Nestled within the ancient woodlands and lakes of Wasing Estate, Well Read has quickly established itself as one of the UK’s most distinctive literary festivals, bringing together celebrated authors, wellbeing practitioners and nature lovers for a unique day of conversation, reflection and connection. Founded by passionate book lover Diane Dugdale, the festival grew from a simple idea to host woodland book launches into an immersive cultural experience centred on wellbeing, the environment and our relationship with the natural world.
Ahead of Well Read 2026, Culturalee speaks with Diane Dugdale for ‘Culturalee Innovators’ about the festival’s evolution, the growing appetite for literary experiences in nature, this year’s impressive line-up featuring Miranda Hart, Prue Leith and Satish Kumar, and how Wasing’s wider cultural programme – from literary gatherings to wellness, breathwork, Solstice celebrations and concerts at The Mount – is helping audiences reconnect with both nature and one another.
Well Read has quickly established itself as one of the UK’s most distinctive literary festivals, bringing together celebrated writers in the unique setting of Wasing. Following the recent launch of Maggie O’Farrell’s latest book, what did that event reveal about the appetite for literary experiences that feel more intimate, immersive and connected to place?
I have always wanted to host a literary festival at Wasing, being a passionate book lover myself. I was introduced to Emma from The Hungerford Bookshop and we had a meeting to discuss Wasing hosting individual book launches in the woods, for books written around the subject of nature and the environment. This quickly turned into something much bigger, Well Read! Last year was our first event and was a very beautiful gathering with amazing speakers and practitioners. At the same time as we started planning this year, I was introduced to Maggie’s publicist, Emma Knight, by Hannah MacInnes. She was looking for a beautiful woodland setting to launch Maggie’s book Land. It was a beautiful morning, and lovely to see that the original idea of a stand alone author coming to talk about their book, work so well. It revealed that there is a huge appetite for people to be in nature, surrounded by trees, the lake and birdsong. An all round sensory delight! We provided food and drinks and people had a chance to gather and spend time immersed in nature and away from all forms of technology!
As founder of Well Read, how are you shaping the vision for the 2026 festival? Can you share any themes, conversations or new elements audiences can look forward to as the festival continues to evolve?
The theme for Well Read is and will always be around the wellbeing of ourselves, the environment and the land. It is such an important subject that I doubt we will ever move away from this theme. It is also broad enough to make sure that we have a very diverse roster of speakers and facilitators. We have put together an amazing line up of celebrated and respected authors and Wellbeing practitioners including Miranda Hart, Prue Leith, Rebecca Dennis, Satish Kumar, Lucy Cooke, Thomasina Miers, Jonathon Porritt, Estelle Bingham, Adam Lind and many more. We have three stages this year, The Main Stage, The Lake Stage and The Sacred Glade. All of the talks are on the Main and Lake Stages, and Wellbeing activities including Breath work, yoga, woodland meditation, Reishi Sound bath, foraging and Dance workshop in The Sacred Glade. We also have our Sauna and Swim offering up at Middle Lake. Another element of the festival, which I believe makes it more relaxing for everyone, is that the ticket price covers all of the talks so you people don’t have to book separate tickets for different talks. Being an outdoor event, deep in the woods, means that there is plenty of beautiful space for people to spend time in between and during the talks. The woods, trees and lakes are part of the line up!
Our woodland kitchen, Well Fed, while be offering delicious food from the estate including our organic grass fed beed from our herd of Sussex Cows, mushrooms, asparagus and much more. There will be delicious food on offer for the children too. We will be using stock from one of our sponsors, Freja. There will be ice cream, crepes and pastries on offer too and the bar is being run by Old Tree Brewery who make delicious hawthorn wine, amount other tasty drinks!
The Mount has become a remarkable venue for live music, blending world-class performances with the natural beauty of Wasing’s woodland landscape. With Mika, Pixies, Belle & Sebastian, Ben Howard and Self Esteem announced for 2026, what excites you most about this programme and the experience audiences will have at The Mount?
There is nothing quite like a concert at the Mount. If you want immersion in nature, the walk into the venue is through an extraordinary woodland setting, full of flora and fauna, and brings you into the woodland venue. It is pretty unique. And with a sacred fire in the middle of the venue, it is somewhere which really brings a nse of wonder and awe of the beauty of nature. So to have concerts there is really a dream. This year’s concerts are really something for everyone – we have the classic Pixies – really legends who are loved by so many, Belle and Sebastian supported by St Etienne – should be an amazing show; Ben Howard, one of our favourites with This is the Kit, Self Esteem and Mika. There is something for everyone!
Wasing’s philosophy centres on the idea that people and planet are deeply interconnected. How does that ethos influence your approach to curating both Well Read and the music programme at The Mount, and what role do the arts play in helping us reconnect with nature and one another?
Sadly I think that the root of our dis-ease is due to the fact that we have forgotten so much of what makes us part of the web of life, and our separation from nature has resulted in the ecological crisis of today. Anything that reconnects people to nature is a step in the right direction, and everything we do at Wasing is founded on that principle. We try and bring a sense of awe of the wonder of nature, and a sense of gratitude that comes with it. With gratitude comes humility, and with humility the sense that we are not bigger or greater than nature, that we have much to learn from being in these kinds of spaces. We also want amazing artists and authors to come as role models, creating sparks of inspiration that people can take home. We feel that this is so important, especially in a world where we are in front of screens more and more – physical human connection in nature is vital for our own wellbeing and for a viable flourishing human and more than human future.
Alongside its cultural offering, Wasing has become known for its wellness experiences, including breathwork, mindfulness and opportunities for restoration in nature. How do you see these practices complementing the literary and musical programmes, and why are they becoming such an important part of the wider Wasing experience?
We are so lucky to live at Wasing, and it has always been our wish to open her gates to the public in as many ways as possible. From The Glade Festival starting in 2003, to over 160 weddings a year since 2009, and now retreats, sauna & swim club and more conscious festivals like Well Read, Solstice, Medicine, and Wonderment. We also, 6 years ago, become a fully organic farm, so there are no chemicals allowed anywhere across the farm, gardens and lakes.
With so many people turning to alternative practices to help them feel their best, and find calm, it was a natural addition to our line up of offerings. We hope that people feel a sense of calm and peace, and that they can live in the now, when they come to Wasing. Once you feel this calm, everything else you have come to experience should feel even more enjoyable! If it is for an evening, a weekend or a week, we hope that you will feel you have reset your nervous system, and go back to work, home or just the outside world, feeling more relaxed, and ready for the whatever lies ahead!
Find out more about Wasing here.
