A luxury eco Tree house stay on the edge of the Peak District
If you’re looking for a unique, beautiful and luxury eco tree house on the edge of the Peak District then I have you covered.
Wild Hive at Callow Hall is the ultimate place to stay, with luxury eco tree houses or beautiful designed bedrooms in the main hotel.
I arrived at Callow Hall at the very end of my 1000 mile hike across every national park in England. It decided to rain for my final few miles, in true British style. I had to walk through flood water and traipse across muddy fields before making it to the final road and up to Callow Hall.
There I had family, friends and colleagues from the Peak District Foundation waiting to cheer me to the finish line. Cookie and I were shattered, but so humbled by everyone who had come to greet us and welcome us across the finish line.
I honestly can’t think of anywhere I would rather have ended my hike. It was a beautiful location and building and the absolute luxury I wanted after so long on my feet. Needless to say I discarded my mud filled boots by the door and Cookie and I went into their Dovedale Room to celebrate our achievements.
Callow Hall has been lovingly restored to the highest standard with the most beautiful decor at every turn. They have 15 bedrooms inside the hotel and several wooden ‘hives’ and ‘treehouses’ built on stilts in the wood just up from the hotel. The gorgeous glass extension is home to their gorgeous restaurant and they have restored barns which include a map room, a yoga room and a spa treatment area.
I absolutely loved it here and only wish I could have stayed longer.
I was gifted a one night stay in one of their hives to celebrate the end of my fundraising Walk in the Parks, but as always everything is my honest opinion.
A luxury eco Tree house stay on the edge of the Peak District
Why The Wild Hive is a special place to stay
The Wild Hive is a truly special place to stay, not just because of its picturesque location and building, but because of its uniqueness and commitment to sustainability.
We stayed in one of the ‘hives’ or small treehouses. Built just up from the hotel, you can choose to walk down for dinner and breakfast or call for a lift in one of their on site golf buggies. It was certainly special to be picked up for dinner and taking back to the front door of the hotel.
Each hive is self contained, with en suite shower room, big comfy bed and all the mod cons you might want, including a fancy telly, espresso machine and even a little built in kitchen in a cupboard.
The hives also have indoor and outdoor seating areas and a selection of magazines and books to read too. The bathroom is filled with 100 acre products and despite staying in a wood the water is powerful and everything was top level luxury.
Some of the hives are also dog friendly, which meant Cookie got to enjoy some luxury too, including a big comfy dog bed and treats.
Ensuring sustainable and ethical decisions has been paramount to founders Ed and Charles from the offset, finding locally sourced ethical furniture, artwork and cleaning products. The hives are even made from reclaimed pallets from a local sawmill.
The restaurant at the Wild Hive, Callow Hall
The restaurant puts sustainability at its heart too. They work to seasonal menus and purchase everything possible from local suppliers. They have such close relationships they even use their own reusable container to transport food to save on packaging. The kitchen also works to keep waste to a minimum and have their own kitchen garden producing herbs, salads and vegetables.
They also have their own bees on site providing their own honey.
The main restaurant isn’t dog friendly, but they set us up in the lounge area so we could eat with Cookie by our side. The dinner menu was mouthwatering and I went for a steak as a special post hike celebration.
We headed back to the same spot for breakfast and were treated to more delicious treats to start the day. The first time I had worn anything but two changeable outfits in months! What a treat!
Alongside their main lunch and dinner menu The Garden Room also have a ‘snap’ menu for more relaxed dining in their lounges and an afternoon tea menu too.
Just writing this is making me want to book a return visit!
The best walks near the Wild Hive, Callow Hall
The Wild Hive is set on the edge of the Peak District a short drive from Ashbourne. It is set in its own 35 acres of lush ground and woodland. Here are a few of my favourite walks near Callow Hall
- For an easy post dinner or breakfast stroll then you can stay within the grounds and take one of the walks they recommend through their wild meadow fields or up into the woodland near the hives. Visit their on site orchard or enjoy a quiet moment next to Bentley Brook.
- Chatsworth House is a short drive away and there are plenty of shorter and longer walks that take in the sites of this magnificent house and grounds. If you’re visiting in September make sure you visit the Chatsworth Country Fair or at Christmas their Christmas Market is incredible.
- Dovedale is super close, you could walk there or drive to the Dovedale carpark and drive from there. This is my final day hike route which took me through Dovedale
- If you fancy using Wild Hive as the start of end point of a hike across the whole of the Peak District then you can find my full route on Komoot on the image link below
Check out my hiking routes across all 10 national parks in England
I cannot recommend a visit to the Wild Hive at Callow hall enough. It is an absolutely gorgeous place to visit, whether you want to explore the surrounding area or just stay put squirrelled away in a woodland hive. I will definitely be returning!
