About Us
History
Willesley is a small hamlet close to the historic market town of Ashby-de-la-Zouch. Hastings Retreat is situated at Hill Farm in Willesley, which was part of an opencast mining site during the late 1990s, when the landscape looked rather different. The National Forest’s regeneration has seen the landscape transformed into a beautiful, tranquil area where nature and humans can coexist in harmony. The wildlife here is plentiful, and there are many walks, cycle routes and local activities that embrace the connection with nature.
Our family are local, and we have lived through the transformation from a bleak black and grey mining area to the wonderful colours that now surround us. Having lived in this area all our lives, restoring it properly was never just a business decision for us — it was personal.
The Build
We bought Hill Farm around 15 years ago, when the redundant farm buildings were in desperate need of repair. After careful planning, we decided we wanted to create a place where we could share our love of the countryside with others by diversifying into the tourism industry. We had no mains water and no telephone at the time!
It has been a long story, as money was not in endless supply, but we continued building our dream of the future a little at a time. Our first project was the turbine that would provide us with the energy we needed to create a 100% carbon neutral attraction in the heart of the National Forest — we’ve since gone further, and now generate roughly three times the electricity we use, making us carbon negative. We then continued with the barns one at a time until we eventually opened in July 2020.
Then & Now
The buildings we took on were redundant, open to the weather and, in places, barely standing. We restored them one at a time, keeping the brick and the bones wherever we could.
Regeneration
Alongside the turbine, we installed two electric vehicle charging points on site, and use refillable hand wash, body wash and shampoo dispensers across all our holiday lets to cut down on single-use plastic.
As the land has regenerated, so has its wildlife. Bird and owl boxes are dotted around the site, and one of our holiday lets even has a bat loft built into its roof. Our 3-acre fishing lake supports a thriving population of fish, and over the years we’ve watched deer, muntjac, hares and rabbits return, along with a growing range of birdlife — nature finding its way back to land that once had none.
Where we could, we chose to restore rather than replace. Our barn conversions were finished with upcycled kitchens and furniture — hand-painted and given new life — brought together with the help of local tradespeople and a background in interior design that shaped every finish.
Today
We now run six self-catering holiday lets, and since opening we’ve grown steadily: we take the majority of our bookings direct these days, our repeat guest numbers keep climbing, and we currently hold a 9.6 rating on Booking.com. Guests find us from all over the country, meeting somewhere in the middle — scattered families, old university friends, groups of women away together — and time and again they tell us they hadn’t realised how beautiful Leicestershire’s countryside is. We sit close to the very heart of the National Forest, and we’ve worked closely with them throughout, sharing the ambition to put this part of Leicestershire on the map as a destination in its own right.
What’s Next
We’ve secured planning permission for ten further lodges — five pet-and-family-friendly lodges in the top woodland, and five romantic lakeside lodges — plus the conversion of an agricultural barn into a wedding and function venue. That last one came from noticing how many of our guests were travelling elsewhere to get married, when they could celebrate here instead, supporting local caterers, florists and musicians rather than taking that spend out of the area.
Your Hosts
Hastings Retreat is run as a family business — Dawn, her husband, and son Charlie — supported by nine local cleaners who’ve become part of the team. Regeneration is not an afterthought here. It’s how we built this place, and how we intend to keep building it.
We love the countryside and family life and are happy that we can share our life experience with you. You will see John and I pottering around the grounds so please stop and have a chat and feel free to reach out if you need anything at all. We are here to help. We hope you have a lovely stay.
Recognition
We’re proud that our little corner of the National Forest has been recognised for the care we’ve put into it.
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