Only Connect
Our 2025 Summer Gathering
Join Neil Baker and Andy Milligan for a four-day residential in July at the magical Bore Place in Kent.
Bookings are now closed. Email Susanne to join the waitlist.
Our 2025 Summer Gathering
Join Neil Baker and Andy Milligan for a four-day residential in July at the magical Bore Place in Kent.
Bookings are now closed. Email Susanne to join the waitlist.
Our 2025 Summer Gathering
Join Neil Baker and Andy Milligan for a four-day residential in July at the magical Bore Place in Kent.
Bookings are now closed. Email Susanne to join the waitlist.
This is Dark Angels’ third summer gathering at Bore Place. And this year, Neil Baker is joined by writer, consultant and fellow Dark Angel Andy Milligan.
Our theme is ‘only connect’, a phrase that has been central to Dark Angels since our beginnings 21 years ago. How might we better connect with ourselves, with others, and with the changing world we live in? How might a deeper sense of connection help us live, work, and write more freely?
But what does the theme suggest to you? We’ll invite you and a small group of kindred spirits to explore your own questions through a series of writing experiments designed to spark your creativity.
There will also be time to slow down, reflect, and enjoy the kind of unhurried ‘baggy spaciousness’ these gatherings have become known for.
We hope you’ll leave feeling rested, inspired, and connected – with a clearer sense of how to sustain your creative energy in the world of everyday life.
About Bore Place
Bore Place is the perfect venue for our kind of magic. It’s run by a charity committed to helping people live happy, fulfilling and sustainable lives. The estate includes 500 glorious hectares of the Kent Weald, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, with many wonderful walking routes. But it’s only 35 minutes on the train from central London and 45 minutes by taxi from Gatwick airport.
Costs
To make this gathering as accessible as possible, we’re offering three prices:
£1,600 if your employer is paying or you can pay more to support others
£1,200 is the normal price
£800 is the reduced rate if this is what you can afford just now
We trust you to select the price that feels right for you at this time. If you’d love to come but can’t afford the reduced rate, please let us know.
If you’d prefer to book by email, if you require an invoice for your employer or would like to pay by bank transfer instead, please contact Susanne who can assist with that.
Key details
Arrival: 3pm, Monday 7th July
Departure: 3pm, Thursday 10th July
Accommodation: Single occupancy rooms with shared bathrooms
Meals: Vegetarian food, plus a few beers and wine
Venue: Bore Place, Bore Place Road, Chiddingstone, Edenbridge, Kent, TN8 7AR (www.boreplace.org)
“The location – in the middle of Kent in the middle of June – was glorious. The weather helped, but it was just stunningly beautiful.”
“Love nature? Love writing. Want to connect more deeply with both? ...an idyllic get-away from the everyday humdrum and a gentle immersion into creative connection. A chance to breathe, write and be.”
“My first Dark Angels in-person experience was magical. Gillian and Neil were exceptionally kind, thoughtful, playful and supportive facilitators. I’m so inspired by how they work and appreciate all the time and care that went into imagining and leading this profound and beautiful retreat.”