The Reveal! Rewild Things at Elmore Court

They say all good things must come to an end, and whilst this is true of our feature series, this is merely the beginning for Elmore Court and Rewild Things’ brand new treehouses, which we’re delighted to say are officially open!

We were invited to stay for the weekend just ahead of their official launch in late May, and quite frankly, we didn’t want to leave. If you love nothing more than scouring Canopy & Stars, immersing yourself in nature, luxuriating in outdoor baths, and snaffling local, seasonal produce, then this is the place for you.

The treehouses are part of Elmore’s owner, Anselm, ’s desire to open the estate up even more, above and beyond for weddings, inviting guests to stay deep within nature and experience how rewilding can increase biodiversity and breathe positivity back into the environment.

If you’re interested in their rewilding plans, you can catch up on our previous features via the blog. We initially caught up with Team E a couple of times during the project’s progress to discuss the inspiration behind the build and see how they were getting on at the beginning of the year.

I’m still reeling (in a good way!) from our stay, so I am beyond thrilled to share all the details with you today. Here we go…

The Setting 

If you’re unfamiliar with Elmore Court, this beautiful estate and its vast grounds can be found tucked in a bend of the River Severn in Gloucestershire, on the edge of the Cotswolds. As you can probably imagine, it’s as pretty as a picture, and even the drive to Elmore, on a bright, sunny May day, down the winding country lanes with hedgerows foaming with cow parsley was a real treat.

There are six luxury treehouses, each benefitting from exceptional views across the young but already thriving wetlands beyond. Although positioned next to each other, the treehouses are set high in the canopy and almost entirely enveloped by trees on three sides, making them beautifully discrete and private from one another. We stayed in Adder, an exceptional, immaculate space perfectly designed for two. Although I had been anticipating this stay for a few weeks, I hadn’t done much research or snooping online beforehand, so everything was a complete surprise and a delightful one!

“Having been brought up in Africa with the great fortune to go on incredible safari trips, I was a nature fanatic as a child. Moving to Elmore made me realise that you don’t need to go to faraway places to get a nature ‘hit,’” says Anselm.

First Impressions

On arrival, we made our way along the winding boardwalk, which led to the front door of our treehouse. None of the established native trees were removed when installing each walkway, which explains why it feels like a relatively long and indirect route to get to your final destination. Still, I personally think this added to the magic! Once through the front door, we were welcomed (and pretty taken aback) by the contemporary, welcoming and super cool space. While still very much a beautiful, luxurious ‘cabin,’ you absolutely feel immersed in nature thanks to the inside/outside decking areas, the abundance of large windows allowing light to flood into every space, and, of course, the trees and wildlife that quite literally surround you.

The space is split into the cosy bedroom area, complete with a reading nook, wood burner, super stylish bathroom, and a small but perfectly formed inside kitchen, and the ‘outside’ areas, which include a covered outdoor kitchen and dining space (by Roshults – super cool and brilliantly thought out), an outdoor copper bath (how many baths is too many baths? Asking for a friend!), and the spacious deck which was home to the infamous brazier (want, need), and two snoozing chairs which, to be honest, we spend most of our time lounging in!

The interiors were designed by Anselm’s cousin, Tracey Boyd. I couldn’t help swooning over and snapping every detail from the earthy but polished colour palette to the refined cookware and the beautifully considered soft furnishings. While you could say that this is a Scandi-inspired space, it is not stark and impersonal. Beautiful splashes of colour, texture, and pattern have been injected to make the whole environment sink-into-me comfortable, informal, and incredibly inviting.

Food and Drink

As committed foodies, a hamper literally bursting at the seams with local produce and homemade treats is a very exciting prospect to my partner and I. Elmore, you outdid yourselves! There was baked on-site sourdough and shortbread, homemade lilac cordial, milk from the estate farm, and a bottle of organic prosecco (amongst many other things!).

Guests can pre-order items from the Rewild Things kitchen, which is what we did. The perfect welcome after a long drive – a delicious, restaurant-worthy meal prepared and left for you to cook/reheat/assemble at your leisure. We opted for the fresh pappardelle pasta with creamy wild mushroom sauce, which came with a homemade garlic baguette, seasonal salad, and a perfect portion of grana padano. I can safely say it’s one of the best pasta dishes I’ve ever eaten, and I’ve eaten a lot of pasta!

We ventured out on the second evening because we had pre-booked a table at The Woolpack Inn, located just outside Stroud. Don’t get me wrong, it was a fantastic place with sublime food (same kind of ethos – into it!), but I returned feeling slightly regretful not to have just hung out at the treehouse for that extra bit of time. I guess that’s what is so great about these spaces; head out and explore if you feel like it, but if you don’t want to, you really don’t have to. There really is more than enough to see, do and experience within your own little haven tucked amongst the trees.

More about rewild things

Anselm is one of an ever-growing circle of landowners in the UK who is well-versed in rewilding and regenerative farming, first introducing this way of land management in 2020. There is a deep commitment to focus on every element of the estate’s operation and operate as sustainably as possible.

Since 2020 actions taken to support this include:

• Rare breeds—The Reintroduction of rare breeds has already seen the arrival of 29 longhorn cattle and will include Tamworth pigs, red deer, and Exmoor ponies for grazing in the future.
• Wild Swim—Working with the Wildlife and Wetlands Trust at nearby Slimbridge, Elmore has been monitoring the health of the 2,700m2 (over half an acre) spring-fed lake, which is now used for wild swimming. Madam’s Pool is one of many that would have originally been scattered across the land by the River Severn and used to water ancient orchards. A wild swim and sauna or yoga and fitness retreat can now be booked at set times at rewildswimclub.com.
• Walled Gardens – The restoration of the estate’s original walled gardens which have already begun to produce a diverse array of seasonal produce now supplying events as well as the Rewild Things guest menu on the estate.
• Flourishing Floodplains – Approximately 23 acres of land in front of the treehouses are undergoing the transformation into a new wetland area, part of a nationwide project called Flourishing Floodplains which aims to encourage wildlife and native wildflowers to return to the area, restoring the Severn and Avon Vale floodplains to their former glory.
• Wildfarmed – Some land has been set aside for regenerative agriculture, which sees Elmore become part of the Wildfarmed project run by George Lamb and Andy Cato. This will see the production of Elmore’s own flour for bread from wheat grown, adopting the regenerative farming methods. The estate uses Wildfarmed flour for its in-house bakery and pastry kitchen.