Broughton Sanctuary, Yorkshire, England

Listening to the Land

A pilgrimage into self and nature

5 - 11 April, 2027

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Broughton Sanctuary,
Yorkshire, England

Listening
to the Land

A pilgrimage into
self and nature

5 - 11 April, 2027

A relationship with place

This retreat draws on pilgrimage as a practice of transformation, guiding participants into connection with the land, the landscapes we carry within, and the wider web of life. Through somatic practice, ritual and time in the wild, we will encounter place not as a resource, but as a relationship.

"Pilgrimage is not about reaching a destination. It’s a practice of relationship —
with self, with place and with the larger web of life."

Brandt Miller

"Pilgrimage is not about reaching a destination. It’s a practice of relationship — with self, with place and with the larger web of life."

Brandt Miller

The wider web of life

Pilgrimage is one of humanity's oldest spiritual practices: an intentional journey toward clarity, renewal and deeper relationship with life. Across traditions, people have traveled to sacred places not simply to arrive somewhere new, but to be changed by the journey itself.

Set within the gardens, woodlands, and wild spaces of Broughton Sanctuary, this retreat draws on pilgrimage as a living practice of transformation. Here, landscape is not a backdrop—it is a participant in the journey.

We begin by slowing down. Breathwork, somatic practice, yoga and time in direct relationship with nature help participants step out of everyday rhythms and into a different quality of attention. These practices cultivate the receptivity that pilgrimage requires—not just a walk through the world, but a way of meeting ourselves within it. Through nature stewardship, elemental ritual, and solo time in the wild, participants will build a direct, embodied relationship with the land.

Alongside this outer relationship, we turn inward, exploring the landscapes and lineages carried within our own bodies. Facilitated group processes help us meet inherited patterns of trauma and resilience, held with care within the group container. As these inner landscapes integrate, we become able to meet the world not as something to consume, but in genuine relationship.

This retreat invites participants to remember their place within the wider web of life, and to discover what becomes possible when life itself is approached as pilgrimage.

At the heart of pilgrimage is encounter. As inner and outer worlds begin to reflect each other, landscape, memory, and symbol are no longer abstractions—they become something felt, filled with wonder and meaning.

What to expect

Pilgrimage as a living practice of relationship—with self, place and the wider web of life.

Somatic Experiencing, breathwork and ritual to prepare the body for deeper listening.

Reclaim and integrate the ancestral and geographic threads that live within your own body.

Experience the unique medicine of Broughton Sanctuary through pilgrimage walks, nature stewardship and extended solo time on the land

What to expect

Pilgrimage as a living practice of relationship—with self, place and the wider web of life.

Somatic Experiencing, breathwork and ritual to prepare the body for deeper listening.

Reclaim and integrate the ancestral and geographic threads that live within your own body.

Experience the unique medicine of Broughton Sanctuary through pilgrimage walks, nature stewardship and extended solo time on the land

"Steppe and Soul pilgrimage was a transformative experience. Spending time at the boundary between the domesticated and the wild became an invitation to meet that same territory within myself—a space to integrate and to feel more whole and at peace."

Bjoern Lasse Herrmann, Costa Rica

"Steppe and Soul pilgrimage was a transformative experience. Spending time at the boundary between the domesticated and the wild became an invitation to meet that same territory within myself—a space to integrate and to feel more whole and at peace."

Bjoern Lasse Herrmann, Costa Rica

About the host

Brandt Miller

Brandt Miller is the founder of Steppe & Soul, a platform offering immersive pilgrimages and transformational journeys rooted in place and embodied experience. Drawing from training in Somatic Experiencing®, breathwork, and ancestral and collective healing, Brandt guides experiences that invite people into deeper connection with themselves, one another, and the natural world. He is particularly interested in pilgrimage as one of humanity's oldest technologies for transformation — a practice that helps us remember our place within the wider web of life. His work explores how landscape itself can become a teacher, mirror, and companion on the human journey.

steppeandsoul.com

About the host

Brandt Miller

steppeandsoul.com

The geographical pilgrimage is the symbolic acting out an inner journey. The inner journey is the interpolation of the meanings and signs of the outer pilgrimage. One can have one without the other. It is best to have both."

Thomas Merton

The geographical pilgrimage is the symbolic acting out an inner journey. The inner journey is the interpolation of the meanings and signs of the outer pilgrimage. One can have one without the other. It is best to have both."

Thomas Merton

Example day

Morning

Begin the day with meditation and journaling, followed by reflective dyads exploring the ancestral and geographic threads we each carry—both the wounds and the resilience. We then move into yoga and somatic breathwork, opening the body and settling the nervous system into a quality of deeper receptivity.

Afternoon

Gather for a group pilgrimage walk across the Broughton grounds, including moments of offering, nature attunement and learning from stewards of the land. Participants then transition into extended solo time with the natural world, listening for what the landscape may reveal through direct encounter.

Evening

Share a communal meal before gathering around the fire for storytelling, elemental ritual, and group dialogue. Together, we harvest the experiences of the day and reflect on what is being revealed through our relationship with self, place and community.

Example day

Morning

Afternoon

Evening

Broughton Sanctuary

The retreat will be held here at the 3000-acre Broughton Sanctuary, just outside Skipton, at the foothills of The Yorkshire Dales, one of the most picturesque parts of the country. Established in 1097, Broughton Hall is a house of transformation, home to the Tempest family for over 900 years, and enjoys a rich history stretching back over the millennium.

The Sanctuary is also home to one of Britain’s most exciting nature recovery projects, a heartfelt commitment to address one of our deepest contemporary crises, based upon an extensive tree-planting and rewilding programme. In 2025, we welcomed beavers to the Sanctuary alongside our native cattle and Iron Age pigs. Subscribe to our Rewilding Broughton Youtube channel to learn more.

Avalon, our state-of-the-art wellbeing retreat centre is the beating heart of the Sanctuary. With extensive indoor and outdoor resources the building exists to serve the inner voyage of mind, body, spirit. During your stay you may unwind in the state-of-the-art biophilic designed Pool Suite; including a clear 20-metre pool, steam room and sauna, plus hydromassage pool. Beyond the building itself, the Sanctuary grounds offer a chance to return to source, from meditation labyrinths, wild swimming reservoirs, a cosmic garden and much more.

We have a large variety of rooms available, whether in Broughton Hall itself, or throughout our eclectic collection of 20 stunning Retreat Houses, including converted barns, former coachhouses and gatehouses.

Rooming

The retreats offers a variety of accommodation across its collection of Retreat Houses and 16th Century historic home, Broughton Hall.

Please note: the images below are examples of the type of room you will be booking, all rooms are subject to availability.

Rooms in Broughton Hall