There’s something about North Wales that always stirs my witchy senses. Maybe it’s the ancient landscape, or the way history clings to every stone wall and shadowed copse of trees. Or maybe it’s just me, forever slipping between Reiki Master and ghost hunter depending on which way the wind blows.

Either way, as soon as I turned off the main road and approached our retreat venue, that familiar tingle crept up my spine… and I knew the spirits were waiting.

When a Reiki Retreat Turns into a Ghostly Adventure

I was there for a peaceful weekend of healing energy with my lovely Reiki ladies—time to breathe, connect, meditate, and rest. But the house was only a short drive from Bodelwyddan Castle, where I had one of the most intense paranormal investigations of my life nearly twenty years ago. That whole region is steeped in memory for me: old manor houses, wooded lanes, and locations where I’ve stood in the dark with EMF meters and shivers of anticipation. So perhaps it’s no surprise that the moment I stepped out of the car, something shifted. I felt… home.

Haunted Before We Even Unpacked

The retreat house itself was a former nursing home, still very much looking the part—with wide corridors, locked doors from old staff rooms, and an abandoned Nurse’s office at the end of the first-floor hallway that did absolutely nothing to calm anyone’s imagination. Half the building was closed off and sublet to another business, so although we could hear movement behind interior doors, we never actually saw who (or what) was there.

One of my Reiki friends is terrified of ghosts (which always amuses me because she signed up for a retreat with me of all people!). She was decidedly unimpressed when the energy of the place made itself known before we even settled in. Me? I was delighted. Of course.

We discovered very quickly that the building was most definitely haunted—though not in a threatening or heavy way. More like layers of former residents, family members, nurses, and servants who simply… never left. And why should they? It was their home long before it became ours for the weekend.

Spirit Fingers, Gentle Tickles & Circle Work Energy

During meditations and circle work, several of us felt ghostly touches—little flicks, tickles, and brushes along our arms, legs, or shoulders. Not intrusive, not cold, just curious. A warm, playful energy circled the group whenever we connected deeply.

One presence in particular stands out: a little girl.

I sensed her during one of our standing self-care meditations. She felt about two or three years old, early 1900s perhaps—sweet, quiet, and shy at first. Then she reached for my hand. The energy was so gentle and so childlike that I instinctively shifted into “mum mode,” letting her nestle close if that made her feel safe.

After a while she skipped away, drifting across the room to one of the other ladies. We didn’t speak about it openly at first, but later several of us confessed to feeling a small hand or a light touch. That confirmed it for me: she was there, and she was comfortable with us.

The Upstairs… A Very Different Vibe

While my room on the ground floor was peaceful (and I had the deepest sleep I’ve had in months!), the first-floor bedrooms told a different story. Some of the ladies struggled to rest, feeling watched or unsettled—not frightened exactly, but restless.

The energy upstairs was heavier, more stagnant, almost like the building remembered routines, footsteps, and midnight rounds. The abandoned Nurse’s office didn’t help. And the locked interior doors leading to the sublet rooms created a sense of unseen presence just out of reach.

We suspect there may be a live-in caretaker somewhere on site. Or I may have seen a ghost through the window. Honestly, it could have gone either way.

A Retreat with a Paranormal Twist

Now, our Reiki teacher has firmly announced that we will not be returning to this venue (and after the first-floor experiences, the group wholeheartedly agrees!). It simply wasn’t suitable for the kind of retreat we intended. It looked beautiful online—one of those holiday-home listings that promises a warm, modern escape. In reality, it felt like we had stepped back in time, into a space still humming with old energy and memories.

But for me? It felt like the perfect blend of peaceful Reiki practice and paranormal adventure. I loved the soft whispers of the past, the playful spirit child, and the sense that we were being warmly observed by former residents who were delighted to have visitors again.

This Witchy Wednesday, I honour that experience—the blending of light and shadow, healing and haunting, past and present. Sometimes the most magical energy finds us in the most unexpected places.

And of course, the witch in me is already plotting a return to Bodelwyddan Castle…

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