I’d swear I felt the tensions of everyday life begin to melt away as soon as we began the two-mile drive that leads to Elmley on the Isle of Sheppey, the first privately-owned National Nature Reserve in the UK. We’d been welcomed at the gate and asked not to drive faster than 15 miles an hour – too many creatures en route that might otherwise be disturbed. Turned out this was exactly the case: we encountered hares, ducks and ducklings, a curlew and a swan and her cygnets before we even got to the parking area.
Georgina Fulton runs Elmley along with her husband Gareth, having taken over from her parents Philip and Corinne Merricks - pioneers 40 years ago in securing the site as both a family farm and an important hub for wildlife and biodiversity. This year, while continuing its vital conservation work, the family celebrates ten years since Elmley first welcomed overnight visitors to three on-site shepherds’ huts. Today, everything from huts, cabins and glamping tents to group stays in Elmley’s 17th-century Kingshill Farmhouse are on offer to those who come just for a night or two, to reconnect with nature or to enjoy specific experiences such as wildlife ‘safaris’, bird-watching excursions or courses in fauna and flora. I’d come, though (with my fortunate husband in tow), for a Nutrition in Nature stay. Explains Georgina, ‘Increasingly, we’re finding people want to tap into the wellbeing benefits of the wonderful setting here and the chance to reconnect with themselves by reconnecting with the natural world around them. They want some guidance, but they’re quite happy otherwise to enjoy their stay independently, without being part of any pre-organised group.’
The experience I’d selected began with a Zoom call when still at home with registered nutritional therapy practitioner, the delightfully down-to-earth Virginia Hills, who assessed a food diary I’d kept for her and gave me plenty of simple tips I’d not come across previously to help me achieve better quality sleep (surely at the top of the wish list of every 55-year-old woman) and to avoid the mid-afternoon energy slump, among them heading straight out into daylight for half an hour first thing in the morning to set the circadian rhythm for my day and being sure to include plenty of protein in my lunchtime diet: turns out I was eating too little of the stuff that would really sustain me– who knew? Virginia has teamed up with Katy Newton of Wasted Kitchen and local queen of fermented foods [profiled in Kent Life back in August 2021], so there was plenty of advice, too, on the benefits of adding gut-health-promoting foods to my diet and how to make them for myself. It all sounds straight-forward, but just the diary-keeping process itself and subsequent advice from Virginia served as a really effective re-boot, with follow-up notes waiting for me at The Roost, our Elmley accommodation, for me to consider during my stay. If it helped me, I can well imagine for anyone with specific nutritional needs or challenges, Virginia’s support could be a game-changer.
Adding to the sense of relaxation and battery-recharging was the full-body Healing massage I enjoyed at Elmley’s on-site wellness studio courtesy of Victoria Forster, who knows all about a discerning clientele having previously worked at The Pig at Bridge. Billed as a Healing Massage to release muscle tension and stress, I can honestly say it was one of the best I’ve ever had, with Victoria modifying her touch to work gently but effectively around a trapped nerve I was recovering from. I’d forgotten how invigorating (and surprisingly non-tickling) a really good foot massage can be, and I loved how scent became a key part of the process, with the chance to inhale both relaxing and energising aromatherapy oils at the start and finish of the treatment. Afterwards, I was delighted to learn that the range of Victoria’s expertise covers treatments for everyone from the pregnant to those living with or recovering from cancer.
Throughout the summer Elmley’s entire site tends to be booked out at weekends for weddings, and our mid-week visit was relatively quiet – we felt almost as if we had the whole 3,300 acres of the reserve to ourselves. Our completely private cabin, The Roost, was a gorgeous spot – vast windows meaning you could look out over grassland and the river from the considerable comfort of a capacious bed, with a sofa for relaxing on in front of the wood-burning stove and a small shower-room with loo - all very rustic-chic. Outside there was a little kitchen area with sink for anyone wanting a camping vibe, a generous deck with table and steamer chairs and – best of all – an outdoor bath. Lying in hot, bubbly water looking out across the glorious surroundings had to have been a highlight of our stay. You can make tea and coffee in the cabin (with fresh milk waiting in the mini fridge); at additional cost hampers can be brought to you at breakfast time, or on summer evenings there is freshly baked pizza to enjoy - or bring your own food.
Next morning, well fuelled after our breakfast of granola and a sandwich made from local bacon (with the crumbs devoured by our own friendly visiting moorhen), we headed for the hides and sat quietly watching a cacophony of common terns round the water. With the weather still warm, we walked to Elmley’s private tidal Cockleshell Beach to enjoy a dip in splendid isolation.
Would I recommend a stay at Elmley? Wholeheartedly – you couldn’t avoid the natural world and its beauty here if you wanted to (and why would you want to?), and the local staff we met were unobtrusive but friendly, helpful and clearly as enthused by life here as their visitors are. While we were fortunate to be able to enjoy one of early summer’s few lovely days, I can imagine a autumn or winter stay here – snuggled up in the Roost with the wood-burner glowing or toasting marshmallows on the deck’s firepit – would be every bit as life-enhancing. I returned re-energised and resolving not only to keep putting Virginia’s nutritional advice into practice (advice that’s already seen me lose some weight and sleep more deeply), but to appreciate anew the natural world in my own little bit of Kent. I might not have a vast reserve to enjoy, but the flora and fauna in my own little patch of garden should help me going until I’m next able to return to Sheppey…
Stays in a traditional hut at Elmley start from £155 per night; cabin rates (including The Roost) are from £221 per night, accommodation only. An additional £115 per person includes the consultation with Virginia and follow-up info; healing massage £90. Day-ticket entry cost £8 per adult, with a maximum of two accompanying children under 16 free). elmleynaturereserve.co.uk
Three things to take to Elmley
A bathing costume for that dip at Cockleshell beach
Binoculars for bird spotting – short-eared owls, lapwing and ducks galore were just some of those we saw on our visit.
An eye-mask if you’re sensitive to the light. Even with blackout curtains, you’re likely to wake with the dawn. We loved doing so, but if you’d prefer to sleep in, you might want to take your own additional measures!
