Imagine an off-site corporate meeting where, instead of feeling drained at the end of the day, your team leaves feeling energised, connected and clear-headed.

If the purpose of an away day or leadership retreat is to create a more resilient, productive team, the environment matters. Moving people away from the office – and the conventional hotel conference room – can create the space needed to think differently, talk more openly and focus without the usual distractions.

Set in the heart of the Peak District, Beyond Venues Bleaklow Farm property combines private luxury accommodation, flexible meeting spaces and direct access to the countryside, creating an environment designed for teams to work, think and spend meaningful time together.

A change of environment that changes the conversation

Research consistently links time spent in nature with improved wellbeing, attention and mental restoration. Add physical activity such as walking and an off-site can become much more than a change of meeting room.

At Bleaklow Farm, that shift begins before the first meeting starts. The drive through the Peak District, the landscape surrounding the property and the contrast between its imposing exterior and quiet luxury inside immediately remove teams from their normal working environment.

It is one of the reasons Cox Automotive International has chosen Bleaklow Farm for its quarterly high-impact, three-night senior leadership strategy meetings since 2023.

Ann Fairbanks, Executive Assistant to the President, and organiser of the quarterly meetings, explained: “The setting is so impressive and completely removed from the corporate environment. You arrive, and it’s quiet, it’s open, it’s beautiful. That shift in environment changes how people think and interact straight away.”

James Glover, founder of human performance consultancy Excitable Soul, also regularly uses Bleaklow Farm for transformational retreats for professional leaders.

He agrees: “Leaders need time and space to think, reflect and reconnect. Immersion creates that. It removes distraction and allows people to properly invest in themselves.

James believes the experience starts well before people enter the meeting room.

“From the moment you arrive, the experience begins. The drive up to the property, the landscape, the sense of scale, it immediately shifts people out of a corporate mindset. That transition is critical because it creates the state needed for the work.”

Team building, walking and outdoor activities

Bleaklow Farm’s Peak District location gives businesses the opportunity to build time outdoors into their stay rather than treating team building as a separate activity.

For companies with colleagues spread across the country, it also provides a central UK location. East Midlands Airport and mainline rail stations at Derby and Chesterfield are all within around a 40-minute drive.

Ann added: “Our head office is in Leeds, but the team is spread across the UK, so Bleaklow Farm works well geographically.”

For Excitable Soul, the surrounding landscape forms an important part of the retreat programme.

“The landscape is central to our retreats. Daily walks are built into the retreat. There are multiple routes, which allows us to structure time intentionally,” said James.

Walking also creates a different environment for conversations that may not happen naturally around a meeting table.

Ann agrees: “Having those incredible walks on the doorstep is amazing, and again, helps encourage conversations away from the board room. Sometimes those conversations are work-focused, sometimes they’re not, but both matter.”

Flexible spaces for meetings and strategy sessions

One of Bleaklow Farm’s strengths is that teams are not restricted to a single meeting room.

The Great Barn provides a substantial dedicated space for presentations, workshops and group sessions, while the kitchen, sitting room, library and other shared areas allow teams to move between more formal and informal settings throughout their stay.

“The kitchen is central to everything. We find that we all gather around the island, and the space – although huge – naturally brings people together,” explained Ann.

“We also use different parts of the house depending on the session. We started in the barn, which is a great meeting space, but we found the kitchen table works just as well. We’ll also use the lounge, the gym, even the pool room. It keeps things fluid and varied.”

For James, the Great Barn provides the flexibility needed for very different types of sessions during a retreat.

“It’s flexible enough to move from movement-based sessions in the morning to structured group work. We can open it out, bring in embodiment coaching, then quickly reset into a circle for deeper discussion.”

Bleaklow Farm also provides the practical facilities required for business stays, including meeting equipment and fast internet connectivity for presentations, online meetings and calls.

Private bedrooms for time to switch off

Productive corporate stays need to balance time together with space apart.

