Most away days fail for the same reason: everyone goes home at the end of it. The useful conversations happen after dinner, not during the session. The Brambles Retreat is an exclusive-use country house in the Mourne Mountains where your team has the entire property to itself, stays the night, and gets the part that actually changes how people work together. The dining room seats sixteen around one table, which works as a boardroom without feeling like one. The library and lounge give you two more rooms, so you can run three workstreams at once and pull everyone back together without leaving the building. High-speed WiFi throughout, and the Mournes start at the end of the drive if you want to send people out in pairs with a question to answer. We're self-catering, so you bring in whoever you need — your own facilitator, trainer or coach — rather than accepting a venue's package. Cook as a group, or arrange full-day meals through our local catering partner. There's a private bar you stock yourself, which is where most teams find the evening does its work. From £700 per night midweek for the whole property. At sixteen people that's £44 each, including the beds. Worth running against a day delegate rate plus bedrooms plus dinner.
Eight bedrooms, every one en suite, sleeping sixteen. That matters more than it sounds — nobody is sharing a bathroom with a colleague. Room for four more on airbeds if you need it, and day visitors are welcome, so people who can't stay overnight can still join the sessions. Pricing is per property, not per head. £700 per night midweek, £900 at weekends. At sixteen people that's £44 or £56 each, and the invoice doesn't change when two people drop out the week before. Corporate away days almost never need to be at a weekend, so midweek is usually free money you can spend on the facilitator instead. Fifteen minutes from Newcastle, under an hour from Belfast, Newry and Lisburn. Free parking, fully licensed, dog friendly, two hot tubs and a BBQ area for the wind-down. We've hosted a departmental retreat for Queen's University Belfast alongside leadership teams and other academic groups. One thing worth knowing before you book: all eight bedrooms are on the first floor with stair access only. If anyone in your group has mobility requirements, talk to us first — we'd rather tell you now than have you find out on arrival. Tell us your dates, your numbers and what the two days need to achieve, and we'll come back with availability and a total price. If the house isn't right for what you're planning, we'll say so.
At the Brambles, we are here to help, simply call us, email us or fill in the form. We will be happy to help in anyway we can.
