Lundy- a digital detox
Reading retreats are part of a new wellness trend at the moment. They feature tucked-away cottages and woodland hideaways. These retreats offer carefully curated breaks that promise uninterrupted time with books. They are described as a digital detox or literary escape. Their focus is simple. They offer fewer distractions, more time, and space to read.
Although it does not advertise itself as a reading retreat. It struck me that Lundy provides a perfect place to retreat to with books. It creates a digital detox, with limited distractions and plenty of outdoor and indoor places to sit and read. These are the conditions that many reading retreats try to create.
A reading retreat is essentially a holiday dedicated to reading in a calm environment. Some retreats are organised around specific books or authors, and others take place in locations connected to the story itself. What they all share is a sense of stepping away from everyday demands.
On Lundy, this happens without planning it. There is very limited internet access and no televisions in the accommodation. There are no busy high streets — no commercialism and no pressure to fill your day. Reading fits naturally into Lundy life. I know myself that I read more on Lundy than I used to in my mainland life. I often take a book with me on a day off or between shifts. Then, I find a quiet place to read for a while. I particularly enjoy reading books about Landscape. When I am in the Landscape, it makes me feel much more connected to the book. Visitors do the same. They settle into the slower pace. They discover how easy it is to spend hours with a book when there’s nothing else competing for attention.
Libraries of books
Lundy has a small but much-loved library in the Marisco Tavern. The process is simple: take a book and leave one if you can. There are no barcodes, no due dates and no pressure to finish before you go. If a book needs to travel home with you, that’s fine too. I often browse the bookshelf, which you can see is now arranged by colour! For a holiday easy read like; ‘Swimming to Lundy’ I head to the blue section. If I want a crime novel, say ‘The Long Call.’ It would be found in the section with darker blues and black. It’s simple. It works. Yet one of my favourite genres Historical fiction seem to be moving towards the darker book covers. An attempt to offer a more romantic suspense style. Maybe also darker covers are better for Instagram!
There is also a reference bookshelf of books linked to Lundy. These can be browsed in the Tavern. Many are available to buy from the shop if you want to spend more time with them. Reading about Lundy while being on the island adds another dimension. This is especially true when the places and stories you’re reading about are just outside the door.
Each property on the island also has its own bookshelf, curated by the official Lundy Librarian and author Michael Williams. Depending on where you stay, you find books about lighthouses, shipwrecks, smugglers or stories rooted in local landscapes.
Places to read
Reading on Lundy is shaped by the weather. On wet or windy days, there’s nothing better than settling indoors. You can cozy up with a book and a mug of tea while watching the weather through the window. Castle Cottage has got to be the top accommodation for this). On calmer and sunnier days its great to head outside and get a dose of vitamin C whilst you read. You can finding shelter behind dry stone walls, in the lee of the castle or under rocks on cliff edges. There are quite a few benches scattered around the village, you can retreat with a book.
Favourite Places to Read
Some of my favourite places are down by the jetty in the morning sun. The battery at Sunset, Benjamin’s chair on a Northerly wind. Quarry beach on a Westerly wind. On the flat plateau, just North of Devils Lime kiln. Or, in Millcombe Valley with its sheltered benches. My Top Tip: Bring a flask and a seat pad along with your books.
No commercial distractions
What makes Lundy particularly suited to a reading retreat is what isn’t here. There is little commercialism, no constant digital pull and no expectation to be busy. Reading isn’t treated as an activity you need to schedule; it simply fills the gaps between walks, meals and conversations.
Lundy as a reading retreat
Lundy offers the conditions that make this possible. These include time, calm, and solitude when you want it. It also provides a landscape that encourages you to slow down.
My current reading shelf
I’d love to hear what you are reading at the moment, so post in the comments if you can.
One response to “Escape to Lundy: A Unique Digital Detox for Readers”
When I was on Lundy last March, staying in Bramble Villa with two friends, we decided that each evening we would take it in turns to read aloud to each other. My friend had brought a copy of Ballet Shoes with her, and I found a lovely book about islands, called “Fringed with mud and pearls” on the bookshelf in the property. With a log fire crackling and a glass of wine in hand, it was lovely both to read aloud and to listen to someone else reading aloud. It was a lovely way of slowing down before retiring to bed, and brought back memories of being read to as a child at bedtime!