Wild Spaces
Restoring habitat. Growing biodiversity. Being in nature.
Wild Space for Wildlife and People
at Top of the Woods
Despite small increases, UK woodland cover remains low, and much of it is not in strong ecological condition.
Woodland now covers around 13.5%* of the UK, well below much of Europe, which ranges between 31%-46%**. Many habitats remain fragmented or under pressure, even as awareness grows about the role trees and biodiverse landscapes play in climate resilience, flood management, soil health and human wellbeing.
At Top of the Woods, our 27-acre eco-luxury camping and glamping site in Pembrokeshire, Wales, we cannot change the national picture, but we can care for the land and wildlife here. From the start, Jon and I felt the responsibility of what that means and what sustainable camping and glamping should look like in practice.
We were not experts, but we knew we wanted to create a space where guests could stay in nature and wildlife could thrive alongside them. We didn’t want to simply conserve what was here. We wanted to enrich it and manage it in ways that improve soil health, avoid chemicals and support biodiversity.
Over a decade on, our values have not changed. There is much we cannot influence out there, but here at Top of the Woods we can choose how we care for this place, learning as we go, with nature as our teacher.
* Woodland Trust 2025
** United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Global Forest Resources Assessment. & Forest Research
Every Stay Contributes to Growing Wild Space
For every guest who stays with us, whether for camping, glamping, a group celebration or a corporate retreat in nature, we plant a tree and support nature-based projects.
We have dedicated around 85% of the land to nature, with only a small proportion used for accommodation and facilities. That low-volume approach is intentional. It creates space. Space for wildlife to thrive and space for guests to breathe.
Keeping guest numbers carefully balanced means there is room for native plants and food sources to grow, for birds, insects and mammals to make their home, to feed and to shelter, and for the land to regenerate.
And you experience it with more wildlife, more birdsong and more room to think and rest in nature.
How Our Wild Space Shapes Your Stay
When you stay at Top of the Woods, you are not just visiting a campsite or a nature retreat. You are stepping into a living & evolving landscape. We cannot claim we have transformed the land, but I believe we can say we have created a space that is more resilient & welcoming to different types of wildlife.
Our Piggie Crew: Regenerative Grazing and Land Wilding
We are allowing parts of the site to regenerate using wilding principles. That means stepping back and letting nature lead, with our piggie crew playing their part with their regenerative grazing as part of our biodiversity-led land management.
Through their foraging & rooting they create pockets of different types of habitats for insects & invertebrates which invites more biodiversity opportunities, encouraging more diverse food sources for wildlife.
As a guest you will see more bats, birds, insects and mammals creating a richer nature experience for your holiday or retreat stay.
The Wild Spaces Trail at Our Campsite
Over the years we noticed some guests hesitated to explore the wilder parts of the site, unsure whether they were meant to enter them. So we created a one-mile nature trail at our campsite, inviting guests to enjoy the full 27 acres without negatively impacting wildlife.
The Wild Spaces Trail winds through our camping and glamping meadows at Top of the Woods, the new guest woodland and alongside 325 acres of ancient woodland. Children can explore safely, families can follow our nature quizzes without getting back in the car, and guests can use the trail for a morning run, an evening dog walk or bat spotting at dusk. Company groups often use it for walk-and-talk sessions while learning about our rewilding projects.
Wild Spa & Wildlife Garden
The Wild Spa was created to recognise that everyone needs time in nature and time to focus on wellbeing.
With the rejuvenating benefits of hot and cold therapy set in an inspiring and relaxing landscape, a wood-fired sauna with outdoor rainforest showers and a wildlife pond sit within regenerating habitat rather than apart from it. The wildlife pond creates serenity for sauna users and provides a rich habitat for many of our native birds, insects, reptiles and mammals.
This is an adult space designed for our guests to reset through self-care in nature, feeling the elements against their skin as they look over vistas of the Pembrokeshire National Park.
Guest Woodland & Living Willow Garden
Over the past decade, we have planted over 4,000 trees on site at Top of the Woods, on site in Pembrokeshire. As our woodland areas have matured, new planting now also supports off-site nature restoration projects, extending that impact beyond our 27 acres.
When you stay with us, you directly contribute to that work, supporting habitat restoration and ongoing tree planting in Wales and beyond.
It may be small in the context of the wider UK landscape, but it is real. It is tangible. And it continues year after year.
Forest Garden & Farm Garden
We are planting tree and shrub layers across the site with fruit, nut, edible, medicinal and fuel plants, including varieties of cherry, plum, hazelnut, walnut and sweet chestnut, alongside shrubs such as currants, jostaberries and raspberries.
It is a living system designed to benefit wildlife and people together. Over time, this layered planting strengthens biodiversity and resilience across the land.
Our farm garden, with its raised beds made from repurposed barn roofs sheets from the campsite, is developing as a place to grow food and share learning. Using permaculture and regenerative growing principles, we cultivate perennials, annuals and root vegetables that improve soil health while adding further layers for wildlife.
Over the next few years we plan to create courses to share what we have learned. Until then, guests are invited to pick fruit during their stay and add it to their camping meals.
The Work Continues...
The planting, the grazing, the learning, the adjusting. It doesn’t stop
We hope that when you stay, you feel the care and compassion that have gone into making Top of the Woods a special place. A place for you, for the wildlife and for the land. We would love you to come and share it with us, and to have an amazing stay here in nature.
If it feels like the right place for you, you can explore availability here.