There were many things I could have given my wife as a present for our fifth “wood” wedding anniversary – a chopping board, engraved cedar hearts, some timber furniture for the front room. Instead, I went on to cottages.com and found something truly special: a weekend break in a treehouse.
I kept it as a surprise until our visit last November. The arrival was spectacular enough: Bensfield Treehouse, in the East Sussex countryside near Wadhurst, was sheathed by stunning golden browns and red late-autumn foliage. My wife, Melanie, stepped on to the treehouses’s wobbling I’m A Celebrity-style rope bridge, looking a little confused. But the second she walked inside the front door, it was clear I couldn’t have chosen a better present: there was a fully-fitted kitchen, roll-top bathtub on the sundeck and a giant mature oak tree shooting up in the middle of the room. I’ve been in her good books for months since.
We were there for two nights, and we couldn’t have needed the break more. In the past 11 years, I’ve been diagnosed with cancer three times. In 2012 and 2014, I overcame two separate bouts of head and neck cancer. Then, a few years after that, I got lung cancer. The ill health eventually forced me to retire early from my job as a prison officer, a profession I’d worked in for 27 years. But there was a positive: my partner and I decided to marry after 30 years together, and now appreciate life in different ways. For example, there’s a beautiful country road near where I live in Leighton Buzzard. I used to speed down it every day; now, I slow down and take in the scenery.
Soaking up the wonders of nature and not worrying about the outside world was something I was determined to do on our treehouse break. Since Covid hit, my 95-year-old mother, who is blind, has been living with us. Sadly, it means we rarely get time to ourselves. Yet, as soon as I stepped inside the treehouse, I felt relaxed. The stresses of the world just disappeared.
It certainly helped that the treehouse had luxuries that Tarzan could only dream of: fluffy robes and slippers, a fully-fitted kitchen including a dishwasher, central heating, plus a smart TV with Netflix and Amazon Prime (not that we had time for TV). And then there was the stylish copper bath on the balcony. I was tempted to run it at 11pm on a cold November night, and gaze at the sky, but had visions of being accidentally locked out and shivering until morning.
The treehouse owners left a hamper with locally sourced sausages, bacon, tomatoes, bread, fresh milk and mince pies. They’d baked the bread themselves, rather than grabbing a loaf of Hovis from a nearby Tesco. I was able to sleep on the comfiest bed I’ve had for years. In fact, I slept so soundly, I didn’t hear the birds chattering in the trees in the morning. Other wildlife did visit the treehouse though: owls twit-twooing in the night, squirrels on the sundeck.
By day, we explored the local area: the village of Mayfield and its windmill, beautiful medieval buildings and pretty high street; and the cafes and cake shops of Royal Tunbridge Wells. Many of these are in the Pantiles, the historic colonnaded walkway that’s home to lots of independent shops. There was also a great local pub near the treehouse – although if you are tempted “to have another”, remember you still have the rope bridge to navigate. One tip: keep your valuables such as car keys in your pocket when on the bridge. There’s a pond directly below, so if you drop them, you’ll probably never see them again.
My wife and I were only in the treehouse for two nights, but we could have stayed for two months. Even if it poured with rain, it wouldn’t matter: we’d be happy sitting on the balcony, getting food delivered, and appreciating the surrounding countryside. After the last 10 years, to not have to worry about things for a few days was bliss.
This November, it’s our sixth wedding anniversary, which is iron. I’m already racking my brains: could we stay in Ironbridge in Shropshire? An apartment in a converted ironworks? Erm … the West Ham football ground (they are “the Irons” after all)? Given the range of properties on cottages.com, I can guarantee I’ll find the answer somewhere on its website.
To book a stay in the Bensfield Treehouse, or to find your perfect holiday cottage, go to cottages.com
