ABOUT US
Oakwater Escapes is owned and managed by Adam Hilling and his family
The Hilling Family
I live on site here at Oakwater with my wife Kirsty and our two young daughters Mae & Evie. We purchased this site back in 2021 when we sold our previous house and business in West Somerset which was a well established holiday site and fishery that we owned for over 10 years. In the past we have accommodated holidaymakers in Glamping pods, Belle tents and in caravans so are very experienced in understanding the needs and wants of a holidaymaker.
I decided to setup Oakwater with a focus on a small number of very luxurious high end holidays cabins for adults only. I feel the UK has been swamped by glamping pods, Shephards Huts and tents following the global pandemic so instead decided to focus on bespoke handcrafted holiday lodges that offer far more space and comfort than the aforemetioned units. I am very keen on enhancing the land I own here and making it a haven for wildlife and fauna, In our first planting season we have planted over 50 trees, 450 hedging plants and sown many kilos of Grass and Wildflower Seed.
Handcrafted and locally sourced
Our first two cabins are 100% bespoke and are handmade by a local carpenter ensuring that no other cabin or lodge in the world will be the same as what I offer here at Oakwater Escapes. Where possible we have sourced all materials from the county of Somerset as I am keen to highlight the incredible products and produce that is available here in the westcountry.
Waters Edge our first Cabin is built primarily using Oak throughout and this has been carried into our internal furnishings. Our second Cabin, Cedar Lodge is clad and sculpted using freshly milled Red Cedar from Sherbourne. We are incredibly proud of the sustainable products used on our builds and the fact that our Cabins are truly one of a kind!
Oak + Water
The inspiration for my business has come from the two main features found on my land when it was first purchased in 2021. A 135 year old Oak tree planted to commemorate the golden jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1887 and the Dowlish brook which runs through the heart of my land and provides that soothing almost hypnotic sound of running water.
In the winter of 2022 I enhanced the land here by digging Willow Pool, a half acre lake which will become a wildlife haven for animals and insects and greatly enhance the scenery at Oakwater.
Picture yourself enjoying your favourite beverage with a firepit watching the sunset over the blackdown hills on the banks of Willow Pool or the free flowing Dowlish Brook, all on offer here with us
Built on history
When we first arrived at Oakwater Escapes we were greeted by a majestic 135 year old Oak tree in the centre of our site. After a bit of research we discovered the tree was planted by Thomas Willy and his sons Frank and Felix back in 1887, the owners of Sea Farm, the properties and land that was sited here long before our house was built.
Pictured here is Felix Willy in 1961 when he retunred to the UK from America to revisit his childhood home. When Oakwater Escapes was opened in May 2023 three descendants of the Willy family returned here to witness and celebrate us planting a new Oak tree on our land to celebrate the coronation of King Charles III.
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