space, giving privacy as well as the pleasure of staying together as a group.
We’ll have exclusive use of The Granary, a spacious place to gather for our painting sessions, shared meals and relax together in the evenings. Guests can also enjoy the estate’s heated outdoor swimming pool, along with the peaceful grounds and surrounding countryside.
A Personal Invitation from Ohn Mar
I created this retreat because I wanted to offer the kind of creative week I would love to go on myself - lots of time outdoors, beautiful places to paint, good food, thoughtful teaching and plenty of space to simply enjoy being there.
Norfolk has become a place I keep returning to with my sketchbook. There’s something about the openness of the landscape, the huge skies and the quieter pace that makes me want to slow down and notice all the little details..
I also knew from the beginning that I wanted this retreat to be small. With just nine participants, there’ll be time for individual support, unhurried sketching and the chance to really get to know a place and each other. I’m so excited to share this week with you - not just the painting, but the whole experience of exploring, noticing and creating together.
What makes this escape special?
A Small and Supportive Group
With just nine participants, there will be plenty of opportunities for individual guidance, thoughtful feedback and questions throughout the week.
The emphasis is on building confidence rather than striving for perfection. You’ll be encouraged to experiment, make your own choices and develop a personal response to each landscape.
Personal Tuition Throughout the Week
Throughout the week, we’ll build strong foundations through simple exercises designed to develop confidence. I’ll share demonstrations, practical techniques and individual feedback to help you simplify what you see, make clearer decisions on location and respond more instinctively over the week. The tuition will be relaxed and supportive, with space to practice, experiment and follow your own interests.
A Beautiful Base on a Private Estate
Our home for the week will be a collection of beautifully restored cottages with exclusive use of a converted granary for shared meals, our creative sessions and relaxed evenings together.
Surrounded by nature and within easy reach of the Norfolk coast and countryside, it offers a peaceful base where we can settle in and enjoy the week.
Personally Curated Locations
This retreat is the result of many days spent exploring Norfolk with my sketchbook in hand. I’ve personally visited and sketched at every location we’ll experience during the week, choosing places that offer inspiring views, interesting subjects, practical access and plenty of creative possibilities.
From wide coastal skies to weathered textures, woodland paths and quiet villages, each location offers something distinctly Norfolk. Together, they create a unique and memorable paint and sketch experience.
What You'll Learn and Practice
This retreat is designed to help you feel more confident sketching outdoors by building a strong foundation of practical skills for combining watercolour with mixed media.
Our first full day at the Estate will be especially important for working through core exercises in seeing values and contrast, colour mixing and mark making in mixed media. This will give you time to practice without the pressure of a changing location, helping to build confidence and creative muscle memory before we take those skills out into the Norfolk landscape.
Throughout the week, you’ll learn how to:
• Organise and carry art supplies
• Practical ways to simplify the landscape using composition, value and contrast
• Capture light, atmosphere, texture and the character of a place
• New ideas for layering watercolour and mixed media in your own sketchbook practice
• Apply these core skills in changing outdoor conditions
Each location will give us the chance to strengthen your skills, so they become more natural and easier to use whenever you sketch on location
What You’ll Leave With
By the end of the retreat, you’ll return home with:
• Greater confidence in sketching outdoors and making decisions on location
• More freedom to move beyond realistic colour and use colour expressively to capture mood, atmosphere and memory
• Fresh inspiration, a deeper connection to nature and creative memories shared with a small group of like-minded artists
Most importantly, you’ll leave with a set of adaptable skills you can continue using long after the retreat, wherever your sketchbook takes you next.
A Typical Day
Wake to nature outside your bedroom then breakfast with fellow artists. There will be a short briefing before workshops at the Estate or heading out to one of Norfolk's coastal locations.
The demos could take place near sand dunes or salt marshes, where you’ll also receive guidance and have plenty of time for sketchbook observations.
The group will return to the Estate in the late afternoon for a relaxation time or finishing off the day’s art, before the evening meal and conversation around the table (and perhaps another sketch before the light fades)
Locations and activities may occasionally change due to weather conditions, tides or circumstances beyond our control.
Food & Dining
Good food and time around the table will be an important part of The Norfolk Sketch Escape. Meals will be prepared by local caterer specialising in simple, seasonal cooking using fresh, locally sourced ingredients wherever possible.
Breakfasts will be served buffet-style, allowing you to help yourself and ease gently into the day. Expect nourishing choices such as homemade granola, seasonal fruit compotes, chia seed pots, yoghurts, fresh bread, jams and nut butters.
Lunches will be relaxed and generous, with seasonal tarts, salads and hearty dishes served family-style. On days when we travel farther afield, a packed lunch will be provided so we can make the most of our time outdoors.
Evening meals will give us the opportunity to gather, share stories from the day and enjoy good food together. Our week will begin with a special welcome dinner and finish with a memorable farewell meal and celebration of everything we have created.
Vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options can be provided, and menus will be thoughtfully planned so that the whole group can enjoy similar dishes with minimal compromise. Please share all dietary requirements when booking so they can be discussed and accommodated wherever possible.
