Our check-in and check-out times are 3.30pm and 10.30am*. At the moment, early check in and late check- out is unfortunately not possible*. You are more than welcome to enjoy the Reserve and the facilities on your arrival day from 10am and on your departure day until 5pm. Please do let us know your plans so we know how many guests are onsite.

Arrival at your hut: At the entry gate please use the gate code 03521+Enter. It is then a two mile drive through the Nature Reserve to the farm. Please drive slowly up the long drive, and straight into the large car park, past the cottage (on your right). Please turn left immediately into the smaller car park where Kingshill Barn is. You can park here, or in the large car park, whichever is closest to your hut.

On arrival, please do pop to the barn to say hello and we will talk you through arrival information, and hand over your keys. If you would rather opt for a contactless check- in, you are very welcome to go straight to your hut. Please let us know in advance as we will need to arrange the hut to be unlocked.

Please follow the map above and the instructions for each hut below.

The Roost: Please follow the map above -there is a small gate by the information board at the bottom of the car park. Go through this gate and you will find a smaller gate on your left for the hut. Heading through the gate, please follow the path to the right.

Martha’s Hut: Head towards Kingshill Barn at the end of the small carp park. Go through the gate and straight down the track. Martha’s Hut is just past Elmley Cottage and on your right.

If you have lots of luggage, you are very welcome to drive through the large gate to the hut to drop off your bags.

If you need anything at all please call 07930 847520 (9am-5pm) or if arriving past 5pm, our emergency number is 07538592146

• Please collect homemade muesli & cold milk from the barn on arrival – For contactless check-ins this will be left in your hut.

• Please help yourself to more wood (£5 per bucket) from the wood store which is located at the back of the office (little brick building with green windows at the end of the courtyard).

• To ensure your fellow guests relax in peace please avoid walking in front of the other huts.

• The nature reserve footpath is via the main car park. It is around 30mins walk to the first hides and 3 miles in total to the furthest hide, Spitend. As we are based in a National Nature Reserve, please keep to the footpaths, close any gates and please don’t go too close to the water in front of your hut to avoid disturbing the wildlife.

• The gate code for the entrance gate is on your keys so please use this to let yourselves in and out.

• On the morning of your departure, please lock your hut and check-out by 10:30am*. You will receive an email with your final bill. This can be settled with contactless payment (card only) and key drop or you can pop in and settle this with one of the team in the barn. You are more than welcome to enjoy the reserve until 4:30pm.

* There will be a fee for unarranged late check outs, to ensure we have enough time for our hard-working housekeepers to change over the hut for our next guests staying.

Your hut will be stocked with complimentary marshmallows, breakfast tea and freshly ground coffee, please request cold milk and homemade muesli from the barn on arrival.

We are happy to offer you other meals, in the form of a take-away, for your stay. Full options and prices are available the week before your stay on the menu posted on the website here

Breakfast and supper are available and can be delivered to your hut, hot in a hamper.

Coffees, cakes, ice creams, local snacks and drinks are also available to purchase in the barn Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, 9am – 3:30pm. Please note, this is take-away only.

If you have any dietary requirements, please do let us know in advance.

If you are celebrating a special occasion, please let us know and we will try to accommodate any requests.

Half-sized child servings are available.

We have a 5 out of 5 standard Food & Hygiene rating and try to only use local produce.

You have a mini fridge in the hut. Alternatively, do bring your own cool bag if you would like to store a lot in the hut.

There is a sink inside the hut. Eco-Friendly washing up liquid and sponges are provided.

The water in the huts and in the taps around the site is drinkable.

There is a small bin in your hut dresser for personal rubbish. Please dispose of food packaging and waste in the recycling and rubbish bins which are located by the green barn in the car park.

Please note that rugs and cushions have been removed. If you would like any please request and we will give you a cleaned and stored item. The hut has a 75mm insulated cavity throughout. The insulation is Earthwool, a breathable carbon-neutral insulation made from 80% recycled bottles, it is low impact as well as being very effective. Along with the oil-filled radiator and Romney Marsh Wool blankets we’re sure you will be warm and cosy on the chilliest of nights.

