300 Women Buy French Castle, Turn It Into Summer Camp
Three women and 297 friends pooled $2.3 million to buy an 800-year-old French château and transform it into a women-only retreat. What started as an online daydream became Camp Château, a place where women gather for adventure, workshops, and connection.
Sometimes the wildest dreams become reality when you find the right people to dream with. Over 300 women proved that by purchasing not one but two historic French châteaus together, creating a magical retreat where women can reconnect with themselves and each other.
It started when Leah Lykins, her mother Philippa Girling, and friend Lynda Coleman found a French property online and asked themselves a simple question: what if? That spark of possibility led them to create a shared ownership model where each woman contributed around $7,700 to buy Château de Béduer, a nearly 800-year-old castle in southern France.
The château sits on 20 acres of stunning gardens and grounds in the French countryside. The property includes both the 13th-century castle and a 19th-century farmhouse where guests stay during their six-day retreats.
Camp Château offers women complete freedom to shape their own experience. Some guests choose organized activities like kayaking and workshops while others simply wander the gardens or sip wine in nearby vineyards. The only requirement is showing up ready to embrace whatever the week brings.
The camp expanded quickly from 240 spots in 2023 to a planned 1,850 in 2026 and more than 2,100 expected in 2027. Demand was so strong that the founders acquired a second property, L'Abbaye-Château de Camon, a former Benedictine abbey perched atop one of France's most beautiful villages.
The Ripple Effect
The impact reaches far beyond the château walls. For women who can't travel to France, the founders launched Pocket Château, a digital membership community that brings the camp's spirit of connection online.
Victoria Goyet attended camp at age 75 and says it changed her perspective on life. She returned home determined to stop waiting and start making time for what truly matters, realizing she's closer to the end than the beginning and wants to live accordingly.
What makes this story special isn't just the fairytale castle or the French countryside. It's proof that when women support each other's dreams, impossible things become possible.
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Based on reporting by Upworthy
This story was written by BrightWire based on verified news reports.
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