Some years back, I stayed at an amazing treehouse, in Botswana, on safari. Took ages to get there, was hideously expensive, but was well worth it. Had an all round magical experience. Spent hours watching exotic African animals wandering round the grassland in front of my verandah. Loved it.
Made me think I had touched the top of the tree when it came to these things. But now, after a recent staycation close to home, I’m not so sure.
If you have every fancied spending some time in an awesome treehouse, watching exotic wildlife parade up and down, but don’t want to go too far, or pay too much, then I have got just the thing for you. Rewild Treehouses, the Rolls-Royces of wooden wendy house adventures close to home.
Getting There
Elmore estate is in the wilds of Gloucestershire, close to the River Severn. Getting there takes you down quiet country lanes, past forgotten lands, feels like you have left civilisation far behind, though actually, the city of Gloucester is only a couple of miles away.
Elmore Court Estate
The place has a wonderful, otherworldly feel, mainly due to a rewilding project the present owner has embarked on over the last couple of decades.
Letting the land grow wild and free. Planting trees here, letting longhorn cattle graze there, paying sympathetic attention to the local environment everywhere.
All adds up to a thousand acres filled with eye pleasing greenery, soft edged by ridges of ancient, untouched, woodland.
The Treehouses
On one wooded bluff, there are six eco-friendly, sustainably sourced treehouses with world beating levels of luxury, comfort and wow-factor.
All hidden away, screened by hazel and hawthorn, giving privacy and far ranging views of the valley spread out below.
Leaving our wheels behind in the private parking bay, we made our way through a woody wonderland. Zigzagging down a wooden stairway before finding ourselves in front of a hideaway cabin, a wonder of the woodworkers art. All clean lines and cedar cladding.
Treehouse Living Space
Behind the front door was a glorious indoor, outdoor, al fresco, living space. Scandinavian cool, with design touches above and beyond the dreams of mortal man. Or woman.
A fully functioning kitchen, complete with blastcool fridge, packed with estate prepared, locally sourced goodies to eat and drink. As well as a welcome hamper to start us on our way.
For supper, there was fresh pasta with beef ragu waiting for us in the fridge, whilst for breakfast we enjoyed free range scrambled eggs and bacon on estate baked sourdough toast. All without stepping outside our magical treehouse home.
Leading on from the kitchen was an open plan dining area, with sheepskin covered benches and overhead heating on standby, in case of chilly weather.
The walls were a mix of cedar planking, floor to ceiling glass, and wide open spaces, bringing forest canopy vibes into every single corner.
Not content with such a smorgasbord of decadent delights, the designer also added an outdoor steel bath, set up to take full advantage of the view. Just right to sit and soak in, whilst surrounded by bubbles, watching the sun sink below the surrounding hills.
The Treehouse Bedroom
The bedroom featured a kitchenette corner, with coffee machine, kettle and eco-oven. But the main attraction was the super comfy, super kingsized bed, made up with the finest bedlinen known to civilisation, or at least, known to me.
Some of the treehouses can sleep a family of four in comfort, whilst ours made do with a pull out truckle bed just right for the third wheel in your life.
The en-suite bathroom was another exciting piece of the puzzle, with matt black surfaces, top notch toiletries, (that smelt divine, by the way. Seriously superb scent work, right there!) Along with a drench shower that seemed to be blessed with the power of tropical rainfall.
If the weather should turn beastly bad, which is always a possibility in this green and soggy land of ours, there was also a teeny tiny wood burner in one corner. We lit it one night, within half an hour it was kicking out enough heat to shoe a herd of small horses. Or camels.
The Verandah
But all of the above was nothing, a mere tray of tapas, an amuse bouche, compared to the absolute star of the show. The verandah.
A superb symphony of stylish satisfaction, with chairs to lounge in, fabulous firepit to warm your cockles and, most jawdropping of all, far reaching views of the wide open grasslands below, appearing to stretch out for miles and miles. And miles. Bounded only by wateryways, wild woods and wide open skies.
Using the binoculars provided, we alternated between nibbling something tasty and sipping something bubbly, all whilst watching the wildlife on parade below our gaze.
The longhorn cattle, with their clumsy cowbells, the constant stream of birds breezing on by. Lapwings flapping lazily, buzzards homeward bound, with their dinner clutched in their claws, as well as an endless assortment of blackcaps, treecreepers, long tailed tits and goldcrests. All bookended after the sun went down, by a bevvy of bats fluttering through the huge oaks overhead.
Next morning, we were entertained by my very favourite hopping beasts of all. A family of handsome hares of assorted sizes passed by on their way to do whatever it is that hares do all day. Between nibbling on grass, they stopped their hopping and dropped their featherlike ears whenever a buzzard cried overhead.
Was worth the price of admission alone, just to watch these charming creatures go about their big bunny business.
Out and About
One afternoon, we went for a four mile wander round the estate. Most enjoyable. By way of a snack break, we stopped at, “Wholly,” a neighbouring dairy farm shop that does gorgeous gelato with brownie biscuit flakes.
Later that day, we took a short drive out to the one of the nearby pubs, where we sat by the river and had a delightful dinner of faggots, chips and gravy. Just what the doctor ordered at the end of such a superb day.
Conclusion
If you want to holiday like a boss, in your very own Wendy House wonderland, whilst also enjoying a most marvellously British safari, this is the place to go. Who needs Africa when you’ve got such wonderful, wild and woody treehouses right here on our doorstep? Not me, that’s for sure!
To book go to rewildthings with prices starting from £250 per night with a minimum stay of two nights.
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