Warming up on a cold Suffolk night, my belly full of scallops and venison, sipping red wine in the hot tub, I looked out at the private lake I was swimming in and thought to myself, this is nature for me.
The Wilderness Reserve is a rambling site in the Suffolk countryside, about eight miles inland from Dunwich. The building is owned by billionaire Foxton family property tycoon John Hunt and is next door to his 18th century mansion, Heveningham Hall.
The nature preserve opened as a vacation destination in 2013 and is comprised of a variety of sizes, shapes, ages, and ornamentations spread across 8,000 acres of meadows, forests, and restoring arable farmland . With wedding-ready manor houses, converted farmhouses, off-the-grid boltholes, and lakeside cottages, there’s something for everyone. It’s wild only in the broadest sense of the word. Rather than starting with a grand plan, Wilderness expands more organically, slowly peppering the landscape with land that straddles his two estates, Sibton Park and Chapel Barn.
Between now and early 2025, nine new mansions will open, including Hjelm, where my family stayed. This two-bedroom thatched cottage is set on a small man-made lake, perfect for a quick swim or an excursion in the provided rowboat. The appearance is a dull peach pink. Inside, the double-height living room is dominated by an impressive red brick chimney. Since the cottage has just opened, I already felt comfortable living in it.
