The Coppice Woodland is a rural apartment spread over four "rooms" dotted in the trees and bushes. The VW camper van is, if you choose, the main bedroom and has a kids bed at what used to be the driver's end. There's an oak-framed cob hut that houses the compost loo and the covered kitchen area; the dining room is cut into an alcove of trees, with handcrafted oak and beech outdoor furniture. The b
ell tent acts as either your lounge or guest bedroom. The latest addition is a cedar shingle canopy that curves up from the forest floor to create a sheltered area that houses seating and a hammock, so you can sleep in the woods for real! And then there's the hot tub. This great, wok-like bowl sits six adults comfortably and is surrounded by a woven hazel and willow screen. You may well find you need it after a day at Coppice Woodland. There's a two hole "golf course", rustic football goals, boule and games spaces all scattered around the property, and best of all you have the woodland space all to yourselves. The rest of Guilden Gate smallholding is the loving and painstaking creation of Jacqueline & Simon Saggers. They have taken every step to preserve and nurture their patch of countryside just south of Cambridge. The idea was to create, through encouraging diversity and tending of the land, almost a mini eco-system, which sustains itself and them. Only 35 minutes on the train from London, The Coppice Woodland makes a perfect weekend escape or even a base for forays into the city. If you're keeping it rural during your stay there are plenty of walks in the surrounding countryside, including many that take in local village pubs. You can also quiz Jacqueline and Simon for tips on their sustainable endeavours from wind power to greywater recycling or even join in on the smallholding.
***WINTER GUESTS*** Please be aware that the camp, while furnished with blankets and other cosy things, is not heated. It is open all year round, but will get pretty chilly in the depths of winter. If you do decide to come, bring some woolly jumpers! Our guests say...
"We had a great stay despite last-minute worries that camping in December may not have been the wisest choice!. Simon, the owner, provided us with extra blankets and lots of extra wood for fires and to stoke the hot tub (perfect in the depths of Winter!). The gramophone in the compost toilet was a novelty too! A perfect base from which to explore Cambridge." Jenny, 21/12/2013
"We had a great time - it was cold, but they looked after us really well, and helped us light the burner for the hot tub, and they gave us a bottle of prosecco because they thought we were so mad to be camping in November." V, 08/11/2013
"What a lovely, peaceful, getaway. Completely private and surrounded by gorgeous red and yellow leaves, blackberry bushes and endless stars. We loved the camper van, the wood fires and the decadent hot tub. We didn't venture out much, just enjoyed cooking, reading and relaxing." Ashish, 25/10/2013
"Wonderfully relaxing, very peaceful and everything ran incredibly smoothly." George, 04/09/2013
"Absolutely loved it, hosts were fantastic and we had every thing we could possibly want :) The accom was quirky and fun and the facilities were brilliant, quiet and secluded"
Elizabeth, 17/08/2013
"We had a lovely time! The weather was brilliant and there was so much to do in the surrounding area- a nice farm shop and lots of great days out. The camp was very well equipped." Adrienne, 14/07/2013
"We really enjoyed our stay at the Coppice Woodland. It was super relaxing from the hot tub to the hammocks we just felt so chilled out. We slept like babies in the VW Camper as it was also amazingly comfy :) "
Paul, 01/07/2013
"Yes we enjoyed our stay very much. The place was amazing, very relaxing. The hot tub was a amazing bonus. The hosts couldn't have been more helpful. All round a lovely stay"
Alison, 15/06/2013
"Our stay at the Coppice Woodland was fantastic, a quirky yet peaceful site. The highlight has to be the 70's orange hot-tub and the open fire cooking." Rhiannon, 23/04/2013
"The site is well laid out, everything we needed was there, including the Italian coffee pot the worst thing was the cold at night - not much can be done about that, it was sub zero - part of the adventure"
kathryn, 19/04/2013
"All good. Really nice 'back to nature' experience... We cooked all our meals on the campfire, which the kids loved. Great to have comfy beds and a lovely spacious compost loo as well, so not roughing it totally. We all loved the wood-fired hot tub; needs quite a long time to get hot though." Simone, 13/04/2013
"Absolutely brilliant holiday! Even with the winter weather! Our hosts were really nice and more than happy to help with the slightest thing. They kept us fully stocked with plenty of wood for the fire/hot tub and plenty of duvets for snuggling up in. The camper van didn't lose any heat during the night which was perfect for this time of year. The location was amazing, secluded in the coppice but close enough to all the local attractions. A great site for couples or families. We will definitely be going back!"
Joanne, 09/11/2012
"Our stay was beautiful! It was a surprise for my boyfriend and he loved it!"
Charlie, 20/10/2012
"Our hosts were über friendly and helpful which made our stay really enjoyable. We were also really lucky with the weather and managed to go punting in Cambridge and used the hot tub on one of the evenings too. The camper and yurt were perfect for us and we had lots of fun toasting marshmallows on the campfire, and accidentally burning our shoes too!"
Niki, 08/10/2012
"As a group of city girls we fully embraced the 'camping life' A few firsts were encountered by individual members, e.g. compost loo, solar shower, sleeping in a tent, hot tub under the stars and marshmellow munching snails. We have returned feeling full of bubbles and very proud at cooking every meal over a camp fire! The owners of the site couldn't have been more helpful, our welcome bottle of home made elderflower sparkling wine went down a treat. Clear instructions on how to use the hot tub - and endless supply of wood meant this became a firm favourite activity on the site. The gramaphone in the loo caused some hysteria (you had to choose an appropriate record to play whilst using the facilities - camp rules!) and the hammocks meant everyone had a quiet place to enjoy the sunshine."
