Category: Businesses

Family Wildlife Stays

Treat your family or friends to a unique wildlife adventure in Sussex. It’s a chance to discover the wildlife we share the landscape with and to understand how it lives and what it needs to flourish.

We’ve teamed up with Secret Wildlife Festival expert, Michael Blencowe, to offer 24 Hours of nature immersion, for you and your family, or a small group of friends.

The trip follows our 24 Hours in Nature format and is accompanied with camping downtime where you can relax, cook and chat around the campfire. You can extend your trip either side of the 24 Hours and book extra nights.

Michael will accompany you and your family for 24 hours, during which time you will:

venture out on a guided walk through neighbouring woodland
set moth traps,
listen to and watch nocturnal activity including bats, owls and glow worms
set trail cameras to see who moves about at night
look for butterflies, snakes and other wildlife in and around the Secret Campsite
place harmless, small mammal traps and learn how they live
look for tracks and footprints from some iconic species in decline
enjoy a guided dawn chorus walk
place hedgehog tunnels to collect small mammal footprints

During your stay you will be based in your own camping space with full use of our new sustainably constructed Wash House. You will have sole access to the newly built, Hide, a timber framed, covered space where you can enjoy a campfire for cooking and relaxing

Family 24 Hours in Nature events start at midday on Day 1 and end 24 Hours later at midday on Day 2. You are welcome to extend your stay, either side of this, by booking extra nights at the campsite.

Prices start from £580 for 2 adults and 2 children for 2 nights camping including 24 Hours with Michael Blencowe

Find out more about our 24 Hours in Nature Family events, by contacting Tim

Remaining dates for 2023:

July 27-28th
August 10-11th
August 17-18th

24 Hours in Nature – Guided stays

Immersive new experience for businesses

Have you noticed how being outdoors, away from the office, usually brings you closer to elusive answers? For that matter, have you also noticed, that just a short time in nature is good for the whole human, the person and the professional?

At the Secret Campsite, we have created a peaceful new space, The Hide, where groups, who happen to be colleagues, can unite, free their minds and be inspired by the simple wonders of nature.

What Happens in 24 Hours

For 24 hours, your team (of 10-15 people) will be immersed together in nature.

You’ll be hosted by a wildlife expert who will introduce the group to a wide variety of species, active at the time of year, it could be snakes, moths, bats, mammals, butterflies or birds amongst many others

Groups will spend slow time on wildlife walks, set up trail cameras, small mammal and moth traps (for later release, unharmed), wonder at the uninterrupted dawn chorus, learn to identify the many unfamiliar nocturnal noises; be jointly mesmerised by flames in the evening fire circle, spot the glow worms and try out bat detectors.

Food and Drink

Simple, locally sourced food is provided, we cater for vegans, vegetarians, and a range of dietary needs, just let us know. This could include Spanish omelette garden salads, Spiced dahl, rice, curry, pakora and chutney, Overnight oats, fruits, yoghurt, nuts and seeds.

Tea, coffee and cordials will be available throughout the stay.

There will be an alcohol-free pay bar available during the evening. We have found that hosting alcohol-free events greatly enhances the experience for visitors and the local residents.

Accommodation

Sleep in one of our three Secret Shelters or pre-erected private bell (or hiking) tents, all with beds.

Each guest has their own raised frame bed (shelters have futons) and we can provide sleeping bags blankets and pillows if required

What people say

This was a great 24 hours our team loved it – and it was a real breath of fresh air! Happily speak to anyone who is considering this for their teams and share our experience!

Ollie Pendered CEO Community Energy South

Once its all over we’ll send you a short album of species seen and photographs of the event

Prices and how to book

Prices start from £220 per person, (for 10-15 people). Please contact Tim for more information, or to make a booking.

Alternatively, complete this form and we’ll contact you directly to discuss dates and your specific requirements.

24 Hours in Nature – Self Guided stays

Escape the boardroom, the conference centre or the pub, for a liberating stay in a unique space where creativity and collaboration can flourish.

What happens in 24 Hours

24 Hours in Nature is a chance for you and your team to talk in an unbounded space. Once here, the normal rules of meetings can be be put on hold, just for a while, as you develop new and innovative solutions to your work challenges. Or, perhaps just spend some downtime getting to know your work colleagues.

Walk through woods, sit by the river, or just chat around the campfire.

Cook over a campfire with your colleagues or enjoy locally sourced meals created for you and your team. But, you might just walk to a local pub.

Put up your own tents or if you’re busy, stay in one of our Secret Shelters, or a pre-erected Bell Tent

It’s a simple proposition and a unique way for teams to connect and embrace the freedom of the natural world. They’ll love you for it and it will add a new dimension to your teams thinking.

Prices and how to book

We charge our normal camping and Secret Shelter rates plus a one off charge for the use of the Hide, our newly built, covered campfire space.

You can enhance your stay with bespoke catering and accommodation set up for when you arrive.

For more information and to book your stay with us, please contact Tim or go online and book the dates you need. Please mention 24 Hours in Nature in the notes, to reserve your exclusive use of the Hide.

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