‘A bijoux shed on wheels that makes the New Forest affordable’
At the Spot in the Woods, Hampshire
It is said that Englishmen, from dukes to dustmen, love a shed. And the more time they can spend in said shed, the happier they are. Take my husband, who retreated to his “man cave” for pretty much the whole of lockdown.
And then there’s the chap who now owns the Spot in the Woods. At every house he has occupied, however capacious, the first thing he has done is to construct an A1 shed, plus accompanying Moroccan tent, in the garden. From this HQ, he tends his dahlias and enviable vegetable plot, and hosts (when unlocked) lunch parties that roll on into the evening and supper parties that roll on into the wee small hours.
When Christoph Brooke (whose Hillbrooke Hotels also include the William Cecil and Bull & Swan in Stamford, and the Master Builder’s in Beaulieu) took over the Spot in the Woods, on the fringes of the New Forest and Southampton, last autumn, the first thing he did – you guessed it – was to add some sheds. Well, sheds on wheels, aka bespoke shepherd’s huts to be precise. Before you could blink, there were five, clad in rustic larch, each in its own private flowery space.
I love the idea of staying at a laidback café with rooms and I, too, love a shed. Sensing a new kind of accommodation for visitors to the area in which I live, I was keen to try them out, but the last lockdown hit before I had the chance – and so it was to the Spot that I made a beeline on Monday.
It was deliciously comfortable, with a gorgeous, white-sheeted double bed (the cuddly hot-water bottle was a nice touch), bedside tables and touch lamps; bunk beds for kids that doubled up as sofas; well-equipped kitchenette with butler’s sink and spacious, luxurious shower room and loo. There was a television, radio, desk/dressing table with mirror and stool, and a faux wood-burner that’s actually electric. It was a tight squeeze getting past the bed but, that aside, my room was, to me, immaculately well-equipped and comfortable.
Should, for any strange reason, you not fancy one of its shepherd’s huts, the Spot in the Woods also has 11 spacious, attractive bedrooms – five with upper terraces. The previous owners refurbished the old Victorian house with the help of local craftsmen, including for the distinctive staircase, while the informal, relaxed dining room – now Kitchen Café – with picture windows on to a wide terrace and garden beyond, was modelled on California wine country restaurants.
The wine list may be appropriately short these days, but the unpretentious menu hits the spot. During the day it’s hugely popular, full of happy people tucking into brunch (perhaps Hampshire asparagus with brioche and poached egg), toasted sandwiches and classics such as burgers and sourdough pizza, with a kids’ menu as well. The meaty dinner menu, however, could do with lightening with some salads and the like.
I’m constantly asked for an affordable place to stay in the New Forest. Here it is – especially if you are partial to a shed.