We want Woodfire to be a relaxing experience – camping is a holiday, after all. We know just how important good facilities such as showers and toilets are and so we have built ours to be as comfortable as possible. Woodfire has hot showers, washing up sinks and nice (compost) loos. The water for everything on the campsite is the purest natural springwater, taken from deep underground.

Our facilities are designed to be as environmentally friendly as possible – camping is about living lightly on the land for a few days, enjoying the environment that surrounds you while making as little impact as possible.

Hot showers and washing-up

On our paddock, we are very lucky to have access to the purest water from the farm’s borehole, but once we have used it we need to  dispose of it without causing harm to the environment. Living in one of the driest places in Britain, we also try to save as much water as we can. The used water produced on site from the showers and washing up is recycled by a system that uses gravel and microorganisms to filter and clean waste water so it can safely soak away to the surrounding land.

We have instant hot showers and roomy cubicles with hooks, benches and mirrors. The showers are open from 8-10am and 5-7pm each day to minimise the amount of water we use.

We have a covered washing-up area with three sinks, with hot water from 8-10 and 5-8. We provide eco-friendly washing-up liquid.

Lovely loos

Wherever possible, we try to recycle and reuse. Our compost toilets turn something that is usually a waste product into a rich compost that helps things grow, making them both practical and beautiful!

The key to keeping compost toilets smell-free is by separating liquids and solids. All our toilets are designed to do this when you sit down. However, we know that men sometimes forget, so we also have urinals. These, along with putting down sawdust after each ‘go’ and good ventilation ensures our lovely loos stay smelling fresh!

Power

We are deep in the South Downs National Park, which is a ‘dark sky preserve’. To maintain this, we do not have electric hook-ups onsite. The camp kitchen does have a small power supply and you are welcome to use the charging points in the camp kitchen for free.

Stunning structures

The four wooden structures on our paddock have all been built by the wonderful David Watson of Creative Coppice Products, also based on the Westerlands Estate. Dave worked for a long time with woodsman and eco-builder Ben Law (of Grand Designs fame), and is an expert in the tradition of round-wood timber framed buildings.

He coppices all his wood locally from sustainably-managed native broadleaf woodlands and runs several educational courses throughout the year, including Coppice Management, Green Woodworking and Roundwood Timber Framing, sometimes taking volunteers to learn on projects.

If this is something that interests you, you can contact him through his website, or pop in for a chat while you’re camping!

https://www.creativecoppicecompany.co.uk/

Waste and recycling

We have facilities for both of these as well as a composting bin for food waste by the washing-up sinks which is added to the farm’s kitchen garden compost.

Village shop

Jeeva and Vasu run the friendly Graffham Village Shop, which is well-equipped with everything you could need for your stay. It also runs a small cafe with teas, coffees, delicious cakes and home-made samosas.

http://www.graffhamvillageshop.co.uk/