We are delighted to introduce ‘The Look Out’ to our website! We went to see Jake from www.timelessspaces.uk back in October 2020 to look at his beautiful hand built shepherds huts and pods. We decided on a pod as we liked it’s quirky shape and the fact that it would tuck into the trees (a space where we had to take out some diseased Ash), but still have a wonderful view through the other trees across the river and out towards Caradon Hill. Jake and the team are understandably busy, and so it was October before they could visit. As usual, nothing is straightforward when you are up steep hills and narrow lanes – the pod was built in the workshop, dismantled, transported to The Sanctuary building, and then we had to load it onto our truck and carry it further up the hill to the site. This took us countless trips, stacking it all ready for the team to come the next day and reconstruct! Still, we think the end result was definitely worth it!
We chose Jake and the team as he built using the same techniques as the main building, and using the same supplier for the wood & cladding, so that it matched. The windows and doors were handmade (including the fabulous portholes) and painted exactly the same shade as the paintwork at the Sanctuary. We were also supporting a small, local company of craftsmen, which has always been part of our ethos.
This is designed to let guests have a greater connection to the landscape and to understand the mechanics of being completely offgrid. You do need to be fit enough to walk up and down a pretty steep hill, and be able to carry everything with you. The Look Out has a tiny woodburner, and a kitchen ‘pod’ (made for campervans) with a single gas burner and a tiny sink with a pop up tap. There is a portable power pack that can charge devices and powers the sink pump. This can be recharged by guests using a solar panel. There is also exactly the same bed and linen that guests staying at the Sanctuary main building enjoy, along with a table & chairs- both inside and outside. There is a lovely shower room and separate toilet down the hill back at the main building, and a compost toilet right next to the Look Out in a matching hand made building – also made by Jake. It features a compost toilet decorated by Karen! There are lots of other features and equipment – check the website for more details, or drop us an email.
