Property Description
This is a rare retreat on Prince Edward Island: private, quiet, and shaped for contemplation, creativity, and renewal. Set on 4.8 acres at 63 Johnstons Rd, Clearspring, PEI, the property centers on a spring-fed, tea-colored pond, with a wood-fired sauna, an octagonal meditation cabin in the woods, and the ocean just one kilometer away.
In 2002, Dr. Claudia Welch and Dr. Robert Svoboda purchased this mostly spruce-forested land with a small pond at its heart. Over the next twenty years, Dr. Welch, her husband, and a gifted carpenter friend gradually built the house, meditation cabin, sauna, and other structures, shaping the land into a place of retreat. For more than two decades it has served as a place for writing, meditation, ceremony, restoration, and deep quiet — the current owners have tried to serve it in turn, learning and contributing to the rhythms of the seasons, tides, winds, and shifting shoreline.
The land blooms in sequence through the growing season: lilacs give way to peonies, then wild roses and fireweed, followed by lilies, lavender, heather, hydrangeas, asters, and rosehips. Depending on the season, you'll hear peepers, bullfrogs, Swainson's Thrushes, warblers, kinglets, finches, and woodpeckers, with occasional visits from herons and bald eagles.
Environmental Stewardship
No chemical fertilizers, insecticides, or pesticides have ever been used on the property, allowing the ecosystem and its inhabitants to thrive. Flowers have been planted and the pond protected, allowing the many frogs and dragonflies that call it home to flourish — a chemical-free environment that's as good for humans swimming in the pond as it is for the wildlife. Decades ago the land was clear-cut and a largely spruce forest grew back; in recent years birch, poplar, and maple have begun returning. Openings in the canopy from Hurricane Fiona accelerated this natural regeneration, bringing more light, greater diversity, and more habitat for birds and plant life — an increasingly varied, lively landscape with open space around the buildings and a dense, renewing forest beyond as a protective buffer.
Craftsmanship
An expert carpenter friend lent both skill and heart to the construction of the house and meditation cabin, framing and sheathing the house so tightly that — unusually for the region — it has no mice. The owners did the rest of the building and landscaping themselves, giving the property its rustic simplicity and many personal touches.
Off-Grid Home
A cozy three-season home that could relatively easily be converted into a four-season residence. The property is fully off the electrical grid, powered by solar, propane, and its own well (electricity is available at the road if a future owner wants to connect). Because it's off-grid, the only regular utility bill is for propane (maybe 200$ for the summer?) , which runs the on-demand hot water heater and gas stove. We heat with a woodstove with wood that we harvest off the property itself.
Downstairs holds a kitchen and living room with doors out to the screened-in porch overlooking the pond. Upstairs are two bedrooms (one on the east side, one on the west), sharing a half bath, plus a small storage attic. The staircase lands at a landing with a door out to a south-facing deck overlooking the pond.
Meditation Cabin
An octagonal cabin with a glass roof, set in the woods a little apart from the other buildings — a place of quiet always available.
Sauna
A cedar, wood-fired sauna by the pond, built for the Northern tradition of alternating heat with cold-water dips. Local bay leaves can be steeped for tea to pour on the rocks for a healing steam on cooler nights and in cooler seasons.
Pond
Spring-fed and tea-colored, tinted naturally by peat and the local red earth — typical of the region, and chemical-free for swimming as well as for the resident frogs and dragonflies.
Screened-In Porch
A generous space that includes a cast iron bathtub, overlooking the pond and surrounded by trees — a place to soak outdoors, serenaded by frogs, without seasonal insects.
Equipped Tool Shed
An 8'x12' tool shed stocked with tools for house and yard maintenance, including battery-powered tools. A woodshed and outdoor shower are built off the shed, and the property's own trees supply more firewood than needed for heating from May through October.
Floral Highlights
Large hydrangeas, lilacs, and both wild and cultivated roses line one side of the pond, creating a picturesque and often fragrant landscape.
Proximity to the Ocean
A short one-kilometer (about half-mile) walk down a well-maintained dirt road leads to the ocean.
A Place of History and Practice
This property has been part of the owners' own life cycles. Dr. Claudia Welch finished writing Balance Your Hormones, Balance Your Life here and did much of the writing for Four Qualities of Effective Physicians here, and began her transition into vānaprastha (forest dweller) at the property. Dr. Robert Svoboda has conducted ceremonies here and tended the local spirits.
Video tours are available covering the full property tour, first floor, second floor, bathroom, and sauna.
This has been a place of peace, practice, and reciprocity — the current owners hope its next stewards will feel the same pull and continue the relationship with care.
Energy Cost Breakdown
| Gas | $200 |
| Wood | $0 |
| Electricity | $0 |
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