SHEPHERD'S HUT TESTIMONIALS
“Will definitely be returning, fabulous place with lots to do if you want to or just relax and take in the views, perfect service from a very friendly team. Oh and the best scrambled eggs I’ve had in my life and the G&T’s went down a treat from The Hub. Nick and Anna and their kids are great.”
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The huts are simply a perfect getaway for a romantic break with your number 1, or in our case a long awaited girly catch up, free from the distractions of your number one! We weren’t expecting them to be set within such beautiful natural surroundings, located at the end of a tunnel of trees. Unfortunately on this first visit there was not enough time to go meandering around the farm, instead we prioritised a very short walk to Bodiam castle and then the extremely local pub for dinner!
The huts are simple, pretty and charming inside with a splattering of colour in the fabric and textiles, clever use of space and careful consideration has been given to ensure all you need is housed within your home! The wood burning stove is a real treasure and adds to the experience of being out in the woods, it also permits a greater sense of cosiness inside, especially important if you’re staying in October! Anna and Nick really friendly and hospitable owners, they have made something really quite special.
I very much hope it remains as perfect as it is.
I will recommend only to a few people, as its a secret… shhhhhhhh
Meg (Peckham, London)
“Camped here a few years ago, which was great, but just had an absolutely fantastic Half term in a shepherds hut! Cooked over an open fire every day, thanks to the kit provided and plenty of wood. Really comfortable hut and very warm (didn’t really need the wood burning stove but when we used it, were very toasty!). Easy walk to the castle and a pub that serves great food and beer and the Hub is a fantastic addition. We WILL come back!!”
“Just had an amazing weekend here with 5 other families, all part of a group booking! Great little huts the kids were in their element running around the fields playing everything from hide & seek, cricket, learning about camp fires toasting marshmallows etc….. it’s nice to be able to walk accross the fields to Bodiam Castle and go canoeing if you wish. The Hub is a great little spot for coffee and home made cake! Def a place we will be retuning to”
“Will definitely be returning, fabulous place with lots to do if you want to or just relax and take in the views, perfect service from a very friendly team. Oh and the best scrambled eggs I’ve had in my life and the G&T’s went down a treat from the hub. Nick and Anna and their kids are great.”
Over the Summer, a few getaways brought me closer to the great outdoors. One of my favourite was at the Original Hut Company, near Bodiam, East Sussex, UK. A group of us spent a weekend glamping in shepherd’s huts, for a friend’s hen do.There are six huts, all hand-built using mainly reclaimed, recycled and locally sourced materials. Also on site are five bell tents for hire, and pitches for tents; but the Hut Company is set in a tree-filled glade, so it felt very private when we were in our huts. The site is set along the banks of a small river, the Rother, which had an abundance of wild flowers. We gathered sweet peas, flowering thistles and cow parsley to decorate a garland for the bride-to-be to wear on a treasure hunt set up by her resourceful sisters (we also made our own garlands, but mine fell apart before I could take a decent picture….)
Each hut has its own fire pit and indoor wood burner, so as well as being a summertime place, the Original Hut Company would be good for chillier nights and days. There’s also a large, communal firepit, which we all sat around on the bride’s ‘Frida Kahlo’ celebration night… Read More
September, 2015
I think her blog is probably better and more informative than my whole website!!
For this past bank holiday weekend we went glamping in East Sussex. It was so much fun! (Okay, well, we are a family traveling with kids, so naturally it included a few tantrums, whining, spills, and general disagreements, but I imagine that’s a given. But the weekend tilted on the fun side of the scale.) I had been looking around on the Cool Camping web site for a few weeks to try to find something that suited all our needs, mainly to be fairly close to London, near a train station, and with things to do in walking distance. It’s not easy to find glamping sites that meet those requirements and are available on a holiday weekend with fairly short notice (I started looking about 3 weeks before the holiday weekend). But I happened to get a booking with The Original Hut Company because they had a cancelation… Read More
August, 2013
guests blogS
an article on us
Continuing along the theme of setting up a camping business we investigate how important it is for a business to find its unique selling proposition (USP). This is a marketing term that describes the product or service a business offers to set them apart from their competition. This can be the main force to push it to become hugely successful and can help give it an edge when it comes to branding and publicity.
We found a camping company in East Sussex, UK set up by Nick and Anna Eastwood called The Original Hut Company, that demonstrates this perfectly. When developing their boutique campsite they recycled old caravans to build beautiful and original huts, allowing them to offer ‘Staycations’ with a modern eco twist. They illustrate perfectly that it’s quite possible to make the most of what you have, think about your unique selling proposition, build a successful business and brand, and yet still manage to remain earth friendly and sustainable. This is what Anna had to say… Read more
Inspired Camping
I think her blog is probably better and more informative than my whole website!!
For this past bank holiday weekend we went glamping in East Sussex. It was so much fun! (Okay, well, we are a family traveling with kids, so naturally it included a few tantrums, whining, spills, and general disagreements, but I imagine that’s a given. But the weekend tilted on the fun side of the scale.) I had been looking around on the Cool Camping web site for a few weeks to try to find something that suited all our needs, mainly to be fairly close to London, near a train station, and with things to do in walking distance. It’s not easy to find glamping sites that meet those requirements and are available on a holiday weekend with fairly short notice (I started looking about 3 weeks before the holiday weekend). But I happened to get a booking with The Original Hut Company because they had a cancelation… Read More
August, 2013
Hi Anna and Nick
Just a Quick Line to sat thank you for not letting us down. I came to stay in one of your huts with my 2 children in the middle of August. The Positioning is perfect not just for the location to some excellent local attractions but also the siting of the huts in Their surroundings. We had a great time cooking on the fire and the facilities in the pub were superb. You provided all the little things that I had forgotten that made it a home form home. The toilet and showering facilities were of a high standard and clean. We had an excellent stay and I am now under pressure to book another visit which is no bad thing.
