Want to travel but don't have anyone to travel with? Look no further!

Imagine this…

You’ve hired a medieval castle deep in the countryside on the border of England and Wales. You fill the castle with 45 of your friends where you hang out for the weekend, indulge in medieval rituals and banquets and from there you go climbing, abseiling, hiking and jump in the local river to cool off from the warmth of the summer sun. For a whole weekend you forget about the city, about the every day demands work and life throws at you and you’re simply alive in good company, with fresh air.

Welcome to WMGT adventure #10 in Gloucestershire, UK.

Last weekend the universe delivered the most gorgeous weather here in England and I was joined in the countryside by 45 members of the WMGT fam (join us on Facebook here) for Where’s Mollie Global Travellers adventure #10.

See all the previous WMGT adventures and photo galleries here.

For this adventure I hired out YHA St.Briavel’s castle and together with the guests we indulged in all things WMGT: human interaction, outdoor adventure, fresh air and group activity.

If you’re thinking about visiting Gloucestershire or joining the next WMGT adventure (do it), without further ado, let’s dig into what our weekend in Gloucestershire looked like…

The Credits For Photography In This Blog Post Go To Lydia Collins Photography.

A weekend at St.Briavel's Castle, WMGT Gloucestershire

To give you a different perspective from mine on our WMGT adventure in Gloucestershire, my girl Monni is going to take it from here and share her WMGT experience.

Over to you Mon…

G’day team!

Having guided for Mollie in Australia on WMGT Sydney, I already knew the vibe was to be epic with the energy that this chicka brings to the table, but this trip was above and beyond!

*Insert 45 guests, 3 days, 1 medieval castle and a whole lot of WMGT magic.*

The whole weekend was amazing, but I think a standout memory is pushing myself out of my comfort zone and abseiling down the 70ft cliff. I don’t think I could have done it without the encouragement from the rest of my group.

What makes WMGT weekends so special?

WMGT has a nack for bringing together people from all corners of the structured world but with one commonality, the desire for adventure, and, a bloody good time.

Upon arrival we grooved out to some tunes provided by yours truly and followed up by introductions and some intention sharing.

Something different that Mollie wanted to introduce on this particular tour, different from all the others, is the essence of perspective and transformation through mindfulness. This being detaching from the mind, connecting with breath and expanding the ranges of the individual comfort zone.

There is big truth to travel and resulting evolution within, and without being too hippie about it, WMGT houses space for this connection. The feels and sense of inspiration at the end of the short 3 days, proof enough that these types of trips are game changers, and shakers, for any group partakers.

The accommodation at YHA St. Briavels Castle

It seems Mollie has perfected the art of choosing locations that create a playground for creativity and adventure.

This particular trip was medieval styled and the theme was carried out to a T by the staff at St. Briavels Castle. From the castle tour, to the ghost stories all the way to the extravagant medieval banquet (personal highlight).

The castle has the most wonderful medieval costume cupboard which meant we all got to play dress up on the Saturday evening and get right into character for the banquet. We wined and dined (minus the cutlery true to medieval times) led by our YHA Lord (Chris you legend) and ruled by our very own Queen Mollie B! There was riddle solving, witch hunts, congo lines and oh so many laughs.

To the staff at the YHA, I can not congratulate you enough on the service, attention to detail and the world that you brought to life for us, thank you again!

On Saturday night, sat outside with fairy lights, good food and red wine and we were laughing at people getting up doing silly things as part of the medieval banquet – I was just laughing so hard my stomach actually hurt and it is one of the best feelings in the world. I felt so carefree and happy.

a-weekend-at-st.briavels-castle-wmgt-gloucestershire-26

A place to find stillness…

On both mornings of this WMGT weekend in Gloucestershire, there was the option to rise a little earlier than breakfast at 7am for those that wanted to get a bit of movement in both the body and the brain. For Mollie, I know how the practice of yoga and present mindfulness have made all the difference to enriching the everyday hecticness of life and naturally, she wanted to share it with her people.

An optional activity, we were surprised at the turn out! So popular in fact that the guests requested it again the next morning.

The difference ‘checking in with yourself’ can make is incredible and these are the tools that Where’s Mollie gives to take home with you.

The transformation station continues!

Getting outside in nature in Gloucestershire…

You can bet WMGT is chokers with activities, but not just any old activities! Saturday was our main activity day for which we drove 20 minutes from the castle to Symonds Yat Rock where we dove into an activity day with Life Changing Adventures. Not only did we get the adrenaline going with climbing and abseiling adventures but again we added to the toolbelt-of-life with wilderness survival skills:

Structure Building
Fire Starting

It was here that our WMGT crew threw themselves over cliffs, got covered in nature and made a fire burn even more than Disclosure *insert when a fire starts to burn theme song here*, however, the real new territory here was crossing the boundaries of the comfort zone.

Whether it was speaking in front of loads of people, conquering heights, getting dirty, sharing a secret or just simply expressing yourself… the comfort zone was invited to be challenged by everyone. And yes oh yes, it is with these subtle changes to the mindset that we once again come to a stop at, transformation station.

There was something magical about spending a weekend with people you don’t know doing activities that you don’t normally do. Hearing people’s stories and challenging my fears. There’s a whole world out there and WMGT Adventures has enlightened me to all those the possibilities.

Closing thoughts…

So much Mollie magic was sprinkled over the 3 days we spent together in Gloucestershire. There were endless laughs, love, bursts of dancing, stories told and vibes. I hardly saw anyone on their phone which was testament to the WMGT itinerary and the way it encouraged us to focus rather on new connections, nature and human interaction.

There is a certain way this chicka brings everyone together that makes it feel like family. Home is where the heart is and thats 100% what I found aboard this WMGT castle adventure.

All of the above was documented professionally by the ever talented and down to earth Lydia Collins who doubled as guide and all round legend. Being part of WMGT is really all about family and getting back to whats most important in life.

Thanks so much again to everyone that made the above words flow from my mind to fingertips. See you on the next one.

Monni.

Find me on Instagram at @monnitravelsdj

45 strangers walked into a castle and one group of friends walked out after just 3 days. Unreal.

BOOK ON TO THE NEXT WMGT ADVENTURE HERE