Every place has a story. This is ours.

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The Tree was founded on a simple belief: that genuine peace and wellbeing are available to everyone, and that sometimes we just need a quiet place to come home to ourselves.

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That belief grew from personal experience. In 1999, Edward Harpin — now one of The Tree’s owners — was a university student whose life fell apart. Overwhelmed by stress and excess, he experienced a breakdown that led to a diagnosis of bipolar disorder and a period of deep depression. At rock bottom, a friend suggested he try mindfulness meditation.

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He was sceptical. But he persevered. Within months, something shifted. For the first time, he experienced what it meant to step back from the constant noise of the mind and reconnect with a deeper sense of peace. It was the beginning of a journey that would eventually lead to years of study and practice — in the UK, France, India, the USA, and Canada — and a growing conviction that these practices could help others too.

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After volunteering at a retreat centre in France, Edward had a vision: a place that was open and accessible to all, where ordinary people could rediscover peace, joy and contentment within themselves. Not a monastery. Not a luxury spa. Just a warm, genuine, nurturing space where transformation could happen naturally.

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In 2011, that vision became reality when Edward took over The Tree — a small retreat centre in the heart of the Rosedale Valley, on the site of a former village shop. Over the following years, working with a growing team of dedicated staff, The Tree was carefully developed and its reputation began to grow.

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In 2018, Edward met Clare — a yoga teacher whose warmth, gentleness, and deep understanding of embodied practice brought a new dimension to The Tree. Together they became partners in life and in the work, and under their shared stewardship the retreat centre blossomed into what it is today: an internationally recognised sanctuary that has welcomed over 15,000 guests and been ranked among the top 20 retreat centres in the world. Clare’s restorative yoga classes, and instinct for creating nurturing spaces have become a beloved part of the experience. Guests often say that The Tree feels like coming home — and if it does, Clare has had a lot to do with that.

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But here’s the thing Edward and Clare will both tell you: The Tree has never really been about any one person, or even two people. It’s about the valley — ancient, soft, and quietly powerful. It’s about the team who pour their care into every detail, from the food to the welcome to the way they hold the space. It’s about the guests who keep coming back, year after year, and who describe arriving here as “coming home.”

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The Tree is bigger than any individual. It was a place of healing long before it had a name, and it will continue to be one for many years to come.