We feel humbled by the talent, passion and energy that our team of expert practitioners bring to Cabilla Cornwall retreats. Not only leaders in their professions, but they also inherently understand and believe in the magic of Cabilla that we want to share. We are privileged to know them, collaborate with them, and call them our friends. We believe that we have some of the most talented individuals on the planet supporting us to achieve our mission of connecting everyone in the world with the restorative power of nature.
Founder
Merlin Hanbury-Tenison
Merlin grew up at Cabilla and has always found a peace and tranquillity in the woods that he has longed to share with others. Nothing excites him more than meeting with guests and helping them to understand the incredible biodiversity and vibrancy of the forests in the valley. After a career in the military and a number of years working in London and abroad he is the driving force behind Cabilla’s restoration journey. The thousand year project aims to transform the Cabilla valley from an upland hill farm into a resilient temperate rainforest. This will take many generations and Merlin knows he will only be there for the start. Helping to preserve the existing ancient oak rainforest, expand it across the old grazing lands and return the many vital creatures that belong in our forests and on our hillsides will be a life’s work.
Founder
Lizzie Hanbury-Tenison
Lizzie has over a decade of leadership experience at brands such as Green & Blacks, Boots, Estee Lauder and most recently at Charlotte Tilbury. The woods at Cabilla Cornwall allowed her to mentally re-set and she has always found energetic practises such as acupuncture, reiki, vedic meditation and sound healing to be hugely beneficial in her life. She takes genuine pleasure in learning about the ingenuity of nature and its untold, mesmeric power. Alongside Merlin she acts as a guardian for its future while encouraging people to restore themselves within it in the present. Moving to the wild beauty of Bodmin Moor has been a huge adventure, but now with the start of Cabilla Cornwall and the genesis of businesses, friendships, and big, new chapters in her life, like becoming a mother – she feels like she has come home. From here she built the vision, strategy and team of expert practitioners working with her to ensure that the Cabilla Cornwall retreat experience provides the perfect space for guests to regain their vitality amid nature.
Yoga Teacher
Sorrel Rose Drake
Sorrel has been teaching yoga for almost 8 years, in that time she has owned her own yoga studio, been an ambassador for household name yoga brands and organised many charity events, festivals and classes. She is passionate about making yoga inclusive, teaching a range of styles and levels. Her personal practise sees her continually striving to become a better teacher and she is privileged to continue her training with world famous teachers including David Swenson, David Williams, Stewart Gilchrist, Dharma Mittra Kathryn Budig and Sharath Jois. A passionate nature lover, dog lover and gardener she is also a board member for FORDT, a charity which helps the poorer and less privileged people of south India.
Chef
Kate Munro-Boot
Kate’s food philosophy is stolen from Hippocrates, she truly believes ‘food is thy medicine’. Her style is fresh, colourful, diverse and creative. Influenced by her extensive travels across the globe, her passion is to make vegetables the star of any meal, using an array of spices, herbs and cooking techniques. An advocate of nature and adventure for healthy living, out of the kitchen you’ll most likely find Kate cold water swimming, surfing, climbing mountains, dancing and perhaps even skydiving. As well as a professional chef Kate is a qualified Human Potential life coach, yoga teacher, massage therapist and reiki healer, all of which she uses to put the intention of love, connection and healing into the food she creates on Cabilla Cornwall retreats.
Chef
Sam Greensmith
A classically trained Chef and Forager, Sam has an insatiable passion for wild and foraged food that has taken him from hedgerow to ocean, all over the world. He has a gained incredible experience through time working at some of the most iconic culinary establishments in the world, notably Claridges and Restaurant Amusé (Perth, Western Australia). He takes great pride in focusing on honest and interesting dishes, showcasing the best ingredients from natures larder and presenting them in a modern, iconic way. Heroing the humble carrot, waxing lyrical about his sea buckthorn negroni, his knowledge, anecdotes and passion for the natural world make for an incredible evenings experience, he is the Wild Gourmand.
Yoga Teacher
Felicity Wood
During a crazy period of working in the corporate world, running marathons and taking part in Ironman triathlons, Felicity found Yoga; a practice that totally transformed her life. She practised for several years before training and qualifying in 2014 and it was then that she left the corporate world, went travelling for six months and started teaching yoga full time. Since then, Felicity has completed multiple advanced teacher trainings and has continued to develop her teaching skill and knowledge, training with world-renowned teachers in styles such as Hatha, Vinyasa Flow, Restorative, Pregnancy, Postnatal and Breathing. She has a wealth of experience in teaching a range of experience levels, from complete beginners to the more advanced. Having experienced the impact that yoga has had on her own wellbeing, Felicity’s mission is to make yoga feel less intimidating and more accessible to everyone, regardless of whether or not they can touch their toes!
Sound Healer
Jane Everett
Jane Everett is a sound healer and energy expert. On a very definite second act, she came to sound practice through a life-defining diagnosis and personal experience that continues to inform her every day. Her mission is to guide you in your journey to inner awareness, expanded consciousness, and above all, a return to home to intuitive wisdom. Her work encompasses therapeutic, meditative and healing journeying in sound; accented by powerful ritual exploration. Blending both deeply traditional and fiercely contemporary methods from the sonic, scientific and spiritual universe, she weaves together a magic carpet ride of elementally inspired grooves, cosmic insight and a gentle dusting of shamanic and sacred ceremony.
