Issue 50

PEOPLE
NOT REALLY ‘GLAMPING’
Being totally immersed in nature is one of the main attractions to
guests at Forest Garden Shovelstrode. The accommodations are
off-grid, and are comfortably and tastefully appointed with many
handcrafted items and furniture. “There is no Wi-Fi in the woods!
Although there is a good 4G signal for any digital nomads,” Charles
admits. “We don’t offer hot tubs, flat screen TVs or Nespresso
machines either! We offer ‘back to basics’ luxury camping in secluded
and tranquil surroundings, for discerning eco tourists and green
travellers.
“There is a great deal of variety of accommodation in a now very
heavily saturated market. We are clear about what we offer and
we are very experienced in dealing with all types of enquiries. In
managing people’s expectations, we may sometimes recommend a
more appropriate site”.
The yurts are shut from November to February but the cabins
are open all year round. “The yurts are remarkably resilient,” says
Charles. “We’ve had them up for more than 10 years continually,
although now with many trees removed they are much more
exposed, and when storm Eunice hit us, we were both holding a yurt
down and having to lash it to the deck in 90mph winds!”
Guests enjoy hot showers and flushing toilets in the converted
old generator house. “Rather than trying to educate guests on the
theory and proper use of composting loos, we decided to completely
overhaul the old sewage treatment plant that was on the property.
We found the original plans that were over 100 years old in the family
records, and had all new components manufactured in stainless steel.
The upgraded system now runs brilliantly and should last at least
another 100 years!”
The on-site café and shop sells produce made on the site including
Forest Garden honey, homemade jams and chutneys, Charles’
greenwood crafts and their own apple juice.
ON THE TELLY
Forest Garden Shovelstrode has enjoyed some great TV exposure on
both Made in Chelsea and Four in a Bed. “We came a resounding last,”
says Charles. “Not surprisingly, as producers do like to put apples
with oranges to make good TV. The competition is also very much
based on breakfast and neither of us had poached an egg before so
we were looking up Jamie Oliver’s ‘perfect poached egg method’
while trying to cook breakfast! We have had some great PR from
the TV appearances, with 4IB being frequently repeated on various
channels around the globe at which time our analytics go through the
roof! It has had a very positive effect on our bookings over the years”.
The business also does a lot of location work. “About 10% of our
turnover comes from film, TV and photoshoots and producers seem
to really like us. They choose our location because of the many
photographic options that we have. However once for a fashion
shoot the agency booked the entire site and then just photographed
a couple of kids on a log pile and cleared off! They could do that
anywhere, but here there are many different shots and lots of great
props available to them, and being just 55 mins from London Victoria
makes it an easy choice. We also have the on-site café, production
office and facilities which is preferable to shooting out in the sticks”.
It helps too that Charles started off his career as a film location
manager!
EVENTS
The site is the perfect space for intimate boutique weddings. “We
only host small weddings. 50-80 people works perfectly, although
we’ve had a wedding for 120 people before. We can sleep 24 in shared
beds, and have several additional camping pitches in woodland
glades for bell tents etc. There’s also room in the car park for a couple
of camper vans.
“We have many hen weekends, and we do generally attract the
right kind of hens who enjoy being in nature and not those who’d
rather be on a Brighton pub crawl. However one bonkers group
covered themselves in fluorescent sun screen war paint, and lined
up multiple vodka shots on a fallen tree before getting dressed up
as giant teddy bears for a game of hide and seek in the woods! They
were spotted darting from tree to tree by guests attending one of our
chair making courses”.
Since Covid, the business has also been looking at the corporate
retreat market and promoting team building and wellness days.
“We had a couple of yoga retreats last year with one donated to
NHS employees. We have more planned for 2022 and a women’s
menopause retreat planned for September”.
Build Your Own
Shepherd Huts
With Tithe Barn Shepherd Huts original parts.
Call 01262 470475 or
Visit www.shepherd-huts.com
and click on the ‘self build’ page
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 11