After years of travelling, Nora Sike discovered a love of both the English countryside and the Spanish language. Now, as Fiona Stubbs discovers, she is combining the two, building confidence and fluency through country retreats.
They may stand firmly in the heart of England, but the Peak District hills are regularly alive with the sound of … Spanish!
Immersive language retreats in the National Park are proving an effective way for people to improve fluency and confidence in Spanish, away from the busyness and distractions of everyday life.
Nora Sike runs Picos Spanish Retreats – with a clever play on words. “We’re in the Peak District – where you can also reach the peak of your learning,” she smiles. “Retreats involve three nights away where the only spoken language is Spanish.
“They are helpful for beginners as well as improvers who have been learning without real progress but want to find their voice in Spanish and be able to take part in any conversations.”
Nora wanted to combine the outdoors with the learning experience and found a base in Hurdlow, between Bakewell and Buxton, for weekend retreats.
“Not everybody wants to – or can afford to – travel to Spain for an immersive language experience,” she explains. “The Peak District is accessible, with good transport links, and is an escape in itself. I encourage guests to take walks and enjoy the countryside.”
Chatting to Nora, it comes as a surprise to learn that she is not actually Spanish, but from Budapest in Hungary.
Spanish is her fourth language – but especially close to her heart. “The first language I started to learn, at the age of 14, was Italian,” she recalls. “I studied Italian at university and went on to complete a Masters degree. I didn’t want to be a teacher or an interpreter, so I worked in hotels in Italy for 13 years as a fitness instructor.
“Then, in 2014, I was in a terrible car crash involving a drunk driver and almost died from head injuries”
Nora had planned to set up home in Milan but recovery from injury took her on a different journey. “I travelled solo for four years,” she says. “After visiting England and Ireland, I arrived in Barcelona – where I immediately felt at home. It was my first experience of Spanish.
“I absolutely adore Barcelona. I spent four months there, volunteering in a hostel and cooking for the guests.”
From there she travelled to South East Asia where – in Thailand – she met her English boyfriend. Nora continued to travel alone while maintaining her long-distance relationship, then the couple toured Europe in a van.
“After four-and-a-half years, I’d had enough of travelling. I wanted a base, I wanted friends. We settled in Sheffield where my boyfriend had been a student and everyone was so welcoming. People are so lovely here.”
Nora found new friends through social media platform Meetup before discovering and ‘sort of taking over’ an existing Spanish group in the city.
“We started with coffee mornings because I love coffee!” laughs Nora. “We started to get more people coming along and it grew from there. There are almost 800 people in the group now – from different backgrounds.
“Some are from Spanish speaking countries and want to reconnect with the language and the culture, but the majority are British people who are really keen to practice their Spanish.”
Regular social meet ups are held in Sheffield with activities – including a book club, coffee mornings and taco workshops – all in Spanish.
“I try to make sure we’re learning Spanish in real life scenarios,” says Nora. “I create a platform that’s as natural as it can be for people to hopefully realise it’s not as difficult as they think.”
Nora recommends that people have at least a basic knowledge of Spanish before joining the group or retreats. “The standard we speak is quite high – I’d say solid intermediate level – but we have beginners groups who already know a little of the language, too,” she adds. “We play some games in Spanish, which helps to build vocabulary and also helps people to get to know each other.”
The Peak District brings other benefits, says Nora, who would eventually like to develop longer, five-day retreats.
“I want people to be able to leave the mundane behind and just immerse themselves in Spanish – as if we were in Spain, but feeling extra safe because we are in England and they can still go out to the village pub.”
Learn more at: https://www.spanishimmersionuk.com/