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About this trip-
We will be reading the novel through the theme of change, asking questions of ourselves like: how do we plan for change knowing that it’s inevitable? What do we want to hold onto no matter what changes come?
Belle Tout Lighthouse, our venue, was built in 1832 and offers panoramic views of the surrounding seascape. We will use this charming bed and breakfast as our home base as we roam the countryside that Woolf was so fond of, eat at country pubs, make space for reflection, and engage in deep conversation about this special book.
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One of the days, we will be retracing Virginia Woolf’s steps from her home at Monk’s House to her sister’s house at Charleston. This special walk, though not particularly challenging in terms of elevation or terrain, will take a significant portion of the day on our feet and will be up to twelve miles. The weather in the this region is notoriously variable. It might be mild and sunny, or wet and windy, sometimes all in the same day. We won’t rush our walks, but we expect to be tired at the end of each day, so appropriate footwear and rain gear is encouraged.
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Pricing & Logistics
The full tuition of the trip is as follows:
$4,050 USD for a Shared Room
$4,550 USD for a Private Room
We will meet in East Sussex on the afternoon of May 24th and end programming after breakfast on May 27th. Specific meeting time and location will be privately offered to pilgrims upon registration and payment.
Each pilgrim is responsible for handling their own travel expenses and arrangements prior to our meeting on May 24th and after we say goodbye on May 27th.
Our home base throughout will be the Belle Tout Lighthouse, a stunning seaside accommodation in East Sussex. The lighthouse was built in 1832 and after being decommissioned in 1902, served multiple purposes over the years: a tea-shop, a home, a filming location. After being partially destroyed in the second world war, the lighthouse was lovingly restored in the 1950s and repurposed as a bed and breakfast. The only accommodation on Beachy Head, Belle Tout Lighthouse offers 360 degree views of the English Channel, stunning countryside landscape, and the famous Seven Sisters cliffs.
Scholarships
We occasionally offer partial scholarships for pilgrimages. If you are interested, please fill out our form here.
Trip Faculty
Vanessa Zoltan
Chaplain (She/Her)
Vanessa is the CEO of Not Sorry Productions. She hosts three of our four podcasts: Harry Potter and the Sacred Text, Let’s Ask Taylor Swift, and Hot & Bothered. She founded Common Ground Pilgrimages in order to travel with brilliant faculty to beautiful places and talk about books with amazing pilgrims. It was a great trick she pulled off. She is also the author of the book, Praying with Jane Eyre.
Vanessa was trained as a non-denominational chaplain at Harvard Divinity School. She is a proud California girl who currently lives in MA with her gorgeous, blended family.
Fun Fact: Vanessa taught both ninth and eleventh grade English before becoming an author and podcaster!
Vanessa will serve as faculty and chaplain for this trip.
“What is the meaning of life? That was all- a simple question; one that tended to close in on one with years, the great revelation had never come. The great revelation perhaps never did come. Instead, there were little daily miracles, illuminations, matches struck unexpectedly in the dark; here was one.”
— Virginia Woolf, To the Lighthouse