Prepare to go wild at this wacky but chic women-only Arrigo retreat in deepest Somerset

Wild woman retreats are springing up like mushrooms. Every spare field in Britain seems to have been invaded by women in rainbow tie-dye prancing round fires and pouncing on the last stem of wild garlic for foraged pesto.

Now I love the idea of ‘wild’. I like the thought of gazing at stars instead of binge-watching box-sets. I love the concept of beating my drum around a campfire and hugging random trees.

However, it’s been a lifetime since I curled up under canvas and the thought of trekking through mud to get to a compost loo makes me twitch. Yet this isn’t any old wild woman retreat. This is Back To Nurture: Reconnecting With ‘ Your Wild – by the queen of the chic retreat, Fiona Arrigo.

‘The wild is being in touch with your instinctual self,’ says Fiona as we gather for our first group meeting in a snug yurt with a crackling wood fire in a Somerset field.

‘This retreat invites you back into a relationship with your body, your deep self, and with the Earth.’ I glance around at my fellow wannabe wild women, seven of us ranging from our 20s to 60s with not a rainbow playsuit in sight. ‘I love nature but I can’t bear anything too earnest,’ whispers Sarah Rodriguez, a 46-year old mother of three. 

‘I was dreading the idea of hanging out with a bunch of overzealous lentil weavers.’ I nod: ‘I think we’re going to be all right.’ 

Soothing sunset: The Arrigo Programme campsite is in the Somerset countryside

Wild side: A chic communal yurt at the retreat

 I wake in the morning, having slept in a nest of duvets. Sunlight sneaks through the canvas windows and someone is gently whispering ‘Good morning’ and placing a hot drink on my bedside table. It’s not spiritual boot-camp and if you want to veg out all day, nobody will tell you off. Yet Fiona urges us to dip a toe into the activities. ‘You won’t necessarily love everything, but you might be surprised,’ she says with a wink.

This is baby steps rather than full-on immersion; a paddle rather than a plunge. You eat delicious, mainly vegetarian food that positively sings a Hallelujah Chorus of healthy. Your body is lulled into rest by skilled bodyworkers who leave you in a slightly altered state of complete bliss.

It’s all so Insta-perfect that you’d be reaching for your phone every five minutes except – oh yes – you’ve surrendered it, so there’s nothing to do but … try a spot of weaving. My inner sceptic is on full alert, yet ‘spirit weaving’ turns out to be wonderful.

We sit in a circle, passing round a simple peg loom. It is soothing, sim aI almost meditative and I love it. In fact, I love everything – the dancing barefoot, the singing, the howling at the fire.

In black and white, it sounds bonkers, but in nature’s shades of green, brown and red, it is gorgeous. We all agree we are feeling much more relaxed, much less cynical. The words ‘nourished’, ‘energised’, ’empowered’ and ‘supported’ come up, accompanied by broad smiles.

Leaving is hard, like walking away from Eden. I’ve dropped a swathe of stress and a pile of assumptions. I feel, if not 100 per cent wild, then certainly wildish (and all the better for it).