A Restorative Retreat in France
Decompress
Taking time to decompress and reset is important for well-being, especially after going through change. Leave the humdrum behind and surround yourself with beauty. Let go, and just be.
Connect
When you’re working with your hands, practicing yoga, kayaking on a quiet lake, weaving, painting… you naturally connect to the present, to peace and serenity. Aaaaah…Did I just hear a sigh of bliss?
Re-energize
Nature stimulates, and so does pursuing a passion. Try something new, supported by friends. You’ll feel empowered and invigorated, re-energized! Get centered and ready to start that new chapter…
Mill on The Rock
A magical place that connects like-minded people yearning for a soul-elevating experience abroad.
Hi, I’m Tara. I created Mill on the Rock as a retreat destination. A place to visit and get your mojo back, before you start your new life chapter.
But more about me later—I created this space for you.
No point starting a new phase in life feeling depleted from all the change. Take a break first to focus on you, in a completely different environment, where you can release and reset.
Sure, the future might seem like a void, but that’s only because it’s time to reset.
Do something that stimulates and excites you. Raise your vibration! Tuned into a higher frequency, you can do anything!
Click on the button below that speaks to your passion, and see how Mill on the Rock’ll put a tiger in your tank.
You Might Have Seen Me In
About Tara & the Mill
Bonjour! I'm Tara. You may know me as Silver Lake Farms. My passion is creating spaces for people to connect with life in a beautiful way.
Silver Lake Farms started out innocently in 2004, and ended up spearheading a movement. I began as an urban flower farmer growing organically in my backyard.
To my amazement, I became a national headline, changing a law that became the Food & Flowers Freedom Act.
For 12 years, my team and I created and maintained urban farms for the rich and famous. It was hard work, but so much fun. Our clients included celebrities like Patrick Dempsey, his gorgeous wife, Jillian, and landmark venues such as the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles.
I started one of LA’s first vegetable CSAs, and later, the first flower CSA, working with partners like Jenni Kayne and Serafina. Gjusta, Urban Radish, and other hip stockists sold our flower bunches.
In 2015, while visiting my mother in France, I fell upon a watermill for sale near La Rochelle. The wheel turning, the gentle river, the tall poplar trees, and the cool breeze; the setting pulled me in with such a force.
I sold everything we owned in LA, talked my husband into buying the mill, and moved there a year later.
A Retreat in France for Your Mind, Body & Soul
In 2016, I embarked on my newest adventure, restoring an ancient watermill and sheep farm that’s now Mill on the Rock.
The Mill is a unique place to visit in France; it’s a riverside sanctuary and a peaceful farm for animals where organic vegetables, flowers, fruit and nut trees grow.
Get the rest you deserve in this serenely tranquil spot, and pour your passion into something that inspires you. Reset, recalibrate, and feel ready to step into your next life chapter.
Our mission is to make your experience at Mill on the Rock elevate your soul.
Fun Fact
During the pandemic, the Food & Flowers Freedom Act made it possible for people in LA to turn to their gardens for income. Apps like Galora, founded in May 2020, is how buyers and sellers connect and exchange their crops.
About Your Stay in France
Mill on the Rock has been carefully restored to preserve its original 18th-century architecture and French history.
+ The area
Mill on the Rock is located in the Pays de la Loire region in Western France, an hour inland from La Rochelle and the Atlantic Coast's sandy beaches. It's also two+ hours north of Bordeaux.
We're in the department called the Vendée (pronounced von-day). It's where the Vendée Globe, the world's greatest sailing race, starts and ends. The Vendée is famous for being the second sunniest part of France after the Mediterranean coast. It's also the second-most-visited area of the Atlantic Coast for French holidaymakers. The climate here is mild thanks to the Gulf Stream. That explains the palm trees!
The nearby Marais Poitevin is a nature lover's paradise. Its expansive web of waterways and wetlands earned the title ‘Grand Site de France’. Wildlife is abundant and the scenery is picturesque.
From Mill on the Rock you can walk to the medieval village of Nieul-sur-l'Autize, founded in 1068.
+ The classroom
Classes and workshops take place in Stone Hall, a huge open space in the barn. It's creamy limestone walls and terracotta roof are typical of the area. The light inside is perfect for yoga, stretching, art, weaving, basketry, etc. And it's kitted out with all the necessary desks, adjustable stools, table looms and materials.
+ The Accommodation
Living and Chilling: The Main House and the Mill House are fully renovated, so all the amenities are new, but the buildings still feel authentic with their original limestone walls half a meter thick, and oak floors and beams upstairs.
The interior's uncluttered design blends Danish mid-century modern with Moroccan textiles, and a dash of eclecticism. Pieces from Pondicherry, a city that connects France to a bygone era, are a throwback to Tara's Indian heritage.
Living spaces include the open kitchen, with its island and communal dining table for gathering around; the living room, with its stone fireplace and plush seating; and the big outdoor terrace overlooking the raised-bed kitchen garden. There's a terrace and table next to the water wheel too, and BE spots and hammocks dotted around the property, perfect for medidating and journaling.
Sleeping: Our beds have the best mattresses in western France—handmade by Literie Gamblin.
- In the Main House, the Garden Room Suite is a spacious bedroom 27m squared with a queen size (160 cms wide) bed, and an en-suite dressing room that connects to the large en-suite bathroom with spa bath, separate shower and double sink. Views overlook the kitchen garden, river, hillside and trees.
- In the Main House, the River Room is a spacious bedroom 27m squared with a queen size (160 cms) bed and a view overlooking the river, the hillside, trees and the big barn. The River Room shares its bathroom, which is next door in the hallway.
- In the Mill House (adjacent to the Main House), the Loft Suite features a full size (140 cms wide) bed, en-suite bathroom and kitchenette. Views overlook the river, trees and fields.
- In the Main House, the huge Deluxe Dorm in the attic features five full size (140 cms) beds, each heavily curtained for privacy to contain a cosy sleep-space. Each space has its own locker. The Deluxe Dorm includes a bathroom and a separate toilet, as well as two communal living spaces.
The gift of a complimentary cotton robe awaits everyone on arrival.
+ The people
We’ve teamed up with qualified and gifted artists, athletes, coaches, guides and craftspeople. Everyone here shares your passion. Our goal is to guide your journey to bliss as each day's activity unfolds.
For more information on coaches and guides, check each specific retreat.
+ The Food
Mill on the Rock supports local growers and producers. Daily meals are freshly prepared on-site using locally-sourced, organic ingredients—some of which come from our own kitchen garden.
+ The Farm
Since 2016, Tara's been carefully raising and caring for 2 rare Baudet du Poitou donkeys, a flock of 9 sheep, 7 Marans chickens, 20+ Pictave chickens, 20 Muscovy ducks, and 8 white Poitou geese. We also have two outdoor cats. We rotate pastures and maintain a safe, natural environment.
We grow organic flowers to fill vases around the house, and we grow organic vegetables, apples, hazelnuts, walnuts, figs and berries.
Happy environments make happy people.
