Exclusive Houses Designed for Gathering

The estate offers a curated collection of beautifully restored manors, farmhouses, barns and cottages, each with its own character and history. Some are grand — soaring ceilings, banquet-table dining rooms, roaring fires and sprawling lawns — while others are cosy and secluded, ideal for a couple of families or a small group seeking a quieter Christmas.

Many of the houses include private swimming pools, hot tubs, saunas or spa facilities, allowing guests to slip into a slower pace of life without ever leaving the front door. Larger manor houses and barns are perfect for multigenerational celebrations, while smaller properties offer romantic festive getaways surrounded by whispering woodland.

The estate is exclusive-use: when you book a house, it’s yours, and only yours. There are no shared corridors, no busy hotel lobbies — just your group, your space, and the freedom to set your own rhythm.

A Christmas Built on Experience, Not Obligation

What sets Wilderness Reserve apart isn’t only the setting — it’s the pace of your festive stay.
Here, Christmas doesn’t have to mean cooking, tidying, organising schedules or entertaining guests. It can mean going outside, trying something new, discovering the landscape, eating beautifully prepared meals, and spending time with the people who matter most.
Guests can enjoy festive feasting prepared by expert chefs, indulgent spa treatments from the comfort of your private house, nature walks and wildlife spotting, outdoor countryside pursuits such as archery, clay shooting or falconry, chilly lake swims guided by the estate’s expert Rangers and Fire Feast woodland dining — a showstopping open-fire culinary experience under the stars.

These are not generic “hotel activities.” They are immersive, elemental and utterly memorable — the kind of experiences people talk about for years to come.

Festive Feasting:

From Manor-House Dining to Fire-Cooked Surprises

Christmas at Wilderness Reserve feels deliciously indulgent, and the food mirrors the landscape: rustic, refined and deeply seasonal. Guests can choose from private-chef dining in their house or opt for one of the estate’s signature culinary experiences.

The most spectacular — and truly unlike anything else in Britain — is Fire Feast woodland dining.

Deep in the estate’s private woodland, long tables glow beneath twinkling lights and a canopy of centuries-old trees. Open fires blaze as chefs smoke, sear and roast ingredients over flames: local game, winter vegetables, slow-cooked joints, charred bread, rich sauces and caramelised desserts. The scent of woodsmoke threads through the air as guests gather, wrapped in blankets, mulled drinks in hand, surrounded by firelight and stars.

It is part equal parts feast and theatre — wildly atmospheric, wildly memorable.

Wellness & Spa:

Slow Down & Switch Off

For those who crave a gentler kind of festive escape, the estate’s spa and wellness offering is a gift in itself.

Many of the houses include indoor or outdoor heated pools, private spa treatment rooms, hot tubs overlooking the parkland, and sauna & steam rooms tucked into beautifully converted barns.

Treatments — indulgent massages, facials, and body rituals — can all be arranged directly to your accommodation. Guests return from bracing walks and chilly swims into toasty spa spaces, where relaxation becomes the rhythm of the day.

Nature Walks:

Crisp Mornings, Big Skies and Quiet Moments

Walking on the estate in December is a tonic for the senses. Footpaths thread through ancient woodland where deer move gently between the trees, while the frost catches on seed heads and the lakes reflect the silver winter sky.

The estate’s Rangers lead guided nature walks, sharing stories about the land’s regeneration, rewilding, and the species now returning to the area. For many guests, these walks become one of the most cherished parts of their stay — long and rambling or slow and mindful, always ending back at the house to a roaring fire.

Chilly Lake Swims:

A Festive Ritual for the Brave

It sounds outrageous, and yet: the cold-water winter swim is often the highlight of the entire trip.

Led by Wilderness Reserve’s expert Rangers, guests can take an exhilarating dip in one of the estate’s private lakes. Towels, warm robes, blankets and steaming hot drinks await the moment swimmers emerge from the water.

Those who try it describe the same feeling: clarity, energy, pure childlike exhilaration.

Christmas Eve & Christmas Day at Wilderness Reserve

A festive stay isn’t designed minute-by-minute. Instead, Wilderness Reserve encourages guests to shape their own getaway: lazy mornings, energetic afternoons, spa breaks, naps by the fire, late-night stargazing. But certain traditions feel naturally woven into the atmosphere.

On Christmas Eve, guests often gather in the main sitting room of their manor house, sipping wine or hot chocolate beside the fire. Other guests venture into nearby Southwold — a picture-perfect seaside town — to pick up last-minute treats or stroll the pier. A brisk winter walk along the beach clears the mind just in time for the quiet magic of the evening.

On Christmas Day, winter sun spills across fields glittering with frost. Families gather in the grand dining room of their house for a feast prepared by the chef — a long, laughter-filled meal where nobody needs to baste the turkey, tidy or remember the timings on potatoes.
Afterwards, everyone drifts into their chosen pace of celebration – whether enjoying a glass of Champagne in the hot tub or a brisk walk through the woods.

Whatever you choose, the house holds the day gently — private, warm, and unhurried.