Quirky Stays is my summer of gently different adventures. Close to home, shaped by nature, creativity, and connection, and sparked by the need to make space after my world changed. First up, Honeydown.
This summer hasn’t unfolded quite as I’d imagined. The adventures we’d planned were interrupted when tragedy struck a couple of months ago. So instead, I’ve chosen to step away, just a little. To seek out corners of calm in unfamiliar places. Not to escape, exactly, or run away. But to make room for quiet, for breath, for being.
I’m calling it Quirky Stays – a series of short trips, each to somewhere a little out of the ordinary. Treehouses, cabins, converted carriages, caravans, tiny homes, hand-built shelters. Places shaped by nature and character, created with care. Not flashy. Just gently different.
These aren’t grand adventures. They’re not far from home, and never for long. I’m leaving space in each itinerary, doing my best to resist the urge to fill every moment. I’m trying to carve out time to notice the small things: a trail through the trees, birdsong threading through morning light, brightly coloured art on an otherwise grey wall.
Some stays will be tucked deep in the wilds, while others might sit closer to concrete and conversation. But wherever I go, I’ll seek out what grounds me – nature, yes, but also creativity, connection, and quiet joy. This is my personal commitment to wander softly, explore new places, and welcome stillness in whatever form it comes.
Each stay will offer something small but special. And through these little detours, I hope to find not just new landscapes, but new ways of seeing.
Quirky Stays 01 | Honeydown, Devon
As I’m sure you’ve already thought yourself thanks to the photos, my first Quirky Stay turned out to be a jackpot. Honeydown set the bar high with its woodland charm and off-grid elegance – it gets full marks for nature, novelty, and comfort. Maybe I should have started with something simpler and built up slowly… but no regrets. If anything, it felt like the perfect place to begin a series that’s all about finding quiet magic in unusual corners.
Honeydown hides just beyond Hatherleigh, a small village north of Okehampton in Devon. It is nestled in 15 acres of ancient woodland, the kind that hushes you into stillness – thick with oak and hazel and laced with ferns and fading bluebells occasionally stirred by the flick of a deer tail.
I chose Devon for this Quirky Stay deliberately. I wanted somewhere familiar in a way that felt reassuring. Dartmoor is where I first fell in love with hiking; its wildness taught me something about both awe and endurance from a very young age. This summer, I am leaning on walking to help steady me in ways I hadn’t thought I’d ever need. It’s become one of the tools I am using to move through grief. Visiting that landscape, just for couple of days, felt like circling back to something that had a childlike comfort. And it won’t spoil the rest of this journal entry if I tell you, it was so very good for me.
Watch the Video…
Here’s a short vlog from my stay at Honeydown. Come with me into the woods for a peek inside my truffle, see the off-grid setup, and how I spent my hours living forest life. I also take you along on a somewhat wild Saturday hike to the highest point and tor on Dartmoor, where the moorland breeze and wide horizons added their own kind of magic to the weekend. There’s a write-up on the route I took coming soon.
Thanks for watching! (Don’t forget to like and subscribe… you know the drill!)
My Honeydown Truffle
There are five truffle houses in the trees at Honeydown, each one carefully placed so you feel like the forest belongs just to you. No neighbours. No noise of people or traffic or industry. Just the soft rustle of the wind through the trees accompanied by birdsong, and maybe the crackle of your own firepit.
My truffle was a wooden dome that you might also describe as looking like an acorn, an armadillo, or maybe even a brown spaceship. Of Dutch design, these hand-built (by site owner John and his friend) cabins offer something beautiful that look like they grew in situ – sturdy, rounded, and strangely nurturing.
Not quite as big as a Tardis, but inside there was much more room than I was expecting to find. There was a solid bed layered in warm blankets, a hammock under a window for unhurried moments, a large table and a couple of chairs (which I’ll admit were probably not really designed for sitting on…), and a little log burner stacked ready to go. There’s no mains electricity, just a couple of battery-powered lanterns that make the wooden truffle glow amber.
Comfortable Touches
Outside, the setup was quietly impressive. A sheltered cooking area tucked into the trees housed a gas hob, a gas barbecue, a wood-fired pizza oven, and all the associated paraphernalia I needed to make tea and cook meals. Even the tea bags. There was also a fire pit, a hammock slung between trees, and for my particular truffle – I stayed in the one called Hush, a view out from the woodland across fields full of sheep.
My private shower room, a short walk down a woodland path, was simple but spotless – with hot water, eco toiletries, and just enough charm to make the morning routine feel like part of the adventure. I’d specifically chosen the truffle furthest away from this main block as I figured that would give me the most peace possible, but I needn’t have worried as it was quiet everywhere, all the time. It likely helped there was just one other truffle in use during my stay, but even with all five occupied, I imagine the only place you’d see others would be at the line of washing up sinks after breakfast each morning.
Everything was provided: bedding, towels, firewood (with extra available to buy), toiletries and washing up liquid, even books and board games for slower hours. There is no Wi-Fi at Honeydown, but I had decent enough phone signal – not that I reached for it often, but it is useful to have. Check-in was from 4pm, with a generous 11am check-out. The whole place felt thoughtful, more like a restful retreat than a rental transaction.
The Costs
I found Honeydown on Canopy & Stars, but booked directly through their own website – I try and book direct where possible as it’s good for the host and often comes cheaper or with additional perks. I paid £333 total for two nights (£166.50 per night), thanks to a last-minute discount the site owners offer.
