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There’s always something magical about spending time in woodland: the dappled light filtering through the branches, the rustling leaves underfoot, the birdsong up above, the sense of being hidden away in an enchanted fairytale world… It’s particularly special in autumn and winter, and I knew Chris and I were in for a treat last week when we were invited to review a cluster of woodland hideaways set on the historic Cowdray Estate in the South Downs National Park, West Sussex.
Opened in 2023, TreeHouse Retreats consists of four separate cabins, all designed by treehouse specialists Blue Forest and handcrafted from larch and cedar. They’re quietly luxurious, with a rustic-contemporary style that blends seamlessly into their surroundings, and importantly they were built with sustainability in mind. The timber was sourced from the estate itself, the walls are lined with eco-friendly insulation, and underfloor heating via air-source pumps mean they stay toasty-warm without the need for polluting log burners.
We set off for Cowdray on a cold, crisp day, our journey taking us past the last of the autumn foliage glowing in the late-November sun. The treehouses are perched in ancient woodland in a secluded corner of the estate and you can’t drive up to them, so instead you leave your car at the ‘welcome suite’ and swap it for an electric buggy that’s yours for the duration of your stay. It makes the arrival even more fun, and as we zipped along the track we felt as if we were heading off on a remote wilderness adventure.
After a grin-inducing 10-minute ride we pulled up outside ‘Muntjac’, our home for the next couple of days. Named after the deer that roam the area, it sits on a stilted platform that juts out over a slope, with a wraparound deck that seems to float among the trees.
Inside it’s pared-back but far from basic, with exposed timber walls, lots of soft textures, a smattering of modern art, and a muted palette of beiges, greens and greys that reflects the woodland setting. There’s an open-plan living room with a sofa, a dining table and a smart wooden kitchen; a large bedroom with a super-kingsize bed and lots of clever storage; a tiled bathroom with a rain shower over the tub; and a handy boot room for coats, bags and shoes. Throughout, floor-to-ceiling picture windows mean you feel part of the landscape, and there are further nods to nature in the gnarled wooden benches, linen cushions, sheepskins and hessian-covered pendant lights. There are also Smart TVs, super-fast WiFi and Netflix – here, secluded doesn’t mean off-grid.
Keen to make the most of the beautiful weather, we headed straight out to the deck, where there are cushioned easy chairs, a bistro table and even an outdoor bathtub for alfresco soaks. Snuggled under blankets, we spent a happy hour sipping the bubbly we’d brought with us as the light slowly faded, before retreating inside for dinner and a lazy evening of reading on the sofa.
I’m not going to pretend I then slept like a log, because insomnia and chronic pain mean I don’t sleep particularly well anywhere. But I was comfy and content, and it was a joy to lie awake listening to the graceful calls of a nearby owl rather than the night-long drone of city traffic. And come morning, we peeled back the curtains to find a wonderful surprise: snow! We spent a while watching the flakes dance outside the window from the warmth of bed, but eventually I couldn’t resist throwing a coat over my pyjamas and wandering outside to revel in that muffled stillness that only newly fallen snow can create.
The snow had largely melted away by the time we finished breakfast (a spread of freshly baked bread, butter, marmalade, coffee and orange juice that was waiting in a hamper when we arrived), but it was replaced by gorgeous golden light and so we set off to explore the estate. Inhabited since the 1180s, Cowdray is centred around the ruins of a Tudor manor house which burned down in the 18th century – an eerily beautiful sight, especially when the low winter sun hovers behind its ramparts. It’s also home to a golf club, polo fields, therapy rooms and a cafe where we tucked into a lunch of butternut-squash soup and mushroom burgers. There’s even a farm shop where you can pick up delicious local food – and, should you want to make self-catering as easy as possible, pre-prepared meals that you just pop in the oven.
Once we returned to the treehouse, Chris decided to take the buggy out for another spin while I enjoyed a long wallow in the outdoor bathtub. It’s strategically placed to capture the view without being visible from the other treehouses – and, as it’s plumbed into the mains, there’s no waiting around for hours for a wood-fired stove to warm it to a bearable temperature. Perfectly happy with my book and a glass of wine, I found myself topping up the hot water several times before finally emerging for evening board games and another cosy dinner.
We awoke on our final morning to be greeted not by more snow, but a sight just as beautiful: a layer of frost sparkling on the branches and leaves beneath a rose-tinged dawn sky. Despite the cold, we once again felt the pull of the outdoors and wrapped ourselves up in blankets to have our morning coffee on the deck.
And so our stay at TreeHouse Retreats ended much how it began: savouring the magic of the woodland setting and the nature around us. I’m sure every season brings its own beauty, and I can imagine it makes for a wonderful escape during spring and summer, but I can’t think of a better time to visit than the colder months. For cosy relaxation in a winter-wonderland setting, it’s pretty hard to beat.
Stays at TreeHouse Retreats start at £585 for two nights. If you’re bringing children, extra beds and baby cots can be added to three of the treehouses, and dogs are welcome in all of them. Find out more and make a booking here.
All photography by Abi Dare
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