Blog: The story of how the Fire & Stars campsite began as part of the National Forest’s plans
Fire & Stars director Matt Cropp reveals the beginnings of the campsite and the driving factors behind creating a woodland space that can be enjoyed by as many people as possible - just the way the National Forest wanted it to be.
Fire & Stars director Matt Cropp explains how the woodland began
Did you know that Fire & Stars Woodland Camping site in situated right in the middle of the National Forest?
We are in an amazing position with our near 50-acre site playing host to around 50,000 trees that were planted as part of the National Forest’s plan to develop an area that spans 200 square miles across the Midlands.
That is a seriously ambitious plan! But they are making a great job of it so far and we are lucky enough to be involved.
Our Nethercott Wood site emerged out of farmland and, I believe it used to be an old dairy farm, which the trees were planted on about 15 or 16 years ago.
Enjoy the space
When the woodland was originally planted all of those years ago, the National Forest were keen to encourage people to come into the woodland as soon as they could.
They didn’t just want a load of trees being planted and left to their own devices. They wanted people to come and enjoy the space and make the most of it.
By taking on the land and converting the space into a campsite that we are very proud of so far, we are carrying out their wishes and encouraging people to come and visit this woodland – and have some fun while they are here too.
There is no point having this wonderful woodland space if people are not going to visit it, connect with nature and enjoy the environment that both we, and the National Forest, are trying to create.
We have opened the space up after years of hard work, maintenance and due diligence and, through our woodland camping, are allowing people to come in and pay a fee which enables us to go on maintaining the current site and open up new areas to more visitors in our plans for the future.
Pitch a tent
Not only can people enjoy nature as it’s meant to be enjoyed but they can also pitch a tent, light a fire and sit round having great family times.
Each of our individual camp sites are spread out well because we want to give our visitors their own privacy when they come to stay with us.
In the middle of each camp site is a fire space with a stone circle in which people can light a fire that won’t leave a scar on the landscape.
We have a wide mixture of hedgerow – and trees too with ash, oak, cherry and silver birch. There’s also a lot of willow, hawthorn and other native species.
Lots of wildlife come in and enjoy the area.
I’m proud to say that I don’t think there is anything like our site for miles around, certainly in the Midlands.
There are some exciting times ahead.
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