You will find gorgeous natural products by Bramley in full size bottles. Please enjoy these but leave the bottles! You have a flushing loo and hot shower with a great view of the Reserve. Don't forget about that Beautiful outside bath!

In wet weather please make sure you look after the hut. Please take muddy boots off before entering the hut. There are hooks to dry out wet clothes. Boot brushes are attached to your steps and they will stay dry under your hut.

The hut has 240v electricity but please be aware that the farm is off grid (not on mains electricity), so please use power responsibly.

The hut is rather bijou, so space is at a premium. There are hooks for clothing. If you have larger bags that you would like storing, please just ask and we can look after them for you.

Your hut has an electric kettle and small fridge. We provide the cooking utensils you may need for your BBQ. To save space we have limited the equipment in the huts. If you could do with anything else, please let us know. We ask that you leave everything as you would hope to find it. The fire pit in front of your hut is great for toasting marshmallows – wood is provided. Extra wood is stored next to the office (£5 honesty charge per bucket).

Elmley is a 3,300 acres estate which is both a working family farm and a National Nature Reserve. With a population of five and being off the grid, it is as remote as you can be in south-east , yet has 4G (although we recommend you turn the phone off!). We have the unique status of being the only family farmers who own and manage a National Nature Reserve. Being an independent Nature Reserve, we have the opportunity to do things a bit differently. There is nowhere else in the UK that you can spend the night, or get married, within a Nature Reserve (let alone the middle of a National Nature Reserve). Georgina and Gareth, their young children, and our small team are your hosts. Georgina’s family has farmed on the grazing marsh for over 40 years - a herd of 800 suckler cows and sheep graze the marsh - and are renowned for managing the land for nature conservation.

A stay at Elmley is a wildlife experience with hares, owls, marsh harriers, water voles, avocets and dragonflies being some of the other wildlife you might see. You should expect to hear and see wildlife everywhere. As well as the safari-esque sunrises and sunsets, the marsh at night is a really special place to take in the chorus of marsh frogs, calls of owls, ducks and wading birds, or to watch the moonlight glint of the pools and nearby Swale channel. Elmley is a National Nature Reserve and an internationally important site for the conservation of both habitat and plants, animals, insects and bird and so it is a SSSI, Special Protected Area for birds and Ramsar site (wetland of world importance). We have a huge number of rare and endangered species but Elmley is especially important for breeding wading birds and over-wintering birds – in fact in 2018 we have a had record as over 460 lapwing chicks fledged into adults (exactly the opposite to the rest of the country sadly). And, in the winter months the sky is filled with tens of thousands of wildfowl, which make an unforgettable sight of cloud-like murmuration's and flocks in formation. Elmley is also a great place to see hares, which are especially beautiful in the dawn mist, and four different owls: short-eared owls (winter only), long-eared owls (autumn only) little owls and barn owls. Our not-so-wild-life consists of Polly the farm dog, and over 800 cows with their calves (which graze March to December). We also have lots of sheep over the winter. We receive approximately 12,000 day visitors a year, most of whom come between December and March when the birds are most abundant.

Elmley also has a fascinating history, which is apparent in the old buildings around the farm and across the marsh – Victorian haylofts, cottages, and a traditional Kentish Barn, the remains of a Victorian brick-making village. And, King James II was locked up in the farmhouse in 1688 whilst fleeing William of Orange! The North Marshes was also an inspirational place for Dickens, and the opening scenes of the BBC adaptation of Great Expectations, was filmed here at Elmley.

4G can be picked up here should you need it; we recommend using a mobile hotspot to get online. We do not have access to Wi-fi, so we suggest this is a great time to switch off!

Children and babies are very welcome at Elmley. Travel cots, highchairs, toys and books are available for your children to use. Please do ask a member of staff – however we do have limited availability.

We do not currently offer any activities for children, but they do have a huge amount of space and fresh air and will enjoy watching the tractors and watching our lovely Indian Running Ducks!

