History

Burnlaw is a small North Pennines upland farm in an “Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty”. It is a place with a long tradition of occupation and continuity of life style. The land, once the deer forest of the Prince Bishops, is now used for livestock farming. The present buildings date from 1547 and were in the hands of one family for 300 years. This family became Quakers in the 1660’s and there is much evidence of their loving inner and outward stewardship.

Presently

We have lived at Burnlaw for some 25 years. We are six separate households. Our loose knit community is informed by Baha’i, Buddhist and environmental thinking. While living separately, residents come together in different combinations to work on particular projects. We farm organically our 45 acres of pasture, old and new woodland, wetland, orchard and kitchen garden. We have renovated redundant farm buildings to created the beautiful Burnlaw Centre for visitors.

From spring to late autumn we run a variety of courses. This programme consists of themed retreats, specialist courses and educational weekends which provide adults and young people with the opportunity of exploring the potential of their inner world and its outer reality. Activities include meditation, healing, painting, dance and movement, walking, reflective study and all sorts of celebrations.

We know that a warm and loving welcome is important for all the people who come here and we have found that Burnlaw provides opportunities for young people to explore their spirituality and connect with nature in ways which can be profound and transforming.

What we offer

The centre has the following resources:

• A five bedroomed guest house which provides comfortable accommodation for up to nine people.
• Additional dormitory style accommodation in two Bunk Houses
• A field for camping
• A large beautifully appointed gathering/meeting room with its own reception/dining room and large welcoming kitchen
• In addition to our own programme of activities Burnlaw can be booked for:
  Residential courses, catered or self catering, day courses, conferences and gatherings for up to 70 people
• Holiday accommodation
• Burnlaw is registered for worship and marriages
• It has an internationally recognized disc golf course and a small football pitch.
• There is a meditation garden and labyrinth

Visitors are welcome to explore the farm and the various walks in the surrounding valleys. Burnlaw is within easy reach of the Roman Wall and the Lake District. Newcastle, Durham and the unspoilt Northumbrian coast are about an hour’s drive away.