Important dietary information: Meals are prepared in a kitchen that handles all major allergens, so a completely allergen-free environment cannot be guaranteed. Please contact me before booking if you have a serious allergy or complex dietary requirement so we can establish whether the catering arrangements will be suitable for you.
What’s included
Your retreat includes:
• Seven nights' accommodation on a private Estate.
• Daily sketching tuition with Ohn Mar Win in a small group of just nine participants.
• Excursions to carefully selected sketching locations across the North Norfolk coast.
• All transport during the retreat, including private minibus transfers to each sketch location.
• Delicious breakfasts, lunches and dinners throughout your stay.
• Travel to and from the Estate from Kings Lynn train station at pre arranged time in private minibus
• A thoughtfully planned week where every detail has been taken care of, so you can simply slow down and enjoy the creative process.
What’s not included
• Art materials (a recommended packing list will be sent well in advance of the retreat).
• Personal travel insurance.
• Alcoholic drinks (unless stated as part of a hosted meal or celebration).
• Optional personal purchases during the week.
● Travel to UK or Kings Lynn
● Travel insurance
● Additional accommodation before or after workshop
All single rooms are currently sold out.
Join the Single Room Waitlist and I’ll let you know if another private room becomes available.
Please note the retreat price varies according to accommodation choice, while the retreat programme itself is the same for everyone. Full address of the venue will be shared after booking.
Solo guests will be paired with another participant in a twin room.
Please read the Booking, Payment & Cancellation Policy before booking.
Premium Private Suite SINGLE OCCUPANCY
£3,450 per person
Beautifully converted private cottages with:
● Super-king bedroom
● Luxury en-suite bathroom
● Private sitting room/ / dining room
● Fully equipped kitchen
● Outdoor patio
Perfect if you'd like complete privacy after a day of sketching.
Single Occupancy
£3,200 per person
A spacious super-king bedroom with private en-suite within a shared cottage.
You'll share the sitting room and kitchen with just two other retreat guests.
Double Occupancy - Two separate single beds.
£2,650 per person
Travelling on your own? You’re very welcome to book a shared twin room.
I’ll pair solo guests together, so you do not need to book with a friend.
Includes:
● En-suite bathroom
● Shared kitchen
● Shared sitting room/ dining room
Premium Private Suite SINGLE OCCUPANCY
£3,450 per person
Beautifully converted private cottages with:
● Super-king bedroom
● Luxury en-suite bathroom
● Private sitting room/ / dining room
● Fully equipped kitchen
● Outdoor patio
Perfect if you'd like complete privacy after a day of sketching.
Double Occupancy - Two separate single beds.
£2,650 per person
Travelling on your own? You’re very welcome to book a shared twin room.
I’ll pair solo guests together, so you do not need to book with a friend.
Includes:
● En-suite bathroom
● Shared kitchen
● Shared sitting room/ dining room
DOUBLE occupancy - Two separate single beds.
£2,200 per person
Travelling on your own? You’re very welcome to book a shared twin room. I’ll pair solo guests together, so you do not need to book with a friend.
This room shares a spacious family bathroom with one other twin room.
Includes:
● Shared kitchen
● Shared sitting room/ dining room
Landscapes we’ll explore
Across the week, we’ll visit a carefully chosen mix of Norfolk coastline, beaches, salt marshes, harbours, wooded areas and quiet countryside.
Each location has been personally selected for it’s visual interest, accessibility and sketching possibilities, from wide skies and shifting coastal light to weathered buildings, boats, natural textures and sweeping views.
The final itinerary will be shared with participants closer to the retreat, allowing us to respond to weather, tides and local conditions and choose the best experience for each day.
Outdoor Sketching, Walking & Accessibility
The Norfolk Sketch Escape is centred around painting in the landscape. We’ll be spending time on beaches, coastal paths, woodland tracks and countryside locations.
This is not a walk and hike retreat so the pace will be relaxed, with plenty of time to stop, sketch and enjoy our surroundings. However you should be comfortable with the following:
● Walking on uneven ground, coastal paths and and beaches
● Walking across sand, grassland and natural terrain
● Carrying a day pack containing your sketching materials food and water
● Standing or sitting outdoors for periods of time
● Spending several hours outside in a range of weather conditions
A typical day pack might include your sketchbook and art materials, water bottle, packed lunch or snacks, waterproof jacket, an extra layer and sun protection. A lightweight folding stool or sit mat is optional but strongly recommended.
Plans may be adapted according to the weather, tides and local conditions, with alternative activities or locations available when needed.
Please contact me BEFORE booking if you have any questions about mobility, accessibility or health considerations. I’d much rather discuss your needs in advance so you can decide whether the retreat will be comfortable and enjoyable for you.
Is This Retreat Right for You?
The Norfolk Sketch Escape is for artists who enjoy working in a sketchbook and would love to spend a relaxed, creative week surrounded by nature.
You don’t need to be highly experienced, but you’ll get the most from the retreat if you already understand the basics of watercolour and would like to build greater confidence sketching and painting on location. However our first full day at The Estate will help us revisit core skills before applying them in the wider Norfolk landscape.