It is a long walk to our hides for little legs so do set off prepared with snacks, raincoat and water. For babies an off-road pram or baby carrier is advised.

As we are a working farm with farm machinery please ensure children are always supervised when you are out and about. Do be extra careful around any water as the ditches and ponds are very deep. There is plenty to keep you busy on the Reserve. The wildlife trails lead to four bird watching hides or follow the other footpaths around the Reserve and discover the remains of and old Victorian village and more amazing wildlife. Walk to the furthest hide (Spitend hide 5.5 km from the farmyard).

Elmley’s huge skies and special quality of light are a huge draw for artists. Your hut receives views of breath-taking sunrises, why not sleep with the curtains open to make sure you don’t miss it (you can always go back to sleep afterwards!). An evening spent outside your hut is an unforgettable experience, watch (and hear) lapwing, wigeon, hares, owls, and frogs against the wonderful marsh backdrop. But don’t forget about the sunset. Elmley normally gets spectacular sunsets framed by the enigmatic Sheppey Crossing.

What better place to be in the rain than curled up in bed with a cup of tea and watch the weather roll across the marsh!

Book a walking tour with our knowledgeable Nature Guide, Abbie, and explore the wildlife the reserve has to offer. Abbie offers group tours and private tours at dawn, dusk and lunchtime! You have a great opportunity to see all the different wildlife at different times of the day. Timings and availability depend on tides times and weather. Please ask a member of staff, but please be aware availability may be limited when booked last minute. You can book these in advance here. Additionally, private tours are available, to enquire about this service please contact Abbie@ [email protected]

Elmley is a great base for exploring the many well-known areas and attractions across Kent: the historic town market town of , known for its antiques shops, markets and the creek with its historic barges and shipyard (25mins); Whitstable for its seafood and vintage shopping (35min); Leeds Castle (25mins) with its beautiful and family-friendly setting; Canterbury (30mins); and the Turner Contemporary in Margate with its fun and arty old town (45mins). Closer to home, Sheppey is an historic island and has some fascinating places to visit, including with its splendid Georgian Naval Terrace in , ’s fishing harbour, and water-sports at Barton’s Point Coastal Park. For more nature and walks you can watch raptors from Capel Fleet or visit National Nature Reserve to catch a glimpse seals basking on the sands in the Swale. There are plenty of local beaches to explore but our recommendations on the island are: • Minster Leas - walk along the shore and find a quiet spot underneath the cliffs. • - this beautiful, remote beach is made of tiny seashells! Access is through Leysdown and down a very bumpy track (not suitable for all cars). Please note Shellness is a naturist beach so probably not one to visit on busy Summer days! • Or go fossil hunting at Warden Point. If you’re after vast sandy beaches take a longer drive to the Thanet coast with the gorgeous beaches at Broadstairs, Botany Bay and Joss Bay.

We are open to visitors every Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The opening hours vary depending on the time of year, so please let us know before your stay when you expect to arrive. If the gate is ever closed just buzz the intercom and we can let you in. As the Reserve is protected for conservation guests are not permitted to roam freely across the marsh but must stick to the allocated footpaths, please just ask if you are not sure. Being a working farm and a marsh there are some risk on site, please be aware of the risks and ensure children are supervised at all times. The ditches and ponds are deep and very dangerous and so paddling is forbidden. Please do not enter fields with closed gates and livestock.

Your hut is fitted with a carbon monoxide detector and a fire blanket. If the flames are contained place the fire blanket over the flames and turn off the heat source. In case of a fire or the carbon monoxide alert sounding, exit the hut straight away. If the doorway is blocked exit via the window. Raise the alarm. The fire meeting point is in the main car park.

In order to avoid any negative impact to the wildlife at Elmley we have a Code of Conduct that we ask guests to adhere to. Please ensure that you take a couple of minutes to read this and do ask if you have any questions.

We are available 24/7 in case of problems. Please call 07930847520 (9am-5pm) otherwise you have our out of hours emergency contact number on your keys. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch if there is anything you need.