Our carefully curated courses and cultural activities provide opportunities for inspiration, direction, and new perspectives, empowering you to make a positive impact in our rapidly changing world. Connect with like-minded individuals and leading thinkers from diverse fields, explore new ideas, and reimagine the future with us.
Reimagine Your Future
In addition to our courses, we offer cultural activities that inspire and challenge, including captivating concerts and thought-provoking theatre performances. Join us for a few days or several weeks and experience the profound impact of nature, the arts, and personal growth on your life. Check out our upcoming courses and events in the calendar below.
Host your course with us
Nestled against the famous city of Richelieu in the heart of the Loire Valley, Le Grippault is a charming 19th-century manor surrounded by 21 hectares of lush forest and grassland. If you’re looking for an easily accessible rural location with all services within easy reach, Le Grippault is the perfect spot for your course or event. Our manor can host 8 to 15 persons, with eight renovated double bedrooms with attached bathrooms. The salon and salle à manger with adjacent renovated kitchen are at your disposal. A third large multifunctional space is perfect for meetings or exhibitions.
On our grounds, we have a permaculture garden that provides our visitors with fresh vegetables, herbs, and berries. As seasoned course and event creators with a large local and international network, we can also help you design (elements of) your residential course at Le Grippault. If you’re looking for a course location full of personality and charm, with plenty of nature around to study, work, and relax, we’d love to discuss the possibilities with you.
Upcoming events
All year through
2024-2025
Volunteer with us
We always need volunteers to help in and around the house, in the garden and the forest. Contact us for more information.
Artists Residency Month
Le Grippaults Artist Residency, 23 November-20 December 2024, is open to creators of all arts disciplines and nationalities!
Your stay includes a private room with a bathroom, three communal spaces, a shared kitchen, and full access to the 21-hectare estate. The cost is €20 per day. Transportation is at your own convenience.
For more information and applications:
We still have a few places left for the last two weeks, that is 7-14 and 14-20 December. Please contact us for more information.
15-21 March 2025
Retraite: In het ritme van de aarde
On-econoom en holistisch psychotherapeut Shinta Oosterwaal en levenskunstenaar Blanche Beijersbergen creëren in het ritme van de ontluikende lente een veilige ruimte voor herstel, herijken en hernieuwen van jouw relatie met de levende wereld. Voor iedereen die behoefte voelt aan een week pauze, buiten de ‘echte’ tijd. Voor wie zich wil onderdompelen in de natuur, om zich te verbinden met de Aarde en de ander, en verlangt hieraan expressie te geven.
(Dutch spoken)
1-4 April 2025
Schrijfretraite met auteur Enne Koens
Rust, ruimte en een heel hoofd vrij om te schrijven. We gaan elke dag met een ander thema aan de slag. In de ochtend doen we een schrijfwarming-up en krijg je verschillende oefeningen ter inspiratie om nieuw materiaal aan te boren. In de middag ga ik dieper in op één thema: personage, tijd, ruimte of het schrijfproces. Daarnaast ga je met je eigen tekst aan de slag. Laat je onderdompelen in het plezier en geploeter van het schrijven! (Dutch spoken)
27 April –
3 May 2025
Masterclass Shakespeare met
Gijs Scholten van Aschat
Een week lang intensief werken met Hamlet, Othello en Richard III onder leiding van acteur en Shakespearekenner bij uitstek, Gijs Scholten van Aschat. Deze tijd vormt het uitgelezen moment om Shakespeare’s karakters tegen het licht te houden, te spelen en te duiden. We werken op het domein van Le Grippault en op historische locaties in de omgeving. (Dutch spoken)
4-9 May 2025
Sketching and Watercolouring in Nature
This workshop by naturalist and illustrator-writer Alan Johnston invites you to deepen your looking at nature, through sketching in nature. You’ll learn to observe a landscape—or a small piece of nature—and translate it into sketches on paper. These sketches could serve as a basis for small watercolour paintings. We will work at Le Grippault and will go on day-trips in the region. (English and French spoken)
27-29 June 2025
Concert Weekend 2025
Together with pianist Gerard Bouwhuis and violinist Heleen Hulst, we are bringing together a team of musicians and actors for a weekend filled with music and musical theater where anything is possible. Join us in celebrating this festive weekend on the grounds of Le Grippault and at various locations in Richelieu. More details coming soon!
6-12 July 2025
Literary Theatre Workshop PROUST
Join Le Grippaults three-dimensional book club by Maria Kraakman, Vincent van der Valk and Jeroen De Man Bergen. We read, discuss, and collaboratively create short scenes. After last years edition centered around Lauren Groff’s Matrix, this July we’ll dive into the first volume of Proust’s In Search of Lost Time: Swann’s Way. This workshop is the perfect motivation to finally sit down and read this French classic. With its characters portrayed with elegance and humour, and beautiful descriptions of French countrylife, Proust’s work lends itself wonderfully to theatre. Dutch spoken.
13-18 July
21-26 July
29 July – 3 August
Singing and Yoga Retreats
Join the incredibly talented girls from Ease Vocal Club for a relaxing all-inclusive singing & yoga retreat. Learn to sing in harmony under the French sun and enjoy the resonance with like-minded people. Feel free during the morning yoga sessions and unwind in the tranquility of nature. There are three weeks available. The last week (29 July- 3 August) is meant for more advanced singers. Dutch and English spoken.
24-31 August
Wood Sculpting with Will Schropp
A week of woodwork with wood sculptor Will Schropp. We will work in a beautiful open space in our forest with our own wood. You will create a small sculpture that you can take home in your suitcase. We work for half-days. The rest of the time is free, or you can join excursions to cultural sites in the surrounding area of Le Grippault. (Dutch, English and German spoken)
20-26 October
27 October – 2 November
(dates t.b.c.)
Perfumery Intensive with the Institute of Art and Olfaction
The Institute for Art and Olfaction and independent perfumer Spyros Drosopoulos offer an introduction to perfumery, science, formulating, and – of course – all the materials and tips an independent perfumer could ask for. This comprehensive overview of technical perfumery is geared to beginner and intermediate independent practitioners with scent, and will help you understand the art and science of perfumery, while enhancing your existing practice with technical knowledge. (English, Dutch and French spoken)
