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Getting lost in the woods: The Cotswold hotel that puts you up and in the trees

James Fisher

At TreeDwellers, creator Tim Rees has attempted to create a luxury experience in the woodland canopy in which you can switch off and reset. His elegant idea has been executed with aplomb.

If you go down in the woods today, you’re sure of a big surprise. Thankfully, in the woods near Charlbury in the Cotswolds, that surprise is not bears. Rather, it is a village within the trees, known as TreeDwellers, where you can leave your earthly agonies behind and rise into a canopy of relaxation.

Opening at the end of summer, the project has been something of a labour of love for founder Tim Rees, who has spent more than seven years trying to get the project off the ground (10ft off the ground, if we are being literal). But off the ground it now is, in the form of seven tree houses dotted through the thousand-year-old woodlands of the Cornbury Estate.

The woodlands of the Cornbury Estate make for an enchanting setting. Credit: George Fielding

Nature versus nurture is the motto here. How best to appreciate the glories of our countryside, while also re-charging in luxury. There is a balance, and that is what TreeDwellers aims to deliver. You have your treats: hot and cold water, a beautiful comfortable bedroom, a working kitchen and even a Sonos sound system. But the real temptation is outside, to sit among the trees and just listen. Listen to yourself and the world around you. And then hop in an enormous bath. Or fire up the log burner. A rustic rural cleanse for the soul and body.

And it works. The treehouses have been impeccably designed; half-eaten donuts with plenty of windows so that even when lying in bed you can watch the woodpeckers wallop the surrounding woodland.

The linear living space makes the most of its woodland setting, 10ft above the ground. Credit: George Fielding

Few better views to wake up to. Credit: George Fielding

The beauty of its location is only matched by the things you can do when you decide to return to the ground level. Tim has set up communal spaces in the forest, including an enormous ‘forest megaphone’ in which you can sit and absorb the sounds of nature: a leaf turning in the wind, the sway of a faraway branch, perhaps even a deer browsing a bush. There’s a lot of room for mindfulness throughout, if you’re into that kind of thing. Meditation, yoga classes, all the staples of 21st century wellness are on site, should you need them. Available, but not enforced, which is nice.

I take my natural medicine in the form of a walk. There are plenty of footpaths extending from the property to take you around this AONB. The local village of Finstock even has a fantastic pub, the Plough Inn, in which I may have eaten the best cooked chips of all time.

The UK’s first forest megaphone.

Perhaps most exciting of all is the price. The modern British ‘staycation’ is no longer a cheap alternative to going abroad. But at TreeDwellers, for £220 a night, you can effectively have your own suite or apartment in the trees, in a part of the nation not usually known for its competitive pricing.

It’s a welcome escape: from lights and bustle and concrete, but without too much sacrifice. Something new and beyond the traditional country house hotel or inn. Most importantly, there are few things nicer than waking up and being surrounded by nothing but trees. 

James Fisher is the deputy digital editor of countrylife.co.uk. He lives in London but occasionally leaves.