Sherwood Pines Enjoys its First Season with Camping in the Forest

We’re delighted to be working with Sherwood Pines to create a Camping in the Forest site that is accessible, sustainable, and maintains the integrity of the forest.

Camping in the Forest is a partnership site between the Camping and Caravanning Club and Forestry England. It has 15 sites across England and Scotland and its goal is to deliver a unique and inclusive roster of campsites where visitors can sleep amongst the trees, creating a truly memorable experience.

The project itself was to develop Sherwood Pines Forest Park with a 200 pitch touring caravan and camping site. The site includes:

• Hardstanding and grass pitches
• Glamping pods
• A reception building
• An amenity building
• 2 ancillary WC/shower pods
• Staff facilities
• A maintenance and storage compound

Planning permission for this project was refused before we came onto the scene because the initial proposal came with ecological challenges, as well as problems with the visual impact on the site’s surroundings.

Working with the Trees

The HPA team visited the Sherwood Pines plot and thoughtfully put a proposal together that made sure our pitch designs would be sensitive to the trees in the forest and be ecologically sound.

We worked with the existing trees to understand their characters, spans and needs so we were able to design responsibly within the site’s existing clearings. As a result, we have created a number of small areas that have their own character, but aren’t immediately seen as guests enter the site. This helps to soften the visual impact so that the beauty and experience of the existing forest aren’t compromised.

The new buildings have been carefully designed so that they fit in with the look and feel of the existing on-site Visitor Centre. We also installed solar panels on the amenity block for water and space heating.

For accessibility, we’ve made sure that the reception desk is partially lowered for wheelchair users, all door furniture and plug sockets are at accessible heights, and 1010 mm door frames were used for all rooms in the on-site buildings. Two accessible WCs and shower rooms have been built into the amenity building and all of the buildings are single-story with a level access threshold.

This project is testament to our development relationships with arboricultural and ecological specialists, ambitiously creating spaces with a positive legacy.

The popularity of this site has seen record bookings since its opening, and we are now assisting with plans to expand and extend the season throughout the Winter and Spring.

We have decades of experience in designing touring caravan sites, including our 30 years of working with the Caravan and Camping Club, as well as many other sites across the UK.

Discover the Sherwood Pines Campsite by clicking here.

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