Bleaklow Farm has 15 en-suite bedrooms, giving individual guests privacy at the end of meetings and between sessions. Every bedroom is finished to the same high standard, avoiding the inevitable hierarchy that can come with allocating very different hotel rooms.

Rooms are located across two floors of the main house and in the annex, providing additional flexibility for different groups.

For James, this is particularly valuable when organising mixed retreats.

“It’s important that every individual regardless of the retreat they are on, feels fully comfortable in the space. The layout of the accommodation –and the fact every room is ensuite, allows for privacy and psychological safety where needed.”

Having en-suite bedrooms is equally important for Cox Automotive, allowing individual team members to step away, switch off and recharge before coming back together.

Each bedroom also features luxury bedding, an award-winning mattress and views across the surrounding Peak District landscape.

Unlike a conventional hotel, however, bedrooms do not have televisions or minibars. Bleaklow Farm has deliberately been created around shared experiences and bringing people together.

Bringing teams together naturally

Some of the most valuable conversations during an off-site happen outside the formal agenda.

At Bleaklow Farm, the kitchen has become a natural focal point.

“The kitchen is central to everything. We find that we all gather around the island, and the space – although huge – naturally brings people together,” said Ann.

James agrees: “The kitchen is the anchor. It creates a “kitchen table” dynamic – informal, open, honest. That’s where a lot of meaningful connection happens.”

This combination of generous shared spaces and private en-suite bedrooms means teams can spend meaningful time together without feeling that they have to be together constantly.

Catering built around your stay

Corporate stays at Bleaklow Farm can be tailored around the requirements of the group, including catering arrangements that complement the style and structure of the event.

From private chefs to a DIY approach, it all works and for Cox Automotive doing the catering themselves is a much a part of the stay as the strategy meetings.

“I organise a big food delivery ahead of our stay and we cater for ourselves, explained Ann. “People do their own thing for breakfast, but lunch and dinner are team efforts. We organise a rota, so people take on roles from either chef to sous chef, setting the table and then, of course, clearing up.

“Those informal moments become just as valuable as the formal sessions. People are talking, sometimes about personal things, sometimes about business, and it breaks down barriers in a way a catered environment just doesn’t.”

Whether the agenda calls for relaxed breakfasts, working lunches, shared evening meals or something more formal, the kitchen and dining areas create an environment where eating together becomes part of the wider experience rather than simply another item on the timetable.

Evenings around the firepit

When the working day finishes, Bleaklow Farm provides space to continue conversations without extending the formal meeting.

“In a hotel, it’s usually just the bar or your room. At Bleaklow Farm it’s all your space,” said Ann.

The outdoor firepit offers a natural gathering place for teams to spend an evening together, unwind and strengthen relationships away from both the office and the meeting room.

It is this balance between productivity and relaxation that makes an exclusive-use venue particularly valuable for leadership teams and corporate groups.

A corporate stay designed around your team

Whether you are organising a senior leadership strategy meeting, corporate retreat, team away day or multi-day event, Bleaklow Farm provides an environment where teams can step away from their normal routines and focus properly on the people and priorities that matter.

With exclusive use of the property, 15 en-suite bedrooms, flexible meeting and social spaces and the Peak District on the doorstep, the entire stay can be shaped around your team rather than your team having to fit around a hotel.

The final word goes to James: “If the objective is to create meaningful change – not just deliver content – then the space you choose matters. Bleaklow Farm provides the conditions for that work to happen. There are very few places like it. Bleaklow isn’t a rarity in the East Midlands, it’s nationally!”

Unlock your team’s potential at Bleaklow Farm

Read more about how James Glover of Excitable Soul and Ann Fairbanks of Cox Automotive use Bleaklow Farm to create the right environment for reflection, connection, strategic thinking and stronger team relationships.

If you’re planning a leadership retreat, strategy meeting or corporate stay, get in touch with the Beyond Venues team to discuss how Bleaklow Farm can be tailored around your team, objectives and programme.