History

Willesley

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 regeneration has seen the landscape transformed to a beautiful tranquil area where nature and humans can coexist in harmony. The wildlife is plentiful and there are may 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. We bought Hill Farm around 15 years ago when the redundant farm buildings were in desperate need of repair. After careful planning we decided that we wanted to create a place where we could share our love for 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 that we needed to create a 100% carbon neutral attraction in the Heart of The National Forest. We then continued with the barns one at a time until we eventually opened in July 2020.

It has been a great adventure so far and this is just the beginning…….

Voted Best New Tourism Business for Leicestershire 2021