Explore our woodland camp at our campsite adjacent to the river. Find time to come and experience the peaceful and relaxing nature of the woodland, and enjoy the outdoor life.

Honestly, neither we nor the woodland really care if you pitch a tiny tent or enjoy one of our teepees but just remember if you are packing it then you might be carrying it.* (Woodland drop-off service is available) So what are the best ways to enjoy the woodland campsite? View current camping trips here.

BYO- Bring Your Own Tent

You can bring your own tent, we have plenty of space with 4-5 large clearings as well as lots of nooks and crannies between trees. Pitch your tent and enjoy our beautiful woodland campsite.

Hire a Canoe Trail Teepee

Canoe Tree has fantastic 8-10 person teepee tents which have been specifically selected for their simple erection and lightweight design. Our teepees are traditional in design but weigh a fraction of the weight of a canvas type. They are frame retardant and light enough to take with you easily in a canoe.

Hire a tent from our selection of tentage

We have a wide selection of tents from 2 person up to Vango 3 and 5 person options designed for Everest from their Force 10 range. The 3 and 5 options are geodetic in design.

Build Your Own Woodland Shelter

Matchstick Wood is a great place to hone your bushcraft and survival skills. We have plenty of large staves and branches already cut make shelters from. You can opt for teepee style shelters through to those with a ridge system. Although requiring a bit of elbow grease there is nothing more satisfying than sleeping in a shelter built by you. Engineer your shelter to your hearts content.

Try our Hammock Trees

Sleeping the night in a hammock strung between two trees in our woodland campsite is a great experience. If the weather is good then just strong your hammock and climb into a sleeping bag and sleep easy. If it is a little more liquid in complexion then string a tarp over your hammock and sleep easy once again. We can hire hammocks and kit if you don’t have one.

Campsite Facilities

Matchstick Wood is a riverside woodland campsite on the banks of the River Great Ouse. It is beauty and not accessible by road or car. So pack light. Please don’t bring the kitchen sink .

You will need to bring kit for camping as well as:

• Water (we have containers for bigger groups)
• Toilet roll
• Fire lighting kit
  
  

Long Drop Toilets

Long drop toilets or composting campsite toilets are what we lovingly call “A loo with a view”. They have a simple screen and toilet seat on a wooden frame. Again try to leave them as you would wish to find them. There is usually a citronella air freshener to blend with the natural fresh air and some hand sanitiser. Please bring your own toilet roll. Our toilets are twinned with one in the Philippines through the Toilet Twinning Project through.

The long drop or composting toilet has been around since the dawn of time and works well and is a standard feature on many of Richard’s adventures in Canada and the Yukon.

Campfire

One of the best bits of camping is being allowed to have a real campfire. We love it and our woodland main clearings have a campfire circle. Cooking your dinner or breakfast on an open fire in the woodland is one of the best feelings ever. It feeds our basic hierarchy of needs. Please don’t burn more wood than you need to. We often pack a tarp and paracord in case it is raining and we need shelter around the campfire.

Campfire Cooking

Do a bit of research on campfire cooking before you start your paddling adventure and make or make some lovely campfire treats.

Simple Campfire treats include

Chocolate bananas

Why not try some of the flavoured chocolate from Green and Blacks in a banana wrapped in foil.?

Marshmallows and Smors

Marshmallows carefully toasted on the campfire is a favourite, be warned not to overdo it or they become a molten flamed mess. Green sticks are perfect for toasting.

Campfire popcorn

Use a simple pan or two sieves to conjure up woodland popcorn

Gourmet Woodland Breadsticks

Take a green stick, strip back the bark and wrap your dough around it for a tasty woodland treat. You can add chilies, other herbs and spices and a little cheese to spice these up.

Campfire Orange Muffins

Hollow out the orange and put your yummy muffin mix in the space. Eat the orange as you go, and then wrap in foil and bake until done.

Campfire Cooking

You can pretty much create all manner of great campfire cuisine on the trusty campfire. Here are a few of our favourites:

• Pasta meatballs
• Campfire stew (vegetarian or free range)
• Stuffed chicken
• Baked fish with herbs
• Halloumi and salad burgers
• Vegetarian curries
• Burritos and Mexican food
• BBQ type food
  
  

Wood Stores

Each main clearing is equipped with a lean to pallet woodstore to allow wood to be kept dry and ready to use. We work on an age old system of “leaving the woodstore as you would wish to find it” full of nice dry wood ready to light a good fire whatever the weather. Don’t forget to bring fire lighting kit such as a good lighter, matches and or a flint and steel. You may also need some tinder, paper or other good material to start it.

The Little Touches

The woodland also has a few little secrets which we hope will add to your experience. Bambi the resident deer who has been known to bark a bit. Our woodland swings that we set up and also the twinkling fairy lights. We have also installed a couple of pizza / bread ovens built in a traditional way.

Cooking Kit

Don’t forget to bring a grill or something to cook on over the campfire. You can of course bring your own stove.

We have a wide selection of cooking kit that can be hired including:

• Kelly Kettles
• Trangia stoves (using meths)
• Large campfire grills
• Dutch ovens
  
  

Campsite Rules

• Be respectful of other campers and everyday folk (dog walkers, locals, fishermen etc)
• Keep noise to a sensible level
• We suggest you don’t run as there are plenty of rabbit warrens and holes to trip you up or worse cause an injury
• Don’t burn more wood than you need to, it’s a waste
• Replenish the wood store as you would want to find it
• Don’t leave smouldering fires, please put them out when you have finished
• Leave no trace (no rubbish) take your plastics, and waste with you.