Remains of the Day: Cotswolds, U.K.

July 7th - 11th, 2025

Next July, we will gather as a small group in a town in the Cotswolds to reflect on Remains of the Day by Nobel Laureate Kazuo Ishiguro. This trip will be led by Dana Schwartz, host of the Noble Blood podcast, longtime friend of Not Sorry, and enthusiastic admirer of this novel. Remains of the Day is a Booker Prize winning novel about an English butler reminiscing on his life towards the end of his career. Each day will be filled with guided discussions, space for quiet reflection, and time out in nature. 

We will stay at the Double Red Duke, a boutique hotel in Oxfordshire, reminiscent of the fictitious Darlington Manor from the novel. The Double Red Duke prides itself on its thoughtfully furnished interiors and beautiful grounds, and its gastropub is routinely included in best-of lists. When not at the hotel reading, eating, and reflecting, we’ll go on day trips to local Cotswold villages, walk around the countryside, and enjoy our time slowing down together. 

Together, we will explore the themes of purpose and identity, asking questions like: how do you determine what sort of person you want to be? Is what you do the same thing as who you are? What is the most meaningful way to engage with regret? 

What’s Included:

• 4 nights in a shared or private room at the Double Red Duke, an award-winning boutique hotel and restaurant

• All meals from afternoon tea on July 7th to breakfast on the 11th

• Transportation within the Cotswolds region from the afternoon of the 7th to midday on the 11th

• Beautiful walks, luxurious meals, rigorous discussion, and one-on-one secular chaplaincy sessions

• Customized journal

PRICING/LOGISTICS:

• We will meet in Oxford on July 7th. Specific meeting time and location will be privately offered to paid pilgrims upon registration.

• Each pilgrim is responsible for handling their own travel expenses and arrangements prior to our meeting on the 7th and after we say goodbye on the 11th.

• The full tuition of the trip is as follows:

  • $4,500 for a Shared Twin Room (SOLD OUT)

  • $5,000 for a Shared King Room (ONE SPOT REMAINING)

  • $6,000 for a Private Room

Activity LEvel (Leisurely, moderate, or challenging)

• We rate this trip’s activity level as moderate: We will be walking up to 8 miles each day, sometimes on hilly terrain and sometimes along cobblestone streets. The weather in the UK is notoriously variant. It might be mild and sunny, or wet and windy, sometimes all in the same day. We won’t rush our walks, but we expect to be tired at the end of each day, so appropriate footwear and raingear is encouraged.

registration process

• We offer a three-installment payment plan for this trip (more details below).

• People who have attended another Common Ground pilgrimage will receive a 5% discount on the cost of the trip (even with a payment plan!).

• Once you register, spots are offered on a first come, first served basis.

• Within 48 hours of your registration, we will send you a link to complete your payment for the trip. You will then have 48 hours to fulfill payment and officially reserve your spot.

• If you cannot fulfill payment or if we do not hear back from you within 48 hours, we will offer the spot to the next registrant on the list until all the spots are full.

• At that point, we will notify any remaining registrants that they are now on our waitlist for this trip: if a spot opens up, we will offer it in order, from the earliest to most recent registrant, until it is claimed.

• If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to our team at commonground@notsorryproductions.com.

Payment Plan details

Common Ground now offers payment plans that break the full tuition cost into three parts. If you register after October 1, your payment plan will be broken into two parts (deposit and December 1 payment).

If you’re interested in a payment plan, you will make this request in your registration form.

Within three business days, the Common Ground team will email you at the address you have provided with all information needed to activate your payment plan and reserve your spot.

Payment Plan Pricing

Private Room:

$3,000 Deposit Upon Registration

October 1, 2024: $1,500 Automatic Withdrawal

December 1, 2024: $1,500 Automatic Withdrawal

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Total Cost of Pilgrimage: $6,000

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Shared Room - King:

$2,000 Deposit Upon Registration

October 1, 2024: $1,500 Automatic Withdrawal

December 1, 2024: $1,500 Automatic Withdrawal

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Total Cost of Pilgrimage: $5,000

Trip Faculty

Refund Policy:

Please be sure you can attend the event before booking. If an unforeseen circumstance does occur, we will do our best to find a replacement for you. If we are able to secure a replacement, we will refund 90% of your full tuition payment (accounting for a 10% service charge). Payment Plan deposits cannot be refunded.

For cancellations within eight weeks of the beginning of the trip, we are not able to find replacements. We strongly urge you to purchase travel insurance in the event of a personal conflict, health issue, or unexpected circumstance.