The emphasis will be on observation, experimentation and developing your own response to a place rather than producing perfect finished paintings. You’ll be encouraged to simplify what you see, make confident choices and explore watercolour and mixed media in a loose and personal way.
This retreat will suit you particularly well if you:
● Enjoy a slower, thoughtful approach to creativity
● Value supportive tuition and individual guidance
● Are open to experimenting rather than trying to control every result
● Would enjoy sharing meals, conversations and creative experiences with a small group of like-minded artists
Travel to Estate Venue
The Estate is in a peaceful rural setting near the North Norfolk coast, approximately 15 miles from King’s Lynn.
Arriving by Train
Full directions, arrival instructions and contact details will be included in your retreat welcome guide.
The nearest railway station is King’s Lynn, with direct services from London King’s Cross taking approximately 1 hour 45 minutes.
A complimentary group minibus will collect guests from King’s Lynn station at a set time on arrival day. A return transfer to the station will also be provided on departure day. The exact train recommendations and collection times will be confirmed in your welcome guide nearer the retreat.
If you’re unable to make the scheduled minibus, you’ll need to arrange your own taxi to the Estate. I’ll provide details of reliable local taxi companies and will help connect guests arriving at similar times so that shared taxis can be arranged where possible. Any alternative transfer costs will be paid by the guest.
Guests travelling from Europe or further afield may find it more comfortable to arrive in London the day before, allowing plenty of time to continue to Norfolk without rushing.
Arriving by Car
Guests are very welcome to drive directly to the Estate, where parking is available.
The estate is approximately 30 minutes from King’s Lynn via the A149 Coast Road and just over an hour’s drive from Norwich.
About Ohn Mar
Ohn Mar Win is an illustrator, sketchbook artist and experienced watercolour teacher known for her loose, expressive approach to drawing and painting. Her work often combines watercolour with ink, coloured pencil, wax resist and other mixed media to capture the character and atmosphere of a place.
Daily walks and regular sketching are central to her creative practice, helping her notice the changing seasons, small details and natural textures around her. Over the years, she has filled more than 90 sketchbooks and now shares the practical, confidence-building approach she has developed with artists around the world.
Before you arrive
Approximately six - eight weeks before the retreat, you’ll receive a detailed welcome guide with suggested train times, directions to the Estate, arrival information, recommended art materials, what to pack and advice for Norfolk’s changeable weather.
You’ll also receive a dietary questionnaire and everything else you need to feel prepared, comfortable and excited for the week ahead.
FAQ’s
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You don’t need to be an experienced artist, but this is not designed as a complete introduction to watercolour. You’ll get the most from the week if you already understand the basics and would like to become more confident using watercolour and mixed media in a sketchbook and on location.
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No. You may already enjoy sketching outdoors, or this may be your first opportunity to practice it over several days.
I’ll offer demonstrations, practical guidance and individual support to help you simplify what you see, make confident choices and respond to each location without feeling that you need to record every detail.
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This is not a hiking retreat, and the pace will be relaxed. Most sketching locations will involve walking approximately 200 - 800 metres from the minibus or parking area.
You should be comfortable walking over sand, grass, coastal paths and occasionally uneven ground while carrying your own day pack. Please read the Outdoor Sketching, Walking & Accessibility section carefully before booking.
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Norfolk weather can be changeable, so flexibility will be part of the week. The itinerary may be adjusted according to the weather, tides and local conditions.
We’ll have alternative locations and activities available, as well as access to The Granary and the cottages for indoor demonstrations, exercises and creative sessions when needed.
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A detailed materials list will be sent well before the retreat. I’ll share tips and encourage you to keep your kit practical and portable, with a sketchbook, watercolours, a small selection of mixed media and the basic tools needed for working outdoors.
You won’t need to buy a large collection of new supplies. The emphasis will be on using a manageable kit confidently and creatively.
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You’ll need to bring your own lightweight folding stool or sit mat if you prefer to sit while sketching. This is optional but strongly recommended, as seating may not be available at every location.
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Vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options can be provided, and the caterer will aim to create thoughtful alternatives so everyone can enjoy similar meals with minimal compromise.
Please provide full details of dietary requirements and allergies when booking. If you have a serious allergy or complex dietary need, please contact me before reserving your place so we can discuss whether the catering arrangements will be suitable.
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Absolutely. Many people join creative retreats on their own, and the small group of just nine participants will make it easy to get to know one another through sketching, shared meals and relaxed evenings.
Twin rooms can be booked by friends travelling together or by solo guests who are happy to share.
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Yes. This is not a rushed painting holiday. The week has been planned to include guided tuition, location sketching and plenty of time to pause, explore and enjoy the surroundings.
There will also be quieter moments at the Estate, relax in the cottages or enjoy the heated outdoor swimming pool.
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Yes. All guests should arrange suitable travel insurance that covers cancellation, personal belongings, medical needs and participation in outdoor activities. This is particularly important if you are travelling from outside the UK.