Fifteen Years and Counting!

March 2025

Spring has arrived and we are getting the campsite ready to open for our fifteenth year! I can’t quite believe it is that long ago since we welcomed our first campers. At that time the washrooms weren’t built, so for the first year our visitors used Kingfisher Cabin for the loo and shower. The washroom building was in place for year two, and Kingfisher Cabin, which had lain empty for a few years, was made ready for guests. Several of our early visitors have returned year after year and we now count them as friends – we just have the best job in the world!

Back to Spring – isn’t it joyful to hear the birds singing? I watched a robin collecting dog hair from the veranda yesterday. He certainly had plenty to choose from with it being moulting time for our Shoto dog! But lovely to know some of that soft hair was going to line a little nest. I love the thought that Spring is the annual transition from survival to glory; it is so appropriate on a beautiful sunny day like today. I whinge about the rain, the fog and the grey days but I must admit I do cherish the changing of the seasons.

So what’s new this year? Well, the fridge freezer in the Elephant Shed had seen better days so we have replaced it with a larger fridge. No freezer I’m afraid but since it was mostly used to store freezer blocks (which were often forgotten!) we decided the extra fridge space would be more useful. I hope that won’t inconvenience anyone, but if it is a problem just have a word with me; we can usually find a solution. The other new addition is a fenced area at the front of Hawthorn Cabin. I promised that in my last newsletter, and Larry loves a project, so it is done. The addition of a gate and further fencing for Cherry Tree Cabin too means that all three cabins should now be Houdini-pooch proof!

 

 

Sadly I have to report that our little flock of ducks is no more. In spite of the electric fence I’m afraid they all fell prey to the local foxes. We had reared them from tiny so they didn’t have a duck Mum to teach them about predators. I know foxes have to eat and I know it’s the circle of life, but I wish they could have eaten someone else’s ducks. To try and find a positive, I suppose they were a bit quacky, and no doubt they made a very nourishing meal; not much consolation though is it? Anyway the result is that we have a duck house and a duck platform on the pond, but no ducks!

Prices: In spite of the fact that, in common with everyone else, many of our costs have risen again this year, we have decided to keep basic prices the same at £28 per night for a pitch. The only change to this is an extra £3 per night charge for a third person sharing a tent. We don’t allow more than three per tent so I hope this won’t be a hardship to anyone. The only other change is that Hawthorn Cabin is now £85 per night, up by £5. Cherry Tree Cabin and Kingfisher Cabin stay the same at £75 and £90, and logs and charcoal prices remain the same too.

I know many of our guests enjoy walking and visiting nature reserves, so it’s great news that Suffolk Wildlife Trust are establishing a new reserve nearby at Martlesham Wilds. Meanwhile, Trimley Marshes, also a Suffolk Wildlife Trust reserve, near Felixstowe, has a good walking route too. And if you are interested in walking or cycling generally we thoroughly recommend that you download the Discover Sufflok app. It is a really useful app with a great deal of information. We don’t have wifi on site but if you need it – as with most things – please just ask me! Otherwise you will find lots of maps and local knowledge in the Information Hut. There are so many lovely places to visit in the area – Larry and I really should get out more!

We open for the first May bank holiday on Friday May 2nd 2025, so there’s a lot of mowing, scrubbing, shop-stocking and spring cleaning going on in preparation just now. A quick reminder that we have availability calendars on the website so you can choose your dates then send us an online Booking Enquiry. We are so looking forward to seeing the camp fires, smelling the barbecues, catching up with friends and welcoming everyone again this year – sunshine not guaranteed but we’ll do our best!

Jen