FOREST GARDEN SHOVELSTRODE Glamping Sussex and London Area with Woodland Courses

Glamping Sussex and London Area with Woodland Courses

Forest Garden Shovelstrode, located on the edge of Ashdown Forest in Sussex, was created in 2010 by Charles & Lisa Hooper as a place for people to escape their busy lives and re-connect with nature. Guests can really unwind in a beautiful Yurt or Log cabin within a secluded woodland surrounded by the sights, sounds and smells of the flora and fauna.

Charles & Lisa also teach people different ways of living more self sufficiently and lowering their carbon footprint through a variety of traditional woodland craft courses. The centre piece is a Forest Garden where an abundance of useful, and mostly edible, plants are grown within the seven canopy layers. The fruits of their labour are then harvested and supply the Forest Garden Shop with delicious home made jams, jellies and chutneys.

There are only 2 luxury Yurts and 4 log cabins located in their own secluded area of the woodland, each with 2 x double beds. Guests will enjoy in the calm and meditative atmosphere of the ancient woodland formerly known as ‘Anderida Forest’.

The Yurts & cabins sleep between 2 and 5 people. Each has a twin gas ring cooker, log burner, outside fire pit with grill and are located between 50-80m apart ensuring seclusion.

The centre piece is the creation of the Forest Garden, a low-maintenance and sustainable food production system based on companion-planting, which incorporates a variety of perennial fruits, nuts, shrubs and herbs grown within the seven canopy layers. (An acre of Forest Garden can sustain up to 10 people.)
A magical woodland eco-retreat nestled on the edge of Ashdown Forest, home of Winnie the Pooh. A place to escape, unwind, and soak up the forest atmosphere
Luxury glamping accommodation in beautifully appointed traditional Yurts and rustic Log Cabins. Ideal for a romantic getaway, a family holiday or a group break. Woodland craft courses, activities, therapies & treatments are also available.

We are passionate about the natural environment. The site has been designed adopting the principles of Permaculture, and we demonstrate different ways of lowering our carbon footprint and living more self sufficiently.

Guests enjoy the simple pleasures of cooking over a camp fire under the stars, seeing and hearing the abundant flora and fauna, picnicking in the woods or enjoying the many spectacular walks in this Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

The hot power showers and proper flushing loos are located beside the café, just a short stroll from each yurt & cabin (50-150m).

There is a wood fired sauna available for our guests to use along with 2 outside cold showers.  The sauna costs £20 per person per hour.

OUR CABINS
We have four hand crafted cabins, Jacaranda, Orinoco and Anderida and Idaho. The beautifully designed cabins are and well insulated with wood burner to keep you warm all year round. All cabins are 6.4 x 3.6m in size and include
Mezzanine level reached via a ladder where you will find comfortable double bed which sleeps 2 people

• Downstairs is an open plan living room area
• Wood burning stove
• Double sofa bed that can sleep an additional 2 people (bed linen charges apply – see extras)
• Kitchen/dining area with twin gas burner
• Cupboards containing all the necessary pots, pans and cutlery, crockery that you should need

Outside there is a

• Veranda
• Covered deck space
• Table and benches for outdoor eating
• Large open outdoor fire-pit with grill are outside the cabin

OUR YURTS

KUSHTI YURT
Kushti yurt is a traditional Mongolian ‘Ger’ or Yurt with hand painted roof poles and is 5.9 metres in diameter. It is furnished with ethnic textiles and furniture with a central wood burner and it has a wonderful warm and romantic feel about it.
Kushti sleeps 2 on one double futon and there is also a small futon sofa.
The double futon bed is supplied complete with duvet & linen

SAVANNAH YURT
Savannah yurt is 6 metres in diameter and is made locally using coppiced ash, hazel and chestnut. It is furnished with sheepskin rugs, leopard print throws and has a distinctly ‘Out of Africa’ feel to it. A wood burning stove will keep you toasty warm at night.
There is a large decked area outside allowing guests to enjoy the peace of the woodland. There’s a big picnic table below the deck and beside the large fire-pit. There is a BBQ and locally produced charcoal is available from the Forest Garden Shop.
Savannah sleeps 4 to 5 people in one double futon which is laid out and made up as a double bed. There is also a futon sofa that can be pulled out to make another double bed. There is an additional futon sofa that can be converted to a single bed. (additional bedding charges apply – see extras)
Savannah has an additional charge of ￡45 for the 5th person.

EXTRAS – Please contact us for more information/pricing
Please note that all our accommodation includes 1 x double bed complete with full bed linen. Additional bed linen can be ordered in advance for ￡35/set (see extras) or you can bring your own bedding. Optional extras include

• Extra Bedding: Duvet, Pillows & Linen @ ￡35 per set
• Charcoal ￡9
• Large bag of logs ￡10
• Woodland Courses: Regular or Bespoke courses in Green woodworking and Country Crafts (min 3 person)
• Holistic massages
• Forest Garden Produce
• Traditional tea parties
• Breakfast (available only on Saturday & Sunday). To be booked at least 24 hours in advance. Please contact us.

ITEMS YOU MAY WISH TO BRING
Torches, wellies, slippers, fire lighters, towels, insect repellent, sun cream, extra outdoor camping lights.

COURSES
Woodland Courses include
Green Woodworking
Bee Keeping

GREAT FOR GROUPS including
Hen Parties
Team Building
Wedding Ceremonies

LOCAL AREA

• Ashurst Wood just a mile away is our closest village with convenience store, butcher and pub
• Forest Row, just 2 miles away on the outskirts of Ashdown Forest (5 minutes from Forest Garden Shovelstrode). Here you will find a few pubs, a couple of excellent delicatessens, Fishmongers organic food shop, camping shop and more. There is an excellent Pizza restaurant called Java and Jazz and Tablehurst, biodynamic farm and farmshop which also has a good cafe
• East Grinstead is 2.5 miles away. An ancient market town with one of the longest runs of 14th Century timber framed buildings in the countr
• Ashdown Forest is 4 miles away
• Lewes with lots of antique shops is 15 miles away
• Tunbridge Wells is 12 miles away. This historic and beautiful Spa Town has much to offer with great shopping and a wide selection of high quality places to eat
• Brighton is 27 miles away. Visit the north and south Laines, a mass of small shops and restaurants

PRICES
Kushti Yurt from ￡245 for 2 nights for 2 people
Savannah Yurt from ￡250 for 2 nights for 4 people
Cabins from ￡255 for 2 nights for 4 people

Well trained dogs welcome