This wasn’t a bargain break, I know that. You can find shepherd’s huts for far less. But Honeydown gave me something gently extraordinary – a stay that felt intentional, cared-for, and quietly luxurious in all the right ways. And definitely quirky. I’d go back without hesitation, and happily spend the money again. Sometimes, value isn’t about cost, it’s about how a place makes you smile, and how it leaves you feeling long after you’ve gone.
My weekend was self-catered. I took everything I needed with me, and thanks to there being a fridge per truffle, I knew I’d be able to keep my food fresh even in the heatwave. There’s a farm shop and café just down the lane, a Co-op about 15 minutes’ walk, and Okehampton a short drive away – so I wouldn’t have gone hungry if I hadn’t gone quite so prepared.
For all its rustic charm, Honeydown felt more curated than most glamping spots I’ve stayed in. There was a quiet professionalism to how things were set up: clean linens, towels hung, a well-designed outdoor kitchen, and the unexpected joy of not having to strip the bed before checkout. Like a hotel, but tucked under the trees. It offered the simplicity of off-grid living without the faff. I left feeling looked after, not just accommodated. And without offering any spoilers, I didn’t feel quite the same after my second Quirky Stay – which I will share soon.
The Dartmoor Detour
I didn’t fill my time at Honeydown with much. As you know, that was very much the point. But there was one thing I did plan in advance, and while it wasn’t the sole reason I chose Honeydown, it absolutely shaped my choice of Devon. You already knew I’d planned a hike – it’s my thing. I headed down onto Dartmoor to climb High Willhays and Yes Tor, the highest point and highest tor in the National Park. And it was wild.
By Saturday afternoon I was wind-whipped, rain-soaked, and smiling at the sheer stubborn joy of it. Invigorated in a way I hadn’t realised I needed – it was challenging, elemental, oddly cleansing. That walk will have its own blog soon, but for now, I’ll just say: sometimes it’s good to take on the weather and go anyway.
Woodland Rituals
Back at Honeydown, my time was gentle and slow, rooted in the rhythms of my little nature-based home. I read, wrote, slept, and ate.
I made use of the hammock and sank into The Way Through the Woods by Long Litt Wood. This was a gift from a friend, part of a care package that arrived with kindness and thought. It’s a tender, textured exploration of grief and the grounding power of nature. I’m a slow reader when it comes to turning pages, but this book welcomed that pace, especially in a setting where the woodland seemed to echo its words.
I wrote too, although not in the hammock. I used the picnic table instead. Nothing polished, just thoughts spilled out beneath the trees, stirred by birdsong and the quiet clink of my teacup.
Alfresco Everything
I ate every meal outside, making use of that excellent camp kitchen. If I ever live somewhere with enough private outdoor space, I’d absolutely set up an alfresco kitchen of my own. Cooking and eating outside feels simple, spacious, and real.
My friend Sarah had suggested I used the wood fired pizza often to create a truffle-topped pizza to match the truffle cabin, and she was absolutely onto something. But this trip wasn’t about elaborate plans, and home-made pizza was just too much for me to manage on this occasion. Instead, I arrived with past-Zoe’s lovingly prepped dishes, reheated over the gas hob and accompanied by tortilla chips and cheese. Mmmmm cheese…!
That said, I did bring something truffle-related: Lindt Lindor Pistachio Chocolate Truffles (the pale green ones), perfect with the copious cups of Devonshire tea I drank. This immediately and officially became a Quirky Stays ritual: pairing each trip with a chocolate treat that matches the mood and the setting. A little indulgence to root each adventure in its own flavour. Because tiny joys matter.
Reflections on my Quirky Stay at Honeydown
It was only two nights – a blink, really. But I filled it with stillness and small joys, and somehow left feeling like I’d stretched time in the best possible way.
Of course, I could’ve read, walked, written, and sipped tea anywhere, without spending money on a random cabin in the woods. But there was something quietly extraordinary about this place. Maybe it was the truffle itself: rounded, rooted, gently welcoming. Maybe it was the forest, wrapping around me like a soft hug. Or maybe it was something I carried in with me – something tragedy has stirred in me: a need for rest, reconnection, and a slower rhythm. Honeydown met that with grace.
For just 42 hours, I was held in stillness. Surrounded by trees. Invited to be present with my grief – not to explain it or fix it, but simply to sit alongside it. That was the point of this first Quirky Stay: choosing an unusually shaped cabin tucked into the woods, and falling back on the grounding things I know help. Getting outside. Leaning into nature. Making space for small connections, both with myself and the world around me.
This trip reminded me that quiet restoration is enough. That gentleness matters. And that sometimes, the most nourishing moments are the ones that ask nothing of us at all.
The next stay? It couldn’t be more different. But that linking thread – the intention to seek softness and notice deeply – will carry me there too. And if you liked the video I made of this one, I’ll make one for that adventure as well…
Quirky Stay at Honeydown: Fact File
Name: Honeydown
Location: Hatherleigh, near Okehampton, Devon.
Type of Stay: Glamping cabin in the woods (wooden pod).
Features: Private woodland setting, cute hand-built cabin, silence.
Facilities: Large off-grid cabin with log burner, well equipped outdoor camp kitchen (next to cabin), private shower room with flushing loo (away from cabin), outdoor firepit, lantern lighting.
Best For: Nature retreat, quiet solo recharge, off-grid escape.
Sleeps: Two adults.
Cost: From £137.50 per night (I paid £166.50 per night for a Friday to Sunday in July).
Booking: Canopy & Stars | Own Website
