Furnace Brook Farm and Fishery

Liked: AMAZING. IDYLLIC. MAGICAL. What a hidden gem this place is. We have been camping/glamping in many locations but nothing will ever measure up to the experience at Furnace Brook. We booked to stay for a relaxing, quiet break, disconnected from technology, surrounded by nature with fishing outside the accommodation. We got everything we wanted and so much more than we were expecting. We certainly recharged our batteries while staying here. A wonderful place for wellbeing, which is at the root of what the hosts are trying to provide.
Driving out into the countryside away from the hustle and bustle felt like going deeper and deeper into nature. We were greeted by two deer as we drove down the lane to the fishery.
From initial enquiries throughout the whole stay, nothing was too much trouble for our lovely hosts Alistair, Diane and Kellie, who were friendly and extremely informative about the local area and the history of the fishery.
Alistair met us at reception and ferried our belongings to the shepherd’s hut/tree house in a golf cart which was super quiet.
The accommodation was nestled among the trees by a lake with its own fishing peg. It was completely secluded. The hut has everything you need in the kitchen, an extremely comfy bed and bean bag sofa in the bedroom. There are chairs and a swing seat to sit outside on the veranda overlooking the lake.
The shower and toilet are in a hut next to the accommodation.
Alistair showed us the dome room and the little “village” of huts near the accommodation that we were able to explore on our strolls around the lake. Also there was a group kitchen area/event shelter complete with hay bails to sit on.
I was absolutely speechless, which is saying something for me.
We sat smiling all evening as the night drew in. We stayed up late into the night, sitting on the veranda, enjoying a complimentary ale from our host Diane’s own brewery on-site, listening to the sounds of nature around us and no noise pollution.
We saw so much wildlife including (but not restricted to) bats, deer, woodpeckers, heron, kingfishers, ducks and a pair of resident geese.
The whole break continued in this vein. The local pubs were great and we had some particularly fabulous food at the Ash Tree Inn as recommended by our hosts. We were not disappointed. Lovely local people.
There is a village store nearby and supermarkets in Hailsham which is a 10-15 min drive.
The village store had some amazing food that you might expect in a farm shop.
We ended up booking an extra day as we really did not want to leave.
We also took plenty of Diane’s delicious ale (brewed on site) to enjoy when we got home.
We will return.

Disliked: Leaving!

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: We are so delighted that you both had an amazing, idyllic and magical stay. We appreciate your review and all of your positive comments. We hope you will return again for another relaxing stay and the opportunity for a digital detox.
Furnace Brook team.