A Rite of Passage in the Wild Fells of the Lake District
Slow down. Unplug. Remember.
As the sun turns on its ancient path and the year reaches its still point, you’re invited to step away from the noise of the world and into something older, quieter, and deeply alive.
Join a small gathering of fellow seekers for a 7-day wilderness quest designed as a sacred rite of passage. In the embrace of the Lake District’s wild and storied landscape, you’ll prepare, cross a threshold, and return changed.
What is a Wilderness Quest?
It is not an escape, it’s a return.
A return to soul.
To nature.
To the elemental rhythm that pulses beneath the surface of everyday life.
Rooted in ancient tradition and mythic structure, the Solstice Quest is a ceremonial journey cantered around a solo fast in a remote, wild place – supported by intentional group preparation, deep council, and integration. Together, we’ll create a container of safety and depth where transformation can occur.
Is This for You?
Are you standing at a crossroads?
Is something within you ready to shift or shed?
Do you hear the call for something more meaningful, more real?
If so, this quest may be for you.
Throughout time, humans have entered the wilderness not only to survive, but to remember who they truly are. In solitude and silence, with the land as mirror and guide, answers arise that no book or teacher can give. Nature speaks in symbol and archetype, offering visions and clarity for those willing to truly listen.
During the Quest you’ll be guided through a deeply held ceremonial arc. There will be time for storytelling, intention-setting, and gathering in council to build trust and ground ourselves in the sacred container of the experience. From there, you’ll begin your solo time on the land: A 5 day quest that includes one day of fasting in a carefully chosen wild place, where the natural world becomes both mirror and guide. This is your threshold crossing – a personal rite of passage held in sacred space, away from the distractions of the modern world. Finally, we return together for integration: a time of witnessing, sharing, and re-entry into the human community, carrying the insights and transformations the land has offered.
This is not a workshop. It is not a retreat.
It is a ceremony of becoming.
The Solstice marks the turning of the light. It is a time of thresholds, transitions, and possibilities. Will you answer the call?
Space is limited – to maintain the depth and integrity of the ceremony, this quest is limited to a small group of participants.
Location: Cumbria
Dates: Wednesday 17 June to Sunday 21 June 2026 inclusive
Early Bird: £500 until 31 December 2025 and £575 thereafter OR
Pay Deposit: £125 followed by two payments of £225
Email info@monicawilde.com for bank details or pay via PayPal PayPal.me/MoWilde
Fungi Foraging Courses
Our new Autumn Fungi Foraging course are now on sale! Join Matthew Rooney as he delves into the delights of fungi foraging in Sepetmber and October in West Lothian, Perth and Inverness. As we only bring 12 people with us on each course, be sure to book sooner rather than later.
Learn to forage with wild fungi expert, Matthew Rooney. Find out how to identify common fungi and tell them apart from their poisonous cousins! Discover their use as wild foods, medicinal mushrooms and sample their unusual tastes. How does the moon and weather influence them? This is a 3 to 3 1/2 hour foraging walk with a further 1/2 to 1 hour labelling specimen and examining the identification table at the end. Small group with expert tuition. Covers identification, harvesting, preserving, cooking, health benefits and folklore.
Free Food: Wild Plants & How to Eat Them
My new book is out now!
Whether you live in a city or in the countryside, a world of amazing, diverse wild food is at your doorstep. Not only is wild food free and sustainable; it is also jam-packed with nutrients and flavour beyond anything you will find in a supermarket.
In Free Food,award-winning author and forager Mo Wilde explains how to identify the plants, seaweeds, nuts and spices that are safe (and delicious) to eat, including foraging staples like wild garlic and lesser-known herbs like the fragrant sweet cicely. Organised into plant families, it gives you the tools to develop a deeper understanding of a plant’s visual cues and their place in the ecosystem.
Once you have identified the plants, Wilde also describes ways you can eat them, whether that’s making jams from wild berries or gluten-free flour from roots and nuts. The possibilities go on. You can deep-fry hogweed tempura; top your dishes with cow parsley; create a wild pantry of herbal infusions, spices and fermented drinks, and even tap beech trees for their sap.
Gorgeously illustrated, Free Food will awaken your sense of wonder. Whatever your lifestyle – whether you are an enthusiastic forager or simply curious about wild food – this book will inspire you to get outside and re-connect with nature.
The Wildbiome™️ Project
The Wildbiome Project 1 in 2023 involved members of the Association of Foragers participating in a citizen science research study. They ate only wild food for either 3 months or 1 month. They were monitored for changes in body composition, blood tests for health markers. Their gut microbiome was also tested against a reference control of people eating normal shop-bought food. What we want to know is what would happen to our bodies if we had to go back to eating only wild food?
The Wildbiome Project 2 runs from 1st April to 30 June 2025. Keep up to date with it all by signing up to my newsletter and following me on Instagram or Facebook and if you can, please donate to the Wildbiome™️ Project so we can fund the continuing research.
The Wilderness Cure is out in paperback!
I am thrilled that The Wilderness Cure is now out in paperback and is available from all good bookshops! To learn more about it, click here.
Support for African Hunter-Gatherers
During my stay with the Ju|’hoansi in the Kalahari Desert, they introduced me to the craft of creating jewellery from ostrich shell. They collect the broken shells after the ostrich chicks have hatched, utilising a resource that the ostrich no longer needs. The women then chip the shells into shape, make a hole in the middle to thread them, grind them on a flat stone to smooth them off and roast them on the fire to create different colours. The women asked me to sell some of their unique pieces on their behalf so you’ll find a selection of their beautiful necklaces and bracelets on my shop page. All proceeds from the sales go directly to the makers – less postage costs, currency exchange and PayPal fees.
Another of the Ju|’hoan tribe, Daqm Kxunta looks after the village garden. This is a harsh climate, the rain is slight and the temperatures are rising, so the yields of bush foods have not been great this year. Daqm is trying to grow food crops but, as they are in such a remote location, it is hard to get hold of seeds. Consider sending the gift of a packet of fruit or vegetable seeds to:
Daqm Kxunta
Djamta!’ae Village
P.O. Box 2
Tsumkwe
NAMIBIA
They will be highly appreciated! Daqm and his wife |Xoan have one child – a little girl, aged 3 in December, who has cerebral palsy. We are also looking for a sponsor. If this is you, please get in touch.