Frequently asked

No, and we are sorry — we know that rules us out for some people. The woodland runs up against working dairy pasture, and there is enough ground-nesting and grazing either side of the boundary that we cannot make an exception for one dog without making it for all of them.

No. All three treehouses were designed and built for grown-ups, and the minimum age is 18. Decks, rope bridges, hot tubs and a slide are wonderful things, and none of them were built to a standard that would make us comfortable with children on them.

Parents and teachers, in our experience, do not mind this at all.

Yes. Each treehouse has its own flushing loo, its own shower and its own hot tub, all fed from the mains. Nothing is shared and nothing is chemical. The Woodsman’s adds a roll-top copper bath and a rooftop sauna.

Two nights midweek and three over a weekend. Changeover days are Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays only, so a stay runs Monday to Wednesday, Wednesday to Friday, or Friday to Monday.

No — a weekend is priced as a single three-night stay, Friday 4pm to Monday 10am. You are very welcome to leave on the Sunday evening if Monday morning needs you elsewhere, and plenty of guests do. The rate does not change.

About five minutes on foot, downhill, on woodland paths and boardwalks. Pack accordingly: a small wheeled suitcase will fight you the whole way, and a rucksack or holdall will not.

Yes, and many people do. Every path is lit by motion sensors right to the front door, and your treehouse is left unlocked with the key inside. Check-in is self-service from 4pm onwards, whatever time you actually get here.

No. We take couples, individuals and the occasional pair of friends. Each treehouse sleeps two, and we do not sell the three as a set — the whole point of the layout is that you never quite see your neighbours.

Nothing. All three are entirely self-contained: own kitchen, own bathroom, own hot tub, own fire. You can spend the whole stay without seeing another guest, and most people do.

If we have to close and cannot host you, your booking moves to another date at no cost.

If you cancel while we are open, we refund what you have paid less 15%, provided the dates re-let. If they do not re-let we cannot refund them, which is why we recommend taking cancellation insurance at the point of booking. It costs very little against the price of a stay.

Not at present. The workshop under the parachute shelter is still standing and still full of tools, but we are not running or planning craft courses at the moment. If that changes we will say so here first.

Please don’t. Amplified music of any kind is not allowed. Sound carries a very long way through a wood at night, and the quiet is the thing most guests say they came for.

Country noise, which is not the same as quiet. The woodland sits in a working dairy landscape, so at various points you may hear cows being brought in for milking, a bull making himself known, grass and hedge cutting, farm machinery and — once or twice a year, unmistakably — muck spreading.

There is also a railway at the bottom of the valley. Whether you hear it depends on the wind and how much leaf is on the trees.

The Cotley trail hunt passes through the surrounding fields, though not through the woods. There is the occasional pheasant shoot on winter Tuesdays, with beaters working the fields around us. No guns are permitted in the woodland or anywhere near the treehouses, at any time.

Self check-in from 4pm; departure by 10am. We cannot offer early check-in or late check-out — on a changeover day the whole site turns around in six hours, and there is no slack in it.

If you arrive early, there is a seating area under the parachute shelter at the top of the woods.

Food, drink and milk. Pizza toppings and tomato sauce if you plan to use the oven — the flour is already there. Clothes for walking down and for sitting outside in the evening, which is usually colder than people expect. Crocs or slippers for the deck.

Bed linen, towels, bathrobes, tea towels and oven cloths. Pots, pans, crockery, cutlery, glasses and a kettle. Salt, pepper, olive oil, sugar, flour, tea and coffee. Shampoo, conditioner and body wash. Logs, kindling and firelighters. Candle lanterns.

Tea lights and unguarded candles — we supply enclosed lanterns instead, and a timber building in a wood is not the place to negotiate on this. Also: pets, children, speakers, drones and stiletto heels, the last of which the boardwalks will win against.

No. There was, it was painfully slow, and it broke every time it rained. The 4G signal is strong across the whole site, so bring enough data if you need to be reachable. We would gently suggest not being reachable.

Yes — proper mains power, with sockets and USB sockets beside both sides of the bed and lighting throughout.

Only slowly. There is a 13-amp trickle charge available for emergencies. We cannot offer fast charging: the village supply will not carry it.

Yes, with planning. Axminster is the nearest station, on the hourly service from London Waterloo, and you must pre-book a taxi — they do not wait at the rank. The nearest shops are two miles from the woods, so order what you need in advance or arrive with it.

Yes. Pizza dough, cider, fizz, extra kindling and a few other things can be pre-ordered up to the day before you arrive. Dough is left to defrost in your fridge on the day, and everything else is waiting when you get there.

Park along the hedge, walk through the small pedestrian gate and follow the path downhill. At the camp centre you will find the in/out board; move the slate tab with your treehouse name across to ‘in’. Then follow the signs to your treehouse, which is unlocked with the key inside.

The Woodsman’s door opens on a wheel — turn it anticlockwise. Dazzle and Pinwheel have ordinary handles.

Because in an emergency it is the only way anyone knows who is in the woods. It takes two seconds and we ask everyone to use it, coming and going, including on the morning you leave.

Text or call the duty phone. The number is posted below the in/out board — check it on arrival, as it can change during a stay. Overnight messages between 10pm and 8am are fine; we would rather know.

No. The vehicular track across the meadow is for site maintenance only. Everyone walks in from the car park, on the footpath through the small gate.

There are printed instructions and QR codes to short films in the guest folder inside your treehouse. They are also here: guest information and lighting the pizza oven.

No. We will not contact you during your stay unless we have to. If you do not hear from us, it is because everything is as it should be.