The Skyros Centre, home to the Writer’s Lab, the Life Choices programme and, new this year, the Art Studio, nestles on the hillside at the edge of Skyros village. Built high up to evade the clutches of Mediterranean pirates, the village is accessible only by foot through narrow, cobblestoned streets. The long, sandy beach is a pleasant ten minute walk away. The Centre’s courtyard, shaded by fig and pomegranate trees, has a panoramic view of the valley and the Aegean.

Here you can step back from everyday routines immerse yourself in absorbing activities and relax in the company of new friends. As one participant wrote, ‘Skyros is sunshine for the soul’. There is plenty of time to get a massage, spend time on the long, sandy beaches or sit in a cafe and watch village life pass by.

The day begins with early morning yoga followed by breakfast and then, the centrepiece of the day, the late morning courses. These run for three hours per day, for five days. Choose one course per week from any of the three programmes that run alongside each other. Book in advance to secure your favourites. Once you’re at the Skyros Centre and subject to space you can, if you choose, change your mind and attend a different course in the second week.

In the evenings people usually meet for dinner in the village. Whether one goes for stuffed tomatoes or grilled fish at a taverna by the sea, dinner is almost a spiritual experience. With the night always young, there may well be dancing until late or walking in the moonlight through the magical landscape.

‘The most wonderful legacy is the memory of having laughed more in two weeks that I can remember since childhood.’ Woman Magazine

 ‘I have had one life-changing holiday - on the Greek island of Skyros... I had just given up my job with Shell. I wasn't quite sure what to do with my life, so I enrolled on a creative-writing course and learnt how to do massage, in the hope that something would occur to me. People kept saying that I was really funny, and ought to be a comedian, so I thought I'd give it a go.’ ‘The most wonderful legacy is the memory of having laughed more in two weeks that I can remember since childhood.’ Jimmy Carr, The Sunday Times

The Skyros Centre Programme at a Glance...

Sat 8 - Sat 15 Jun 2013          £595

WL1 The Art of Fiction Writing with Sam North

LC1  Successful Relationships with Juliette Smith

AS1  Landscape Abstraction with Linda Norris

Sat 15 - Fri 28 Jun 2013          £995

WL2 True Stories with Helena Drysdale

LC2  The Path of Happiness with Michael Eales

AS2  Drawing and Painting with Kel Portman

Sat 29 Jun- Sat 6 Jul 2013          £625

WL3  Starting Your Novel with Steve Attridge

LC3  Self-Coaching with Andry Anastasiou

AS3  Drawing and Painting with Kel Portman

Sat 6 - Fri 19 Jul 2013          £1,095

WL4  Aspects of Novel Writing with Mez Packer

LC4  Choose Life at Any Risk with Ari Badaines

AS4  Painting and Photography with Angela Findlay

Sat 20 - Sat 27 Jul 2013          £645

WL5  Crime Fiction with Sophie Hannah

LC5  Choose Life at Any Risk with Ari Badaines

AS5  Textile Art with Annie Sherburne

Sat 27 Jul - Fri 9 Aug 2013          £1,245

WL6  The First Novel with Shelley Weiner

LC6  Life Choices with Dina Glouberman

AS6  Sketching and Painting with Michael Gahagan

Sat 10 - Fri 23 Aug 2013          £1,245

WL7  Your Writer's Voice with Crysse Morrison

LC7  Transform Your Life with Kate Daniels

AS7  Drawing and Painting with Sarah Livingstone

Sat 24 - Sat 31 Aug 2013          £695

WL8  Writing Successful Fiction with Leigh Russell

LC8  Love Your Life with Katrina Love Senn

AS8  Art & The Island with Richard Layzell