We look forward to seeing you all again in the future.
August, 2014
Hi Anna,
I left a voicemail just before we left yesterday afternoon but wanted to email a proper thank you today for having us to stay in your lovely huts this past weekend. Rosie had an absolute ball – we’d kept everything a secret and whilst she’d twigged we might be camping she wasn’t expecting to stay in lovely shepherds’ huts in such beautiful countryside! The big picnic table under cover was a fantastic hub for our meals and games, and the huts were cosy and comfy to sleep in. I’ve attached a few photos I thought you might like – 1 silly one to show you the results of our ‘loo paper brides’ game, and 1 of the campsite after we had put up a bit of bunting.
Hi Anna and Nick
Thank you for a fantastic weekend! We were a bit apprehensive when it became apparent that we had inadvertently booked the coldest weekend of the winter (-6C!), but as soon as Nick got our little woodburner going the hut was gorgeously warm. As you can imagine it took quite a bit of willpower and the promise of coffee cake and a pint to venture out of our cosy hut and walk the 15 minutes to Bodiam Castle with its very frozen moat. I felt like a child again when we woke up on Sunday morning to find 15cm of pristine snow and a Narnian landscape; I just wished that we had brought a sledge with us! We enjoyed trying to identify all the different animal tracks in the snow, and I was able to make a proper snowman for the first time in years! The setting is so quiet and idyllic, it is difficult to believe that we were only 20 miles away from my hometown of Maidstone.
Thank you so much for all the extra effort you went to because of the snow: bringing us extra supplies of firewood, researching our trains back to London, and battling through the elements in your 4X4 to get us to the railway station. I’ve already recommended you to all our friends, and we would love to return.
Ruth & Sam
We discovered the Shepherds Huts from a review in a magazine. I have always loved camping but my wife is not so keen. This looked the perfect solution. We booked a 2 night stay at the end of October 2011 to celebrate being together for 15 years. What a wonderful decision it turned out to be. From the moment you turn off the road onto the farm you realise you have arrived somewhere special. You follow the track through fields and orchards until you find Nick waiting for you to guide you to the huts. The huts are tucked away in a wooded glaade and at first I didn’t spot them. A more peaceful spot you couldn’t wish to find.
After a quick guide of the hut and facilities, Nick left us to settle in to our hut. The hut is beautifully furnished and equpped with everything you need. We lit the wood burner-logs and kindling supplied- and settled down to enjoy the warmth. The hut soon became extremely cosy. There was nothing we could do but relax, and we certainly did. We took an early evening stroll to the pub in Bodiam but didn’t stay long as we couldn’t wait to get back to our hut. If you’ve been used to normal camp site toilet blocks, you are in for a treat at the Shepherds Huts. Decorated in a similar tasteful style to the huts with the showers an unexpected luxury to be savoured. Always hot and powerful, not how I remember camp showers.
Over the course of our weekend, we did very little. In fact I spent most of the time sitting and listening to the silence, looking at the perfect night sky – no light pollution or road noise here. There are some lovely walks around the area, which can always end with a drink at the pub. However, I would recommend you just stay at the huts, light the fire and soak up the peace. You can’t fail to chill out here. We very much look forward to returning again for what we have found to be the best stress buster available. The only downside we found was having to leave.
Nick and Anna have created a little piece of magic here and we would have no hesitation in recommending it to anyone – just don’t tell too many people otherwise we’ll never be able to book a hut! Thank you for our stay. It was just we needed and more special than we can describe. See you soon.
Derek & Karen (Kent)
Hi Anna
We would like to thank you for our wonderful holiday this Easter. We had such a wonderful time and have to say that it was our most stress free holiday ever! We have recommended you to everyone who will listen! We couldn’t believe how roomy the huts were! as you know there were 5 of us but the three kids loved being in the bunk so we still had a bed spare! It is amazing to go on a camping type holiday and not have to take linens, cups, cutlery wine glasses but especially fire cooking equipment!! (we tried to use everything) It was so lovely to be able to let the kids roam free (and forage for wood) and know that they were safe.
The grounds are fantastic and we walked around the orchards every dusk before sitting round the camp-fire together. The kids didn’t once mention tv or computer games!! Without a doubt the best part was the hospitality – your beautiful friendly down to earth family! I cannot believe that you came down to bring us an ice pack whilst in labour and then returned the next day only a few hours after giving birth to replenish them! Thank you for making our holiday so so special.
Emma Tony Conall Erin & Ailish
We stayed in your huts to celebrate my 40th birthday and I can honestly say it was the most relaxing way to spend it! The children became a delight to have – less arguments and screeching than we have at home and perfectly contented to play outside with never a mention of a television. In fact we had to drag the 7 year old off to see the castle because she just wanted to stay by the campfire. That is the beauty of the huts – you don’t want to leave. I came armed with plans for the railway and the cinema etc. and we did none of them because, if you have the weather, you have all you need in the wood. The woodburning stoves are really toasty and the way the huts have been fitted and furnished are a salve to the soul. We will be back!
Jessica (Southend-on-Sea)