Here's a question: when was the last time you went a full day without looking at your phone?
Not because it was dead or lost, but because you chose not to. If you're struggling to remember, you're not alone. The average person checks their phone 96 times a day. That's once every ten minutes.
At Fieldroot Retreat, the signal is limited and there's no WiFi. We did that on purpose.
The First Few Hours
Let's be honest — the first few hours are uncomfortable. You'll reach for your phone out of habit. You'll feel a phantom buzz in your pocket. You might feel a low-level anxiety that something is happening somewhere and you're missing it.
This passes. Usually by the end of the first evening, somewhere between lighting the fire and watching the first stars appear, you'll realise that nothing out there needs your attention right now. And that's when the good stuff starts.
What Happens When You Switch Off
You notice things. The way the light changes across the field in the last hour before sunset. The sound of a wren (one of our bell tents' namesakes) in the hedgerow. The way a fire smells different depending on the wood. These aren't things you can experience while scrolling.
Conversations get longer and more interesting. Silences become comfortable. You read actual pages of an actual book. You sleep better — research consistently shows that screen-free evenings improve sleep quality dramatically.
Practical Tips
Tell people in advance. A quick message before you arrive: "I'm going off-grid for two days. Call the retreat if it's an emergency." This removes the guilt.
Bring a camera. A proper one, or a disposable. You'll want photos, but you don't want your phone camera to be the gateway back to Instagram.
Bring games and books. We have board games and a book collection in each bell tent, but bring your own favourites too.
Don't set an alarm. Wake when you wake. That's the whole point.
When You Switch Back On
You'll find that nothing catastrophic happened while you were away. The emails are still there, the news hasn't changed, and social media carried on without you. But you'll feel different. Clearer. More grounded. That feeling is what Fieldroot is for.