A Fellowship Gathering - Lord of the Rings 25th Anniversary - Inspired Retreat
Tuesday, August 18 - Friday, August 21
3:00 PM local time
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About
You are welcome into our fellowship!
Together we shall intimately experience the mythos of the Lord of the Rings in the immersively brilliant ‘Rivendell' of Cae Mabon!
Cae Mabon - The Venue
For those of you with the food fortune to be discovering Cae Mabon for the first time, entertain this introduction:
Cae Mabon is a venue dripping in magic and enchantment, as wild as the fairy and unicorn, badger and buzzard. Dragon effigies guard the entrance, after which a scattering of seven quaint and bespoke wooden dwellings tumble down through Oak Forest on sloping ground. Wherever one is in Cae Mabon one is continuously serenaded by the healing Fachwen stream that threads alongside these dwellings, just as in Rivendell one is continuously serenaded by the Brunien or ‘Loudwater’ River.
In a woodland clearing at the heart of the field or ‘Cae’ rises a thatched Celtic roundhouse, setting of many a sacred ancient tale of the type that inspired Tolkein in his cosmology. The soul nourishment of the roundhouse is complemented by the renovated barn adjacent to it, equipped for food and feasting, tea and indoor conviviality.
The Cae Mabon Retreat centre directly opens onto a Great Forest where guests can discreetly wander by simply crossing the stream.
Those who do and head south soon discover that Cae Mabon rests beside the Llyn Padarn Lake, above which Mount Snowdon stands sentinel on the opposite bank. Much as Rivendell is nested at the foot of the Misty Mountains.
_Yr Widdfa aka Snowdon _
The former Chief Druid Phil Carr Gomm named Cae Mabon: ‘The most Druidic place in Britain'.
 The Cob Cottage
.jpeg) The Hogan
It truly is a Rivendell experience like no other. Plus the wood-fired hot tub is a bonus!
The Retreat
Together we will celebrate the 25th anniversary of The Lord of the Rings films.
inspired by Tolkien’s world — a celebration of story, myth, creativity, and life. Honouring the stories that have shaped a generation and continue to inspire imagination, connection, and belonging.
We will gather in the spirit of The Lord of the Rings and the wider Tolkien tradition. This is not a ‘Live Action Role Play’ event, but nor is it a passive retreat. It is a living, co-created gathering by those who feel sincerely touched and inspired by Middle Earth. The experience will be shaped by those who come, unfolding through shared creativity, presence, and play. We welcome musicians, storytellers, poets, makers, cooks, dreamers, and wanderers of all kinds. We have a contemporary ‘Grand Bard of Totnes’ to assist in the space-holding and magic-weaving.
Expect Tolkien-inspired conversations, readings from the books, costume and character play (optional but welcomed), storytelling, quests, music, time in nature and warmth around the fire in community.
Itinerary:
Our itinerary is emergent, each day will follow the theme of each of the three books.
Tuesday Night: "An Evening of Fellowship — We gather around the hearth to celebrate the beginning of the journey, stepping away from the quiet of the Shire and into the grand adventure."
Wednesday Day: “Living these themes in community, conversation and nature quests!"
Wednesday Night: "The Great Dividing — A cinematic evening tracing the fractured paths of our travelers across the plains of Rohan and into the shadow of the twin towers."
** Thursday Day:** “Living these themes in nature, community, conversation and nature quests!"
Thursday Night: "The Return of Peace — Our final evening together celebrating the triumph of hope, the renewal of kings, and a peaceful journey back to the Grey Havens."
Friday Day: “Living these themes in nature, community, conversation and nature quests!"
We encourage folk to come with their own creativity and willingness to participate as feels right for them.
That may be:
An ‘open mic’ for you to hear from others and share your journey with Tolkein and how it inspires you.
Dressing as your favourite character all retreat, and exploring what it is like to inhabit them and be addressed as them!
Sitting down with fellow adventurers and exploring diverse LOTR Board Games!
Gathering by the fire to read aloud classic excerpts of the lore, sharing our favourite passages of prose and song.
Going on nature side quests: we have Mordor like slate quarries accessible close by alongside the Elven forests, lake and mountains.
Sharing circles to connect with others and explore the themes in our real lives that receive nourishment from the Tolkein cosmology and archetypes.
Mask making workshops to transform yourself into the characters that are calling to come through you!
Interactive theatre! Are there goblins in the compost loos? Elves beside the stream? Black Riders swooping the paths? We may have a ‘ring-bearer’ each day who offers to take the burden of the ring and those who offer their support to follow them on their quest.
How to Book:
Booking includes all meals, accommodation, resources for the gathering and facilitation of the experience.
Most accommodation at Cae Mabon is shared.
If you're coming by yourself and not on a camping ticket then you'll be sharing in a dwelling with other people of the same gender.
We have placed the three buildings most suited to families to be rented as a whole unit for an inclusive price.
Their maximum capacities are indicated by the bed-counts. For any children under 16 we will refund £150 from the ticket price.
Children under three come for free.
If you're making a family booking you're welcome to get in touch beforehand to enquire of which option to book, or after booking to inform us of your adult / child headcount.
See you under the oaks!
Adam W J Powell and Abbie Maddern
Meet your Hosts:
**Adam W J Powell **
Adam is a multi-instrumentalist musician and storyteller with a passion for bringing the indigenous British Isles to life. He has read a degree in History, has studied under Dr Martin Shaw in the West Country 'School of Myth', and has been a decades long member of the Order of Bards Ovates and Druids and an initiate turned facilitator in contemporary mens' rites of passage organisation The Mankind Project UK&I. He is the current ‘Grand Bard of Totnes’ inaugurated by Jackie Juno and Kimwei in 2025, having been the Bard of Totnes in 2024. The Totnes Pulse recently published an article on the Totnes Bardic Seat Here.
Adam's elders include Eric Maddern of Cae Mabon, JJ Middleway of Enchanting the Void, Michael Boyle of MKP and Olivier Mythodrama, the late Ray Simpson, founding guardian of the Community of Aidan and Hilda, indigenous teachers abroad from a two year world backpacking sabbatical, Tarisha Seligman of Singing Medicine, John King of A Druid Life in the Highlands, Abbot David Charlesworth of Buckfast Abbey and Jackie Juno the former Grand Bard of Exeter.
Abbie Maddern
Abigail is co-steward of Cae Mabon, a faerytale woodland retreat centre in the mountains of Eryri, which she tends alongside the founder, and her husband, Eric Maddern.
She holds an MA in Drama and Movement Therapy (Sesame Approach) is a nursery educator and facilitator of nature-based learning experiences for children and families. Her work is rooted in a deep appreciation for imagination, embodiment, creativity, and connection with the natural world.
Abbie is particularly passionate about mythic motherhood and the ways that myth, folklore, and archetypal stories can help us navigate life’s transitions with greater meaning, resilience, and wonder. Inspired by Tolkien, Celtic traditions, and the wisdom of the land, she delights in creating immersive experiences that foster fellowship, adventure, personal transformation, and a sense of belonging.
Note: "This event is unofficial and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or associated with the Tolkien Estate, Warner Bros., or Middle-earth Enterprises."
