About

Aside from being a global Events Calendar, Men's Nation is a Gathering. A place to hang out by the fire for the weekend or to fill your days with as many activities as you want. Where men and men's organisations gather to share knowledge, explore and celebrate.

What is Men's Nation?

Our annual Gathering, and our global Events Calendar, is a ‘circle of circles’.

It provides access and signposts to all the amazing workshops, retreats, books, podcasts and discussions that explore and celebrate being men and building the future we desire, together.

Men’s Nation is an opportunity to co-create a safe space and a strong community through Radical Participation, Radical Diversity and Radical Inclusion.

What's Included?

Either a tent pitch, van parking or upgrade to a bed in a heated yurt.
Breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks and teas during the Gathering.
All the presentations, workshops and ceremonies.
Shower facilities, compost toilets and the lake!
All booking fees included.

Our Site

We are extremely grateful and proud to call the gorgeous and storied location of Embercombe Eco Retreat Centre home for our yearly UK Gathering.

The land here truly holds magic and provides ample room for all the activities we conjure up and its all here for our enjoyment!

The Flow

The Schedule during the Gathering is ‘curated’ entirely from gifts and offerings of the men attending.

The only prescriptive boundaries in place, in fact, are borne from our sharing one commonality – that we are men. As men, we age and experience rites of passage along the way.

Thusly, the flow allows us to stop and take stock of what we have – or will – encounter as Boy, Teen, Man and Elder.

“You granted men freedom to celebrate diversity. To express themselves. To find their own fragilities. And, to them celebrate THEMSELVES!”

Menfest 2022

Stay

There is a variety of sleeping arrangements to suit each and every one.

Yurt Glamping

For real comfort, Embercombe has two ‘villages’ of shared yurt accommodation. You can upgrade to a ready-made bed with wood burner and nearby running water and compost toilets.

Tent Camping

The Camping Field provides plenty of space for tents of all sizes. It has two compost toilets and is close and ‘on the level’ to the Dining Yurt, Centre Fire and the plumbed-in shower and toilet facilities.

Live- In Parking

If the only way you’ll get a good night’s sleep is by bringing your own rolling palace with you, we have ample level space for live-in vans or buses.

“A rehearsal for the way the world could be between men – a haven of geniality and openness.”

M.B.

Menfest 2021

Imbibe

At Men’s Nation, we take the food and drinks we imbibe, to heart. This nourishment is as much a part of the conversation and ceremony as the circles and offerings presented during the Gathering.

Food

Each year we endeavour to work with innovative vegetarian Chefs or Caterers to supply delicious and varied menus. Breakfasts, lunches and dinners, gorgeous teas, coffee and snacks will be available onsite.

Our intention is for all of us to eat together at least once a day, giving us a chance to converge, enjoy a pause and the fruits of our gorgeous Community Kitchen’s labours.

Closer to the Gathering, we offer pre-purchased Meal Passes or you may just opt to purchase the odd meal or refreshments on the day.

Ingredients

Our intention is for the majority of the ingredients served to be organic and sourced as locally as possible. It brings great joy to provide the freshest ‘farm-to-fork’ produce with healthy proteins and fats. We aim for all our meals to be low or modest on complex carbohydrates and free from artificial sugars, leaving you feeling energised to enjoy the fullness of the Gathering.

We are passionate about these points, so rest assured the food will bring as much love as it can have!

Community Kitchen

One way of Radically Participating is to jump in and volunteer as a part of the Community Kitchen Team! At every party, the kitchen is always where the cool kids hang out and here is no different. Good music, lots of laughter, great recipes and dollops of brotherly care make the kitchen a real vibe!

Dietary Requirements

We endeavour to cater for allergies, gluten free, vegan and dairy free diets. If you have such requirements, please stipulate these on your Place Booking, so we can inform our caterer. If the caterer is unable to accommodate your needs, every effort will be made for you to self-cater.

Meat

In our conversations on food security, ‘Eating Locally’, biodynamics and small grower aggregations, invariably the exclusion or inclusion of meat in our diets arises. The logic of including sustainably-bred and foraged meat has gained traction in recent years, even with some stringent vegans.

The kitchens at Embercombe and the catering at our Gathering are meat-free, and there is discrete space for the provision of locally-sourced wild venison, should the interest be present. More information will be available closer to the event.

“Everyone eating together gave a feeling of community and a chance to decompress and talk between sessions.”

T.N.

Men’s Nation 2024

Travel

Just get here! Whatever mode of transport you prefer, make this an adventure to a magical land.

By Car

Embercombe is located in a rural valley, south of Exeter, Devon, near Haldon Hill. Those with extra space in their vehicle or looking for a lift, please join the Men’s Nation Lift-Sharing Facebook Group.

By Train & Taxi

Exeter St Davids (Mainline) and Exeter Central Railway Stations are circa 20 minutes from the site. A taxi ride to the site will cost from £20-30 pp/sharing. It is more expensive, if solo.

By Bus

By Bus – The Stagecoach 360 bus runs from Exeter to Haldon Belvedere, daily. From Haldon Belvedere, it is a 1.4 mile/28 minute walk to site. Or, a 6 minute cycle…!