Tag: Eldbottle Wood

Plans submitted for a £1.5 million outdoor play trail at Archerfield

Archerfield Walled Garden has submitted plans to East Lothian Council for a £1.5m, elements-themed, woodland adventure play trail and learning area, entitled ‘Eldbotle Wood’, which will create 20 new jobs for the local area, taking the total number of local employees to 85.

Following their well-attended community engagement evening on the 10th September, plans have now been submitted for the latest project at the popular hospitality, retail and leisure destination, which features a café, homeware and lifestyle store, food market, outdoor event space and extensive grounds which include a pond, labyrinth, willow walk and fairy trail.

Proposals for the latest addition to Archerfield Walled Garden, which is part of Archerfield Estates Limited, owned by sisters Elly and Annie Douglas-Hamilton, include the creation of an elements-themed adventure trail with four play zones and also an outdoor learning area.

The play trail will be named ‘Eldbotle Wood’ after an ancient medieval rural settlement on the Estate.

Award-winning adventure designers CAP.CO – Creating Adventurous Places, which specialises in designing and building bespoke play spaces across the UK since 2014, have been commissioned to design the adventure trail. These include Tumblestone Hollow in Oxfordshire, Skelf Island in North Yorkshire, Fairytale Farm in Chipping Norton and Adventure Play at Windsor Great Park.

Set within the natural woodland at Archerfield Walled Garden, ‘Eldbotle Wood’ will be based around four key elements, Earth, Water, Air and Fire, with each section introducing new challenges with educational themes integral to the overall play and fun aspects of the trail. In addition, there will also be a learning hub for local schools and community groups to use.

Elly Douglas-Hamilton, Chief Executive of Archerfield Estates Limited said: “This is an exciting time for us as we submit our proposals to create an outdoor adventure play trail, ‘Eldbotle Wood’, at Archerfield Walled Garden. 

“We are delighted to be working alongside the very creative and talented team at CAP.CO to design, plan and develop the trail and help bring our plans to fruition.”

Plans announced for a £1.5m trail in East Lothian

Archerfield Walled Garden in East Lothian showcased plans for a £1.5m, elements-themed, woodland adventure play trail and learning area, entitled ‘Eldbotle Wood’, at a public exhibition, which is set to create 20 new jobs for the local area. 

The hospitality, retail and leisure destination, which was built in 2013, is part of Archerfield Estates Limited, owned by sisters Elly and Annie Douglas-Hamilton, whose family bought Archerfield Estate in the 1960s. 

Today, the family, who employ 65 staff, retain around 250 acres of land surrounding Archerfield Walled Garden, which includes regeneratively farmed fields and woodlands managed for native wildlife.

Archerfield Walled Garden, which has continued to expand over the years, currently features a garden café, a lifestyle store, food market, gardens, an outdoor event space and extensive grounds which include a pond, labyrinth, willow and fairy walk.

Ahead of planning being submitted for ‘Eldbotle Wood’, a public exhibition was held at Archerfield Walled Garden recently to unveil the plans, which include a children’s adventure trail with four play zones and an outdoor learning area available for local schools and community groups to use, all inspired by an elements theme. 

Award-winning adventure play designers, CAP.CO, who have been commissioned to design and develop the unique attraction, also attended the event to highlight the overall concept.

Elly Douglas-Hamilton, Chief Executive of Archerfield Estates Limited said: “We are delighted that the feedback we’ve already received for our plans to create a magical outdoor play experience, which have been in development for a number of years, has been really positive, especially from local schools and community groups.

“We have worked closely with CAP.CO who completely understood our vision from the very beginning to design a unique woodland adventure trail, rooted in imagination and nature, and are very excited about bringing it to life.”