Escaping from a busy work life for a few days, or even a few hours, is something that many of us crave nowadays. ‘Slow living’ and finding some peace at an off-grid retreat in the countryside has gained even more popularity in recent years. In this blog we hear from Plankbridge Guest House hut owner Melissa, who decided to make this way of life a more regular part of her routine.
I grew up in South Gloucestershire with my parents and brother and left in my early twenties. Thirty-three years later I wanted to spend more time with my brother and my parents where I grew up and had so many happy memories. The location is magical, my brother and parents are rare tree growers and the nine acres is like a mini arboretum.
Although I was always welcome in my parent’s home, with three dogs (two of whom are large), I wanted to have my own permanent base, one where I could escape with the dogs and have some (almost) off-grid time. A shepherd’s hut was the answer.
I looked into a number of shepherd’s hut companies, but after visiting the Plankbridge workshop and meeting co-founders Richard and Jane it was clear that Plankbridge were the industry experts and the quality of the huts were second to none. A Guest House shepherd’s hut was perfect, and the fact that I only had to choose paint colours was a dream for me. I am not one who has a ‘design eye’ so having the Plankbridge experts to advise on colours etc was fantastic – Head of Sales Kate was incredibly knowledgeable and supportive.
In the end I did opt for one bespoke feature – as this shepherd’s hut was for me and the dogs, and although I love my dogs, I did not want them on the bed so I discussed with Richard having the bed raised, so the dogs could not get onto the bed.
It also turned out that it was my hut that went to RHS Chelsea Flower Show in 2025 as part of Plankbridge’s annual exhibit. So in May 2025 I put on my glad rags to see the finished article, a few weeks before it arrived on site. It was an exciting moment seeing the finished shepherd’s hut, with visitors cooing over the finish and the design. I was secretly rather smug knowing it would be with me in a few weeks time. Richard had even made me a custom dog bed for the space under the bed. This happened to be perfect timing as this was the same year that Monty Don had created his own Chelsea garden with many dog friendly touches.
A few days after RHS Chelsea Flower Show, I was camping with one of my dogs where the shepherd’s hut would later be positioned. We dug a shallow area for a concrete base, rather amusing as the day before I had been in my posh frock, the next day I was camping next to an old barn, between two ponds! The old barn had been the location for my 21st birthday thirty-two years earlier, this was where the hut would be, I really was coming back to my childhood home.
When the hut arrived, it surpassed all of my expectations and I love every second I spend there. A year on, it is almost fully operational as the location is so rural we initially had no water and limited electricity supply. This was something I obviously knew in advance, but it has made the experience even more special. First of all, I had the shepherd’s hut delivered, then I connected the water and a sewage system so could use the loo, a month later I got basic electricity and could turn the lights on and in the next few weeks a new electricity supply will mean I can use the water heater.
Every two weeks I go ‘hutting’. I am off-grid, albeit soon with hot water. But the peace and tranquillity for me and my dogs is something I cannot put into words. As a child I had ducks and geese, and the first time I arrived at the hut, two wild mallards had arrived. As I turn off the M5 the dogs know where we are going and start whining, they practically smile when the boot opens! I am across the lane from my brother, down the lane from my parents and back at my childhood home.
Life is simpler. It is just me, my husband, my kids and my dogs. My camera roll is full of the shepherd’s hut because each time I visit I notice something different in the fields – I watch the ponds change, the flowers change, the sounds change. My parents pop in for a cup of tea, my brother and his partner and my nieces pop round and we sit on camping chairs next to a fire. I live pretty rurally anyway, and I am always outside. I have a decent garden, but the simplicity of a shepherd’s hut allows me to breathe and concentrate on what is important.
My Plankbridge shepherd’s hut was the best money ever spent… and the dogs would agree!
- Find out more about our Guest House shepherd’s hut here
- Get in touch with our lovely team to find out more about our shepherd’s huts and discuss your ideas – enquiries@plankbridge.com 01300 348414
