With great joy, we invite you to our week of practice on the New Hamlet Happy Farm. We will dedicate a week to healing, exploring our True Nature through touching the soil. We will work with spades and forks and seeds and crops, we will watch the sun rise, feel the grass under our bare feet, and sing and play together in the evenings.
The Happy Farm at New Hamlet is a small-scale, organic farm that was newly established at the end of last year. It is a place where we celebrate our love for Mother Earth, where we grow food for the community, practice mindfulness in our work of service, and nourish ourselves and each other with our togetherness. Our farming in this week will be gentle. So join us for a time of rest, service and connection, and bring your loving hands to this earth.
More information
This week of practice is co-facilitated by the lay practitioners of the Happy Farm team and the New Hamlet monastics.
● Teachings will be in English and French.
● All participants are asked to arrive on the designated arrival day, Friday 17 April. Participants may choose to stay for one week, departing on Friday 24 April, or for two weeks, departing on Friday 1 May.
● In addition to our usual suggestions of what to bring for your stay in Plum Village, please bring wet weather clothing, old clothes and suitable footwear for gardening, and rubber gloves
● Consider also bringing a hat and sunscreen
Registration
Click here to view our updated payment and cancellation policy
Registration & Payment
Payment Structure
For retreats from January 3, 2026 onwards, your contribution will be split into two payments:
- Main payment to Bienvenue Aux Pruniers S.A.S. (BAP) for practical retreat aspects (food, accommodation, facilities, administration, taxes)
- Monastery contribution to Congrégation Bouddhique Zen Village des Pruniers (CBZ) to support the monastic community
Your bank statement will show two charges, and you will receive two invoices.
Note: For retreats taking place in 2025 until January 3, 2026, retreat contributions are received by Communaute Bouddhique Zen du Village des Pruniers, the religious nonprofit 1901 association operating our activities from 1988-2025.
Payment Methods
Our online booking system accepts:
- Credit card payments (worldwide)
- European direct debit (SEPA) for European bank accounts
All payments are processed via the secure Stripe payment gateway. We do not store payment details. Due to strict French regulations, we cannot accept cash, cheques, or manual bank transfers for retreat payments.
Cancellation Policy
To ensure fair access for all, we have revised our cancellation policy to encourage participants to book a retreat place only when certain they can attend.
Cancellation by Participants
If you need to cancel:
- 28+ days before arrival: Full refund minus €100 admin & cancellation fee
- 14-27 days before arrival: 50% refund after deducting the €100 non-refundable admin fee
- 13 days or less before arrival: No refunds possible
We strongly recommend obtaining travel insurance to cover retreat cancellation fees in case of unforeseen circumstances, including personal illness or family emergencies.
For those generously coming to Plum Village to help as a volunteer, the cancellation fee is €25 (to cover admin costs).
Cancellation by Plum Village
Plum Village reserves the right to cancel a retreat under any circumstances. If this occurs, you will receive a full refund of all payments made to us, including the admin fee.
Plum Village accepts no further liability beyond the retreat registration fee refund. We cannot be liable for funds spent on advance travel arrangements, such as flight tickets and visas. We strongly recommend obtaining travel insurance that covers this.
More information about coming to practice with us