Elmley

Spent a very enjoyable, comfortable few days at Elmley Cottage for a friend's birthday. An ideal spot to get away from it all and connect with nature. Great for wildlife watching too. Highly recommended.

Stayed in a Shepherd's hut for 3 nights. Great adventure as first time we've stayed in a shepherd's hut. It's incredibly special here as we were in the middle of a nature reserve so surrounded by wildlife. Did our own cooking in the camp kitchen which was fine. Log burner in shepherd's hut kept us very cosy. Bed super comfy & shower/bathroom had plenty of hot water, though as you would expect it's small. The walking wonder tour with Fiona was wonderful (we watched the rare red footed falcon) & the wildlife safari with Simon in a land rover was great. Learnt & saw so much from our knowledgeable guides. Loads of marsh harriers & barn owl hunting, hares, lapwings, marsh frogs - our list of sightings goes on and on. Our visit has been a magical & memorable experience - highly recommend.

We went as day visitors for a walk and to do some bird photography. I was fortunate to snap a Bittern in flight on the drive from the gate to the main lodge, see pics. It's really worth the trip but there are no food or drink facilities for day visitors which is a shame as this would be a real bonus. There is an enormous variety of birds for those patient enough to watch and wait. Worth a visit or preferably an overnight stay.